There is no doubt that 2024 is a very special year for professional wrestling as the 40th edition of Wrestlemania is celebrated. This event, which for many is the “showcase of the immortals,” is what gives the WWE and now In WWE 2K24, tribute is paid to the event that will culminate the history of many superstars.
2K Games gets on the “stories” train within WWE 2K24 for the drama around Cody Rhodes and the celebration of the 40 years of Wrestlemania and gives us a game that only provides some important adjustments in the game mechanics section, but invests a lot in the modes.
Yeah, WWE 2K24 It has already fallen into the theme of “the annual games” and will soon fall into the curse of the innovation pit because what else can be done to a wrestling game that barely has a rival in AEW Fight Forever? Well, first of all they have to keep their audience captive and, in some way, sustain their development.
At the time you read this review, the wrestling game published by 2K Games is already available for those who bought a deluxe edition or the 40 years of Wrestlemania. Would it have been worth paying such an amount for that video game? Does it make sense that this series has returned to the annuity? It is time to resolve this and other doubts.
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Adjusting game mechanics
The annual sports games undergo harsh scrutiny by the external eye of the audience that does not consume them even a little bit because they are always accused of being “the same old thing” and well, maybe they are right, however, we also have to have enough judgment to say when an adjustment is right and when it is not.
In the precise case of WWE 2K24 It is very noticeable that the game mechanics are refined. These kinds of adjustments are only noticeable if you played the previous edition a lot. For example, putting in a counter is still a very demanding execution, but there are fighters who have a higher margin of effectiveness than others when it comes to putting in a defense or countering an offensive.
The execution of keys and combos in attacks is kept very simplified, which can make the game experience a little repetitive. The learning curve can cause two things: that you can suddenly do all kinds of movements, providing variety to your actions, or, failing that, you end up repeating the same break over and over again. Of course, playing like this is going to make your blue bar for signature moves fill up more slowly and you won't be able to take advantage of your fighters' abilities, but well, there will be players who can live with that without getting “bored” or not understanding the function. of this section.
Now, an action that provides much greater drama to the struggles in WWE 2K24 The thing is that there is a minigame where you answer the rival's blows one by one as you see in the fights that happen on RAW or SmackDown. The joke is that there is a give and take where you press the frame button (on the PS controller) and whoever manages to connect will leave their enemy in a dizzy state at their mercy. We're also going to have an improved Royal Rumble, backstage matches and so on. Come on, the game works correctly and it will entertain you in its most basic exercise with all its options.
WWE 2K24 celebrates – as it can – 40 years of Wrestlemania
The “story mode” or WWE 2K24 It is still Showcase, only this time it is focused on the celebration of the 40 years of Wrestlemania. And you already know it, you relive several iconic fights adorned with videos that are certainly visually altered so as not to be paying royalties.
Showcase is narrated by former wrestler and commentator Corey Graves. The way the facts are presented by this talent is certainly good. Of course he's reading a script all the time, but that's how it works. Now, you have to admit that this is a tiring mode, because you have to do certain moves and holds to recreate the original fight. This makes the experience tedious at times, especially when the opponent gets a little complicated or you don't know exactly how to execute a certain move.
There is a clear satisfaction in reliving those iconic moments. Fans who have been watching WWE for more than 2 decades will surely find this game mode a reason to enjoy the experience as much as possible and remember how old they are. Reliving the Ultimate Warrior's fight against Hulk Hogan or Bret Hart against Roddy Piper is quite a trip to the past, especially because it involves recreating the scenarios in the best possible way.
With the Showcase mode you will perfect how to play, as it is also a great tutorial to learn how to use all the keys and movements. Also, unlike previous installments, this experience focuses more on the biggest wrestling event rather than one superstar. That provides greater variety and a much stronger experience for all fans.
WWE 2K24 built an audience thinking that it is NBA 2K
One of my problems with 2K Games games is that they can have a very predatory microtransaction consumption system. All those extras that you can buy with the credit card seem unnecessary to me, however, this is a very valid way to continue monetizing and providing a “pay to win” experience for those who play online.
This exercise comes from NBA 2K and the truth is that 2K Games is being criticized for this business model. Of course, in WWE 2K24 We have not yet reached that exaggerated competitive level online, but the possibility of that happening in future installments of the series is latent.
