so the game is out and im still waiting on the download (42 gigs) and am in class.

I know some keys were sent out.

so what are some peoples impressions of the game? what did you tihnk of the last one gameplay wise?

There hasn't been a good wrestling game since the n64 so I don't have much faith in this.

its definitely a "for huge fans" only game but they did seem to fix a lot so it will be interesting

I'm enjoying it quite a bit. Then again I liked 2k15. Sure was pretty bare bones bit i thought it was a nice step in the right direction. As a long time fan 2k16 does little things that happen in wrestling that's never been in games before like backing someone into the corner and having the ref break it up just for the heel to take a cheap shot. Sure it's meaningless but as a long time fan little details like this make me happy as they progress even more towards pulling off the simulation they are aiming for.

What's the server situation like so far? Last year's was probably the worst I'd ever seen.

I'm hoping for a quick look tomorrow. I don't have much faith in it, but I really want it to be good.

@stokes: Yeah I would like to see Alex do the QL with Vinny and Austin, just so I can watch him and Austin explain wrestling to Vinny, think that would be funny.

I am definitely in a wait and see approach with this game, I played way too much 2K15, and just want the career mode a little more fleshed out like in the NBA 2k series

@stokes: Since it sounds like they didn't get the game until today, I'm guessing any Quick Look will probably be towards the end of the week.

It's a pumped up version of last years game with better ai and pacing . The reversal system is great.

It's a pretty great package if you liked the base gameplay of last years game.

Couple questions:

Universe Mode - is it still in?

Career Mode - is it not shit like last year?

Creation - Can I make Divas now?

@donchipotle: Yes, Dunno, Yes.

@donchipotle said:

Universe Mode - it's practically the Exhibition/Single Player mode, so it's in. It also has a host of new upgrades but I haven't dabbled much in it just yet.

Career Mode - it is fucking awesome. Picture Smackdown 2's Season Mode but brought up to modern standards with the ability to cut your own promos and create your own rivalries. It does this weird thing where it walks the line between kayfabe and reality that can be a little jarring, but I'm having an absolute blast in it.

Creation - CAW is incredible. It is even more robust than the previous generation's suite. So far, pretty much anything you want to make you can.

The gameplay takes an hour or two to get used to--stuff like limited reversals and the massively retooled pin/submission mechanics--but once you get it down, there's a freedom and strategy to the matches that just didn't exist in previous entries of this series.

@oldirtybearon: I hate you so much for invoking Smackdown 2's name. Fuck. Why'd you have to tell me that?! That's like my favorite WWE career mode or at least was for the time period.

I just need to know. If say I was a horrible person and bought this could I create an entire female show/brand and fill it with CAW so I can essentially recreate Rumble Roses?

@demoskinos said:

Yup. Complete with match graphics and custom championships.

But is Kairi Hojo's elbow drop in the game ?

probably less bars filling up in this career mode tbh

That's literally what I did with 2K14's universe mode

It may also be why I asked about the Diva creation and universe mode for this year's game.

I just saw a video of Enzo Amore getting pushed off the top of a ladder, crotched on an upright table leaning in a corner, and falling out of the ring. Definitely going to get this year's game.

Damn. I'd already made up my mind that this was going to be the same old trash as last year, but this reaction is making me reconsider that stance.

Just as a disclaimer, I'm pretty sure this is the same guy that said the gameplay of these games was "rock solid".

From what I've seen, they've improved in spots, but in no way is anything "awesome" or "incredible" unless you are very easily impressed by the basic features of a wrestling game.

I kinda dislike how simulation heavy and unresponsive the controls feel. I';ll give it another try tonight, but so far I'm not impressed.

I really hated the timing stuff in WWE 2K15, so I'm being super weary about this one. I might pick it up eventually purely just for the creation tools.

I did not really like 2K15 but i have a $25 Target gift card and my girlfriend is out of town all weekend and this seems like the right stupid thing to do with my time all weekend (making dumb CAWs and playing a career mode, that is).

