As with all sport games, WWE 2K 17 faces its biggest hurdle in making the yearly purchase worth it. Due to limited development time, Developers are forced to iterate rather than reinvent things. This is what WWE 2K Series is going through and WWE 2K 17 is the best iteration yet.
The pace of the game has been slowed down and it’s for the better to show the impact of each move. The wrestlers even sell the moves and they look so real this time around.
Roll out mechanic has been implemented this time around as 2K has realized that small touches are also important. You can roll out of the ring using this mechanic and return when you have regained required stamina. You can choose to return with less stamina but that would result in your undoing. Roll out mechanic introduces strategy which previous games ignored.
Multi-Person matches in WWE have always been messy. AI opponents would break up the pin or if you are playing friends, winning would seem impossible. This is pretty much solved now with how you and your opponents react to moves. Every move has a toll on the fighter’s body, this makes the game feel like authentic wrestling. So, in-ring action is top notch in WWE 2K 17, however, outside the ring is different story.
WWE 2K 17 removes showcase mode to focus on other areas of the game. Showcase mode served as single player campaign for WWE games. Skipping on showcase is a missed opportunity as showcase mode was loved by many. Even though other areas have been improved significantly, it still does not justify skipping out on a single mode.
But the fact that you have to create a superstar in My Career mode may be lot of grind for some. In this case a pre-prepared concept just like Showcase comes into play.
If you do not consider creating your own superstar as grind, then WWE 2K 17 would be a delight. The creator options are the best in gaming, allowing you to create superstars who could not make it into the game and also monsters.
WWE 2K 17’s Promo Mode is the newest addition this year. 2K has worked interviews and promos into the game this year recognizing their importance in sports as a whole.
While it is extremely basic but you do get dialogue options which you can choose as your response. It’s all text based though with not much depth but genuine first attempt on developer’s part. A good promo can be as entertaining as a match in WWE, 2K 17 tries to capture it but falls short.
Overall this is iteration is business as usual for WWE, with return of backstage brawls and largest roster in the history of the franchise. It’s really awesome to scroll down and see so many superstars and imagine their possible match ups.