Now, the studio is within its rights to seek to make money in every possible way. Especially because making video games is more expensive every day and, well, they have to generate profits in any way. Well, if the player doesn't get into the microtransactions, he will surely do so with the DLCs that look certainly good.
As I mentioned, we have not yet reached that point where the game is going to be supported solely by pure microtransactions, but it is clear that they want to do everything possible to make the player spend. At the very least, they should do it in a more discreet way or look for this business model to reward a little more to those who invest one delivery after another.
Game modes to finish your story
There are many activities to do in WWE 2K24 beyond the Showcase. For example, we have the MyGM mode in which you will control WWE brands such as SmackDown or RAW and then compete for bragging rights within the video game. This section of the game is certainly entertaining and makes you feel like a promoter or “booker” who always seeks to put on the best show possible.
MyRise is perhaps the most entertaining mode this year, since now we have Roman Reigns' intervention in the story. Here you can see that they put a lot of effort into the dialogue issue and give you a good reason for creating a fighter who is the one who best suits the dramatic participation in this mode.
On the other hand, there is a lot to unlock when playing MyGM and MyFaction, especially in the section of the original material that was made for the game. Technically, you can spend a lifetime here and it gives many elements of replayability to WWE 2K24. 2K Games knows what it's doing.
What is MyFaction fulfills its task of creating your faction within the game and having 4 on 4 fights, a specific reward store and much more. There is even a leaderboard for a better multiplayer gaming experience. This will be an element with a lot of updates and it is seen that the players are going to get into it, especially the dedicated ones.
The joke is to keep the WWE universe busy
One of the weak points of the previous installment of WWE 2K fell in the Universe mode. While I could grab any fighter available in the game, it really was a boring experience, not to mention repetitive and without such clear objectives. Now, the joke is to always finish the fight with the best possible score, but if the AI didn't do its part, there was no point in making the effort.
What we have this time is a little deeper and spruces up the foreplay experience. The rivalries between the fighters will now expand a little more. The interventions will have more meaning, there are many fights behind the scenes, the respective Money in the Bank and much more.
Technically, the gameplay feels much more complete, especially with the guest referee option. Now, there is also the creation tool. Whatever it is, since WWE games jumped to the PS2, the creation of wrestlers has sometimes been refined in a way where imagination is the limit.
Those who consume this series and invest time in the creation section will be happy because the tool continues to evolve and that will encourage them to not stop developing the game. It's going to be funny when users get creative and make stuff, real life characters like politicians and so on. The fun will still be there.
It is not a graphic marvel, but it meets the standards of the generation
The first commercials of WWE 2K24 They showed really crazy things, among them, Hulk Hogan saying “my story started from the very beginning”, referring to the fact that he was part of the first Wrestlemania. There's even Stone Cold Steve Austin mentioning that his history is full of “kicking ass.”
Now, WWE 2K24 It has many new animations, facial expressions and so on. There is an effort to renew the experience, especially the graphics, making the best possible use of the current generation of consoles. However, current fighters are those who benefit from these tweaks. The old ones or at least those who have been there since it started, well, they don't look so good. Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan look certainly strange.
The music within the game is still generic, but the music heard in the showcase mode has all those elements of nostalgia since it uses the soundtrack that was already used in the past editions of Wrestlemania. The arenas, the animations, the use of objects… We have too many sections in which the effort to provide a better experience with each delivery is evident.
With all this established, we must come to a conclusion. We know that the game already falls into that annual category where players who don't enjoy it are going to complain a lot, while those who do invest in it will be very critical of the final product.
Should you buy WWE 2K24?
WWE wrestling games are already part of gaming history. Technically the first console game was WWF Wrestlemania and everything has gone on from there. With many good moments, others bad and others worse. Come on, there was a time when even Acclaim had to deliver a worthwhile title and they succeeded. 2K Games went through the same thing. A year of rest, with a new graphics engine resulted in a total improvement of the gaming experience.
WWE 2K24 not only does it make you want to finish the story of Cody Rhodesalso You will want to relive all those moments that made Wrestlemania one of the most important events in the history of sports entertainment. The game mechanics received the necessary adjustments to feel like there is a real improvement in the gaming experience. The problem is that the microtransactions feel more intrusive and unnecessary.
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We played WWE 2K24 on PS5 with a code provided by a 2K Games representative in our region.
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