Welcome To Suplex City | WWE 2K17 Review

We come across many annual franchises every year and the WWE 2K franchise is by far the one I’m most invested in. Through good years and bad, every game does try to bring something different to the table (or through it). While there have been some strides in some areas of the game one big feature is not present in this game. Will WWE 2K17 be the monster in the ring or will it be the local talent that gets fed to the wolves? Let’s make our way to the ring, it’s time for the review.

Welcome To Suplex City

Upon loading up WWE 2K17, the “Then. Now. Forever.” video you may be used to seeing at the beginning of every WWE program is played, followed by the usual legal notices and credits. Right off the bat, this was a sign a lot of work went into the presentation of the game. That presentation of what you would see on WWE TV has always been and still remains one of the strongest suits of the WWE 2K franchise. A great amount of WWE Superstars look great as good, or remain as close to their real-life counterpart as they can, with a few exceptions on the roster.

Last year running in during entrances was something that came into play. WWE 2K17 added the introduction of post-match run-ins from random superstars. These are nice surprises to keep the player on their toes. These happen at random and can be modified to happen more or less to the player’s choosing. Also, should the player see fit, they can continue to beat their opponent after the match. It’s something that adds a little depth to exhibition matches.

The biggest thing most WWE 2K veterans will notice is the lack of a 2K showcase. In previous years, the 2K Showcase would have players play out about 30 some odd matches filled with quick-time events to live out some of the biggest and best matches in WWE’s history. Personally, I don’t miss it, however, I do understand if others find the game lacking in that area.

New… Day Rocks!

Most notably in My Career is the chance to become a Paul Heyman guy. This allows players to forgo part of the WWE training in NXT and shoots you straight onto the main roster. This also comes with its own set of consequences as parts of the roster will gun for you and the Authority may not be in your favor. Also, being a Paul Heyman guy means you have to represent that with success or face his consequences should Heyman not deem you worthy of his representation.

Eat. Sleep. Conquer. Repeat.

In WWE Universe mode, the addition of promos aid in making a more realistic experience to that you’d see on Raw or Smackdown every week. The promos mostly just involve the player picking certain dialog and are gauged based on how the city responds. Each city likes different things said and done, but there’s no way of knowing what they want beforehand. Also, it seems odd seeing the dialog picked, but the superstar pantomimes everything in the ring. I would like to see them utilizing real superstar voices instead, but maybe that would be fit for future installments. Both My Career and Universe are mostly for core players that are in it for the long haul. They have their moments of being both fun and rewarding, most of which feels like when it’s in between the ropes, but are still very much a grind.

They don’t want none!

As is the case again, WWE 2K17 is another case of fine tuning a mechanically sound game. Gameplay is smoother this year, with more animations to make things look realistic. Little things like stomping an opponent to turn them over rather than manually doing it add that sense of realism that you’re in a wrestling match. The additions of backstage brawls and fighting in the crowd make things really fun for those that like to take things beyond the ring. Also added are other mini games to make gameplay a bit more competitive. For example, ladder matches now have a different mini-game to win by filling up a meter by putting a dot through a gap in a semicircle.

Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Paul Heyaman…

Matches featuring more than the usual two competitors also have a new roll-out feature in the match. This should be familiar to WWE viewers as this feature makes a superstar roll out of the ring after taking a big bump, kind of making it a one-on-one affair until the other competitor rolls back in. This adds a little bit of strategy for those that are outside and makes things fun for those in the ring.

The best changes have come by way of the creation modes. Last year, sampling some pieces of attire were only restricted to viewing it on a thumbnail. Now, just about everything will be placed on the superstar so you can see how it looks first, then edit the colors and such to how you see fit. This also works well while scrolling through moves individually as each move will be demonstrated rather than having to press a button to sample it.

Thanks for doing all the work, I’ll take it from here.

More features have been added to creation modes, such as creating custom entrance movies which can be taken from matches or made from the tools in the game. All this makes the creation process really long, but worth the time once everything is made right. I would like to see other creation modes return such as create a finisher, but it doesn’t feel like it’s completely missing from the game.

While WWE 2K17 does boast the largest roster in the franchise history, a feat that will more than likely continue, a good portion of the Superstars from last year’s game have returned. 2K17 does, however, feature a lot more superstars that quite frankly should have been in last year’s game. This is usually the case for the current roster of Superstars and a few of the WWE Legends, but most of the DLC from last year’s game has been included as well. One other problem is the commentary gets quite repetitive, especially for longer matches. It may be time to get another commentary crew together to highlight the new brand split.

My client, the Beast incarnate, Brock Lesnar…

Gameplay is a high point however, there are a ton of small bugs and glitches in the game that adds a bit of accidental humor in moments. A new rating system is in place to grade the player on how well they do and are given some in-game currency to unlock more players and arenas. It seems a bit unnecessary when players can bypass this simply by purchasing it all with real money. The same submission system from last year returns, which has been problematic. Fortunately, it can be changed manually to a twist on the old system but with one of the face buttons at during a few seconds rather than all of them at the same time.

Opening up a can on the boss…What?

WWE 2K17 does do a lot of great things adding a lot more depth to gameplay with new mechanics. The creation system, while time-consuming, does pay off when the player gets everything just the way they want them. On the surface WWE 2K17 doesn’t do much differently from its predecessor, once you start diving in, you’ll see the differences and additions made feel like a big improvement over previous installments.

In the ever evolving world of the WWE, WWE 2K17 does everything it can within reason to keep itself current. It doesn’t hurt when the Community Creations help you out with some things that didn’t make the cut. WWE 2K17 has something for everyone. The massive roster is great for those that want to just play out matches they’ll see on WWE TV or make some up on their own. The My Career, Universe, and creation modes are great for those that are in it for the long haul.

Final Verdict: WWE 2K17 gets 8 F-5’s out of 10.