WWE 2K15 Xbox One Overview

• Developer: 2K Sports
• Game: WWE 2K15
• Price: £44.99-£49.99 (at time of review)

I’ve tried my best to be as unbiased as I can for WWE 2K15. For those who don’t know the full story, let me tell you a bit of the background. Last year WWE 2K14 was being developed by THQ and Yukes, this was until 2K sports took over the mantle due to THQ going out of business. 2K turned out a decent first title, and this was backed by some strong fan feedback. This has led to people believing that 2K15 would be something spectacular. I see it in a different light.

Let us remember, 2K14 was half developed by THQ before 2K sports took over. So the game was already at a well-developed pace. I don’t fully believe that fans understand how hard it is to turn a well-established title into something that needs to change. 2k has focused on one major thing this year, and that is realism. The graphics and the gameplay need to change first and 2K know this. As a result of this, a lot of the previous year’s modes has been removed. Modes like create a storyline, title, and arena. This has angered some fans, but I can once again see why 2K would do this. The previous titles have been packed full of game modes, but these game modes aren’t 2K’s. They want to be able to put their stamp on the genre, so in order to do that they need to make a game that is their own.

Now don’t get me wrong, the game misses on a lot of fronts. The creation modes have been a massive miss, but I am seeing this game as a brand new Wrestling title. The graphics are superb and at times, had my jaw dropping to the floor. Some of the wrestlers have been scanned to appear in the game and some haven’t. This can be seen in some of the wrestlers, especially the legends. But in all honesty it wasn’t something that really hampered my gaming experience. The one thing that did was the lack of up to date roster. The Shield is still together, Evolution is still together, and many of the wrestlers are on the wrong side of heel or face. To counter this 2K has put together a more in-depth creation suite. So I can create the new Dean Ambrose, minus the music. I can create the Authority, and I can change people from heel to face instantly. This is a mode I’ve wanted for a long time as previous titles had a watered down version of it.

They’ve also added a new starting grappling system in single matches. This is when two wrestlers grapple and perform small moves leading up to one wrestler taking the advantage. This is done via mini-games. They also have introduced a stronger and better stamina system. This means that wrestlers become exhausted as the match goes on leading to slow pins, slow counters, and finishers out of nowhere. They’ve even added a crawling pin which is awesome.

Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t perfect and I don’t expect it to be. They are implementing a new system in a game that has never had it before, but they have started well. The game modes they’ve added such as the 2K showcase and the new My Career mode add a much-needed change. The 2K showcase has two full feuds from CM Punks vs. John Cena to Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels. This mode shows each wrestlers journey in two of the biggest feuds we’ve had in the WWE. The My Career mode shows you creating an NXT Wrestler and taking them from the bottom rung to the top of the chain. This is played out in feuds, title wins, and some major decisions along the way. It isn’t as in-depth or as clean cut as it could be, but it does provide a very good start. The game has been gutted and a lot of the major modes that people have enjoyed in the past are gone, but they have added two new strong modes, amazing graphics, and some well implemented changes in gameplay.

It could be much stronger, and it could have carried on using the old system but altering it to suit, but 2K hasn’t. They have tried something new and in some ways it works, and others it doesn’t. But I do know one thing. I am looking forward to the future of the franchise.