WWE 2K15 Review

There has never been a ‘perfect’ WWE game, developer Yukes has always taken one step forward and two steps backward when it comes to this franchise. However, WWE 2K15 while not perfect, is really, really good.

That has mainly to do with the presentation. The game simply looks polished compared to its predecessors and I guess the delay for next-gen consoles really worked in the game’s favour. 2K needs to be applauded for this decisions.

There are many things similar in WWE 2K15 when you compare it to the previous games, mainly as far as gameplay mechanics are concerned. That shouldn’t get you down, however, because there’s a ton of content here and even more locked behind the DLC which seems to be a must if you enjoy playing this game.

WWE 2K15 looks stunning. Yukes and Visual Concepts have done a great job in making the best looking WWE game yet. The wrestlers look really good and resemble their real-life versions and the animations feels quite fluid too along with the facial expressions.

The roster is extensive with legends like Ric Flair, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ultimate Warrior and more. You can never complain about lack of superstars to choose from. Everyone has been designed quite nicely and don’t look awkward like in some of the previous games. Booker T I am looking at you.

There’s a new stamina bar in the game that adds to the realism. If your wrestler takes a lot of beating then it won’t be easy for you to control him–just like how someone would be unable to execute quick moves in real life after a beating. The stamina bar is a great decision but you need to time your moves right. The grappling system is quite complex too and will take you some time to get adjusted to it.

The counter system is not perfect because you cannot do a successful counter every time and it is mostly dependent on your reflexes and hand to eye co-ordination. This increases the challenge greatly but if you miss a counter expect to lose a chunk of health before you manage to recover.

The story mode is called 2k Showcase and features some of the biggest rivalries in wrestling. I would have expected some good attitude era rivalries but we have Cena vs CM Punk, Shawn Michaels vs Triple H. It would have been nice if they used rivalries like Vince vs Austin and Undertaker vs Austin. So yeah, basically more Austin. But that’s only because I’m a huge Stone Cold Steve Austin fan.

There is a MyCareer mode as well which allows you to train in NXT and if you are successful then graduating to the WWE. I did not like this one bit because the matches weren’t that exciting and Bill DeMot is not a pleasant guy to deal with.

While there is tons of content in the game 2K expects you to buy the DLC which costs an absurd amount to experience everything WWE 2K15 has to offer. That is a bad move in my opinion.

There’s an online mode as well with matchmaking. The netcode was decent but since I’ve already talked about how difficult it is to counter opponents it becomes next to impossible if you are lagging. Expect to get a beatdown of a lifetime if your opponent has a better connection than you.

The commentary is pretty bad as well. Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole fail to provide the excitement they do in real life matches. They have some new lines in the game but it is still a drab affair.

If you are a wrestling fan you will still enjoy this game as it offers a level of polish not seen in previous WWE games.

However, there are a lot of things cut from the main game that were in the previous games which is a baffling decision. WWE 2k15 does a lot of things right but it also manages to frustrate a lot.

Score

7/10