WWE 2K15 - A Second Look Review
First off, let us clarify what a Second Look Review is.
Games are rarely released nowadays as promised, and in many cases it takes a few weeks to a few months before they are truly complete and finished products, thanks to DLC, patches, etc. A Second Look review is one that takes these things into consideration, and allows a bit more time for retrospection before a review score is assigned.
WWE 2K15 is a strange beast. It is the first WWE title on current generation systems, but it was also released on the previous generation platforms, and because of that straddling of the fence it wasn’t going to be a fully next-gen product, just based on the nature of game design, deadlines, and resources. While we will have to wait for 2K16 for that next true step, there is a lot to like in this version of the franchise, as well as some questionable design decisions that just don’t make sense in this day and age. Let’s do this thing, shall we?
Wrestling has the tagline of Sports Entertainment, and rightfully so, because the storyline and character arcs of your favorite wrestler are just as important as the physical ability of the athlete in the ring. They go hand in hand, and it is something that past video games have struggled to capture. 2K15 is still hampered by this disconnect, and it's especially noticeable after playing the showcase mode, the one place where the game shines - but we will get to showcase in a minute. Playing WWE Universe mode is entertaining, but all drama is sucked out of the rivalries and “random happenings” when the same animations are used time and time again, and without any voiceovers to boot. Its like watching a Charlie Chaplin film, and seeing every wrestler just come out and do the same shtick without any other context just drains any drama out of the proceedings.
The big selling point this time around is 2K Showcase. Showcase comes out of the box featuring two rivalries, John Cena vs. CM Punk and Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels, with more to come via DLC (the first of these, One More Match, just released yesterday). The former is done pretty well, but lacks the, well, "epicness," let’s call it, of the latter. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels has a variety of classic moments, and is a blast to play. Lots of attention has been paid to recreating the matches in their entirety, from the outfits and arenas to the dialogue and in-ring antics. The fact that they even included authentic dialogue during the in-game action is much appreciated, even if it is a little rough around the edges. The volume is extremely low on these, making it hard to hear above the crowd, announcing, etc, but I appreciated it being there at all. John Cena vs. CM Punk is a quality feud, sure, but there are so many others that warranted inclusion, plus there's the elephant in the room - that CM Punk and WWE just got over a nasty split - so there were lots of reasons here to put another feud in the spotlight. The DLC ones include Christian vs. Randy Orton, Mark Henry vs. Everybody, and the final one will focus on the Ultimate Warrior. If they are half as good, they will be welcome additions to the game.
2K Showcase impressed, but WWE’s online mode does not. All of the action is handled via background matchmaking, with the only avenue to get a match going on your own being private matches. But if you want to increase your ranking or just don’t have any friends who like playing WWE on at the moment, you will just have to wait on the matchmaking to do it for you. This to me is just a blatant misfire, but what makes it worse is that the matchmaking is erratic at best, making it painfully hard to get a match going. After activating it I’ve gone a half hour to an hour without ever getting a match invite, and then sometimes it just turns off for no apparent reason, which I don’t discover until I head back to the home screen. If you do get a match, you can’t just go to a select screen to pick your wrestler, either. You have to pick a few wrestlers who you prefer in a menu, and then it just goes by the list when assigning a match. The thought might have been to streamline the online aspect, but they went a bit too far and just made it altogether limiting and unappealing. I just kind of gave up on finding a match, and decided to ignore it all together. The matches I did play were fine overall, though there was the occasional lag.
