s the months go by, I’m learning more and more that I’m not the only one who’s found an interest in professional wrestling again, as I see more and more of my friends and associates hop on board with the craze, keeping tabs on their favorite performers and their status quos, and so on.
The WWE and 2K are well aware of the trending popularity that Sports Entertainment has been receiving, and as such, have taken measures to capitalize on both the newfound fame it’s seeing, and the effervescent nostalgia for one of wrestling’s most iconic figures, Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Enter the latest entry into the brand’s game franchise, WWE2K16; a sequel that hopes to correct last the significant misstep that was last year’s title into the series—and well, it tries, I’ll give it that…
I can safely say that WWE2K16 is better than WWE2K15—marginally though, only, marginally.
One of biggest flaws that held back 2K15 were all of the technical issues and performance problems the game had in terms of both their severity, and the frequency of their appearance—thankfully the repeat offense on the Austin-endorsed chapter of the series isn’t as severe.
The haunted memories of Cthulhu-like graphical deformities of bodies and faces that defied physics and natural laws of human biology aren’t as prevalent in this iteration, and within all of the time that was invested into it, there was only one instance of visual glitching that went horribly wrong. The technical oversights this time around are mostly audible performance, as the levels of volume within the music and sounds in-game will fluctuate wildly out of sync, or cut out entirely, operating under the same kind of instability that you’d expect out of a 94’ Walkman headphone jack that was plugged in for a power walk.
Aside from the bouts of noise dysfunction though, the overall tech performance of WWE2K16 is much more reliable than YUKE’s last attempt, and is a much better representation of the developer’s acclimation to this generation’s new hardware capabilities.
The graphical fidelity is eye catching it’s realistic detail the likenesses of every individual on the roster, as well the accuracy in the stage sets, and area appearances, and camera angles that broadcast them within real-life WWE productions. Facial expressions are also significantly more notable in the way the digital representation of the superstar is able to capture their real-life counter part’s same mannerisms and grimaces when it came to the intensity of their work within the squared-circle.
Now the engine on the other hand; that’s something that’s beginning to show it’s age, and could really use some serious overhauling.
One of the biggest issues stem on two factors when it comes to the wrestling engine that powers the gameplay; the slow, meticulous pace of the action, and the over-reliance of the reversal system—which is still within itself, a mechanic that is much too imperfect to be hinged so heavily upon when it comes to securing a victory.
The dynamics with momentum in WWE2K16 is just too meticulous, as you’re more often than not moving at a snail’s pace, slothing around at a pace that’s weirdly sluggish; even at full stamina of energy. It’s only when you a grapple or strike input is engaged, does a wrestler move at a more quickened pace to engage the opponent—on top of its inherent annoyance involved, this particular design choice exasperates another glaring problem.
The context sensitivity system that dictates what sort of wrestling maneuvers can be done in WWE2K16, is one of the most unintuitive mechanisms for interactions ever used in a three-dimensional space in gaming—like, ever.
I truly cannot count, just how many times I had attempted to initiate my finishing maneuver after earning all the required criteria for it, and couldn’t trigger the stupid prompt that would’ve allowed me start the process—
and the finishing maneuver isn’t the only complex motion that suffers from this problem, ALL of them do. 2K16’s engine is never on the same page when it comes to registering whatever input of gameplay you’re trying to communicate to it with, often coming off about irresponsive as a comatose victim.
Whether it was trying Irish-whip someone into the ring, only to have collide with the ring-apron as an attack instead, or the difficulty in differentiating the command to start a submission instead of pulling your opponent up on to their feet, the system never quite registers whatever you’re trying to do the first time. This poor kind of design often results in frustrated button-mashing, in the vain hopes that whatever you did want to happen, will eventually happen.
Now the one element that’s noticeably improved, and arguably the most responsive than any of the other mechanics involved with the wrestling engine is the reversal system, but the art of mastering it is just way too nuanced, and fastidious in execution to be enjoyed.
While it should be noted that the appearance of the visual prompt that clues players to when a reversal can be done is much more accurate in this edition of WWE2K, the window to apply one successfully is outrageously too twitchy, and finite to pick up on naturally. The circumstances involved with reversals wouldn’t be so annoying if not for how integral they are to dominating the action of a match in WWE2K16, and the concept will likely be a challenging one for most people to comprehend unless they invest some serious intimacy with the mechanic.
Now WWE2K16 does introduce a new submission system that’s more in-depth than simple contest of who can rapidly slam on the buttons more successively than the other; implementing a new radial system that that incorporates the “tug-o-war” nature behind it.
While it is an improvement over the old method, the new formula is entirely a sound one either.
The objective to submit your rival superstar involves overlapping your color potion of circular graph over your opponent’s color, through dialed spinning via left-stick control, and the physical status of both competitors will determine the size of their color section within the circle. The system is novel in that it does benefit the strategy of when to apply a submission, as a fresh wrestler who’s applying it will have a smaller section color to rotate into their opponent’s area, while a weakened defending wrestler will have a much larger area of color to navigate out of the range of their aggressor.
The keyword for the idea is novel though, as the actual application of the system is reinforced with the right elements that would allow for strategizing that sort of domination. There’s a “boost” button that allows both wrestlers to increase the speed of their color’s rotation around the dial, and as such, the increase of real estate on the defending superstar’s color doesn’t really encumber them all that much if they can master maneuverability along the dial with a boost option that is ALWAYS available to them.
So, ironically, this new system for submission is harder to pull off than the mindless contest of button-mashing that it once was, hopefully we’ll see an improvement on the concept in next year’s release, as the direction of the idea is still intriguing.
As far as presentation goes, the attention to detail on the spectacle and pageantry that World Wrestling Entertainment is famous for delivering, is wonderfully conveyed with a sense of conviction that will please fans both casual, and dedicated alike, especially in the MY Career mode
From working your way up from the ranks of WWE’s developmental promotion, NXT, to planning on the intricate specifics of a wrestling entrance from a stage, and the maintenance of alliances and rivalries with other performers within your respective roster; there’s no expense spared in the effort of recreating the experience of Pro Wrestling’s biggest promotion.
There’s no denying that the annual regurgitation of the WWE2K series has been largely admissible by virtue of its Madden-like stranglehold on the genre in games, but this year’s iteration has significantly improved upon all of the faults, and performance issues that plagued the previous entry.
The only thing holding it back is the aging gameplay engine it continues to carry—but for those who were soured on 2K15, clap for 2K16, and enjoy it’s power!
