WWE 2K16

Annualized video game franchises always - ALWAYS - struggle with the transition to new consoles. The change means new hardware, possibly new toolsets for the developers, and sky high expectations from an entrenched player base. The WWE 2k fanchise is no exception, and last year’s game, WWE 2k15 struggled to meet expectations. Character models were improved for some marquee Superstars but looked poor compared to past years and prior console generations for others, controls remained sluggish, and many player creation tools were removed. This year’s game looks a bit better and has returned some, but not all, of the removed creation tools, but still suffers in key ways. WWE 2k16 struggles mechanically, in key design areas, and most surprisingly, in presentation.

WWE 2k16′s mechanical issues are probably the least surprising but most frustrating part of the experience. The main culprit is the inconsistent and frustratingly difficult reversal system, which remains largely unchanged from prior years. Players are prompted to hit RT or R2 to reverse an opponent’s strike or grapple, but the window to do so is amazingly small and seemingly inconsistently applied. The prompt to hit the button is clear enough above the player’s head, and feedback comes in one of three ways: a reversal animation occurs or it doesn’t and “Too Fast” or “Too Slow” appears above the player’s head to provide some context for why. After playing a dozen or so matches with multiple characters and fiddling with various menu settings to adjust the timing of the window, I still have no feel for why I fail on more than 50% of my reversal attempts. Hitting the key as soon as the prompt appears results in “Too Slow” as often as it does “Too Fast.” I’d be more willing to write this off as me being a poor player if I hadn’t had a similar experience with basic inputs. Using the same string of inputs with the characters in the same state and position frequently resulted in vastly different, and often unintended actions, by my character. Attempting to suplex my opponent from a standing grapple had a seemingly equal chance of resulting in a suplex, submission hold, or body slam. This carries over into specialty match types; I understand the need for contextual inputs in a complex game but I’m certain I never hit the button that would have me clothesline a ladder while my opponent is on the ground outside and victory hangs above that ladder.

I wish the mechanical shortcomings, the same as they have been in previous Yukes-developed WWE games, were the strongest reason to say this is a bad game. Unfortunately, the game has two major design flaws that highlight the questionable focus the team had in making this game. The reversal system, written about at length above, is limited for the first time in series history. Each player has a set numbr of reversals they can use per match, although this number slowly replenishes over the course of a match. This isn’t a bad idea, but combined with the inconsistency of the system it supports, it’s almost completely useless. Failed reversals thankfully do not deplete your reversal pool, but the feature’s inclusion makes me wonder if the game was ever play tested by anyone from outside the development team to see if it actually added the strategic thinking it was seemingly meant to inspire in players.

My second design complaint is the more sinister of the two and focuses on the MyCareer mode. Career modes in sports games can give a real sense of triumph and accomplishment; you start at the bottom of a ladder and progress your way up to the big club and from bench warmer to MVP. Previous WWE games have been the same, moving from development territory NXT to the major shows as a mid-carder and eventually headlining Wrestlemania. Part of making this rewarding is starting off weak and improving your character but this year features an optional $10 “Kick Start” microtransaction to raise your created character's stats to 80 overall immediately. For context, you start with an overall rating in the mid 60s, and struggle to be competitive in your early matches. For further context, even the worst of the games roster is rated at 80 or higher, with one or two exceptions in the roster of over 90 different superstars. This struggle means it’s very difficult to earn the points needed to improve your character to be more competitive. There’s no nice way to say this - the whole thing feels gross and exploitative. I don’t know how to offer microtransactions in a career mode and let the booster-free progression feel meaningful, but WWE 2k16 has found a way to do exactly the opposite and make me feel like I have to spend extra money to have an enjoyable experience.

Finally and just as disappointing is how WWE 2k16 fails in its presentation, which is exacerbated by how good the WWE is at presenting its content otherwise. The 2k Showcase mode that highlights an era or a particular Superstar’s career returns for the 4th year. After focusing on the Attitude Era (WWE 13), Wrestlemania (WWE 2k14), and specific rivalries like John Cena vs CM Punk and HHH vs Shawn Michaels (WWE 2k15), this year focuses on “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. The problem is that I spent my time with mode with a feeling of déjà vu, not nostalgia. The mode opens as you might expect, with Austin’s win at the 1996 Survivor Series and the famous post-mach promo that declared “Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!” and spawned the Stone Cold phenomenon. Without double checking, I’m almost sure I’ve played this match before in WWE 13′s Attitude Era mode. And I’m sure I played some of Austin’s biggest Wrestlemani matches in WWE 2k14. And I KNOW I can simply watch these moments on the WWE Network either by looking fr the matches themselves or in a seemingly endless number of repackagings of the Attitude Era or the Monday Night Wars, aka the modern apex of professional wrestling’s popularity. For fans of wrestling, the continued reliance on nostalgia highlights the lows of the current product and the creative bankruptcy on display weekly. Also a major disappointment is the massive roster, which includes over 90 characters but has some major padding; there are three different versions each of Sting and the Undertaker, multiple “Triple H” characters and yet another separate “Hunter Hearst Helmsley” and five - yes, FIVE - different Steve Austin characters. However, there was no way to include Charlotte Fair, the current Divas champion, or Becky Lynch or Sasha Banks. These three have been the major focus of a “Divas revolution” story line designed to take advantage their incredible work, both in the ring and as characters in NXT. In fact, there’s an argument to be made that failing to include Sasha Banks means the game is missing the WWE’s best performer. 2k has, disappointingly, said the trio will “never” be available as proper characters in WWE 2k16, meaning fans need to rely on the admittedly robust character creation tools and community download features. Still, those three deserve better.

The same can be said for fans of pro wrestling and wrestling games. Yukes has made small feints towards an interesting overhaul of the game; MyCareer grades matches on how well they’re performed beyond winning and losing by taking into account move variety and swings in momentum. This shows a bit of promise towards treating wrestling as the spectacle it is, with predetermined outcomes and where you’re graded on how well you perform and entertain a crowd and interact with your opponent/performance partner in the context of that predetermined outcome. Instead, I look forward to WWE 2k17, featuring the riveting story of Recently Resigned Legend Du Jour and Era We Can’t Move Past 2.0. WWE 2k16 remains more of the tepid same, which is exactly what weekly viewers of WWE RAW are used to seeing on their screens.