A wrestling show is all about presentation, and for the most part 2K15 excels in that regard. The graphics are quite good on the wrestlers themselves (aside from hair in general - still not quite there yet), but the areas around the ring, crowds, etc all have a bit of boxiness to them. The wrestlers vary in accuracy, but there are more hits than misses. The face-scanning tech they used is impressive, with standouts including Randy Orton, Cesaro, Naomi, and Sheamus. There are also some scans that just did not translate, like The Miz, The Bellas, and Roman Reigns. The divas overall actually just aren’t that accurate, which brings us to one of the most glaring omissions, and that is creatable Divas. There are so many talented Divas right now in WWE, including Paige, Naomi, Natalya, Charlotte (still in NXT, but a call up is coming), and to not have the option to create your own Diva is glaring and at this point not really excusable. The superstar is front and center, and for Divas the only options are to change the outfit of the 7 divas to choose from. It just doesn’t make any sense, and doesn’t help the generally held opinion that WWE constantly mishandles, or worse, blatantly ignores its women wrestlers and the value that they hold. While the PS3 and 360 versions came with a NXT-centric mode, PS4 and XBox One were left out of that, and while I understood making the products a little different, that seems to be a big omission, as NXT has garnered quite a following, and would have just been an additional bright spot here.
Okay, so we’ve gone over everything around the product except for the actual wrestling, and while normally that would be a bit upside down, with wrestling all the other things are so important to the overall product that I felt it necessary. The in-ring action is much quicker than past versions, with strikes and kicks feeling snappy, but not allowing the player to spam them constantly to a win. The grapple tie up system new to this year's version is fun, and adds just a little layer of strategy to the proceedings, but it still doesn't feel like it affects the match itself very much (win or lose), which is hopefully adjusted in future versions. Even in its current state, the system contributes to the general feel of a match in a positive way, and that is something 2K15 excels at overall. The flow of a match and the constant back and forth that is a wrestling altercation are so well done here, and even if you are winning by a landslide, a smart player can still pull out a victory if momentum flows in their favor. The collision detection on limb targeting, especially while someone is on the ground, is a bit janky sometimes, but overall works pretty well. Each wrestler’s move set is well represented, especially with the additional moves pack that just released not too long ago, but I wish WWE and 2K would go further.
That brings us to a section I like to call R&D. R&D will bring up a few features that will go a long way to improving next year's product.
Customizable Divas
It's 2015, and women in wrestling should not still be relegated to eye candy on Raw and Smackdown. With NXT offering phenomenal women’s competition on a weekly basis, the writing staff on the main stage is completely blowing it in this area, and there is no excuse. If WWE stopped treating its women’s division as second tier, the product on Raw and Smackdown would increase quality-wise exponentially. This can also carry over to 2K16. Give the Diva’s division the attention it deserves, and let any features for their male counterparts be accessible to them.
Roster Updates
Sports games of every other type have at least one if not several roster updates during their time, including things like injuries, trades, roster updates, etc. WWE has a year-round product, and one that is constantly evolving and changing. It's unrealistic to think a developer can keep up with all of these, but maybe one or two updates during the game's life would keep things fresh and interest fans who get caught up with other games coming back for another round. Seth Rollins has turned on the shield, won money in the bank, brought the authority back, and now performed in a fantastic triple threat match at Royal Rumble. None of this is represented in 2K15, even months after release. WWE’s mobile Supercard game has actually implemented some of these things on a regular basis, so why can’t 2K do the same?
Attention to Detail on Storylines
Voiceover work is expensive and time-consuming, but it ends up being worth it in the end. If you’re going to have storylines in WWE Universe, have more than just a handful of different run-ins, scenarios, etc, and have some voicework with it. Otherwise it just ends up being generic and no one cares about it. Either go all in or don’t do it at all, but halfway just isn’t memorable.
Commentary
Much improved this year, but since Raw has now added Booker T to the commentary table, I would love to see this reflected in next year's game. Lawler is just a dirty old man, and that shtick is getting old.
Online Retooling
Some sort of lobby system needs to be implemented into 2K16, as the background matchmaking and preference-based matches (once you actually get invited to one) just aren't intuitive and rarely work. Not being able to pick a wrestler for each match is insane, and I'm not really sure what motivated that move in the first place.
The good news is 2K is actually asking for this kind of fan feedback, so if you want to make your voice heard, head here and let them know what you would like to see. As always keep it civil and focused, and not just “WWE 2K15 Sucks Donkey Nads,” because that kind of criticism is always oh so helpful.
So, with some time to look at it, do you agree or disagree? Let me know in the comments, and if you’re looking for a match, hit me up at KnightofOA on PSN.