From what I've played this feels like 2K15 if they had actually finished game. I really love the limited reversal system and it adds a bit of strategy when playing against friends. I haven't tried online yet but I assume it still sucks.

I'm getting deeper into MyCareer and I'm really, really digging it. I'm starting to have four and five star matches pretty regularly, and it's awesome hearing the arena catch on fire during a particularly hot sequence. I adapted a lot quicker to the new pin and submission mechanics than I expected to, and it's not uncommon now for me to really milk a long two count for maximum drama (which is good, since drama is part of what your match is graded on). Finn Balor and I are currently tearing the house down over the NXT Championship, and he keeps on squeaking by with a win. Next time I'm just gonna bump the ref and beat him half to death with a chair.

I find it pretty spectacular that I managed to turn myself heel just by becoming more ruthless in the game. It knows me too well.

I'm going to go ahead and say that for anyone who liked WWE All-Stars/WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game/does not like proper wrestling games, abandon ship; this is not for you. However if you love wrestling games and always wished they more closely mirrored a real wrestling match then get in!

I hated 2k15 so much that I returned it two days later after many failed attempts to get into it.

I just got 2k16 and have been playing it all day. So far I think it is way better than 2k15 and I'm really enjoying it so far. The last WWE game I really liked was WWE 13.

The only thing that's frustrating me is the new submission system which causes me to lose long matches to dumb things like chin locks. This is especially annoying in the showcase mode since it requires me to start the whole match and do all the requirements all over again. Checkpoints would have been nice.

Sounds like you worked on the game. This is exactly the kind of stuff the PR team says every year to trick you into buying the game. Then you buy it and remember pretty much everything about the game is awful and always has been awful.

They should make another All-Stars game... Now that was a god damn video game.

Nah, ODB is a straight shooter. I believe him which is why I've been fucking agonizing over if I should buy it all day.

If you're undecided, just wait a week or two for the new shiny to wear off. People will be able to articulate the flaws better and there might be news of a patch (or PC port) to fix some of them.

played it at a friends house earlier tonight, here are some thoughts

• The way it has to do a full load whenever you want to check out something in Create-a-Wrestler is excruciating.
• They added some fun moves. Shinsuke Nakamura's Boma Ye has its full animation now, theres a new Styles Clash, a couple new superkick animations. stuff like that.
• I don't understand the new Submission minigame. Which color is which player?
• The actual wrestling feels pretty much exactly like last year. i never noticed the limited reversals thing in a match, i feel like i reversed the same amount as i usually do.
• Still no weapon taunts? or top rope taunts? why not?

I hope next year they finally give us Create a Story back but I don't think it will ever return.

From my limited experiences of about 4 matches in 'play' mode.

• Graphically, the game is impressive, there are certain superstars that look fantastic (its a step up from last years character models for sure).
• I've found the action itself seems a little slow in terms of movement and control speed.
• The AI seemed a little 'off' during a tornado tag match where Big E simply watched as he stood right next to Colin Cassidy pinning Kofi Kingston.
• I don't like that so far it seems you can only get a 3 count off of a finisher. All other pin attemps i've made have resulted in a 2 count.
• I'm not sure if it's part of the game, but when being pinned a couple of times, the prompt for a kick out didn't even show until the count of 3 (I'm not sure if this is a concious design decision - but i was confused and frustrated by it).
• The minor and major reversals are a nice touch. I hit a major reversal and in the moment it felt very rewarding with an all new and elaborate reversal animation.
• Commentary could be better but that's ALWAYS a gripe for the series right?
• Am I the only one that misses the full character select screen where you could see everyone's portrait? I know there is a huge roster, but i was kind of looking forward to seeing everyone side by side on a select screen.

I'm looking forward to playing some more - as i say, these are just a few notes from my limited number of matches. I'm looking forward to trying my career mode.

@dougcl said:

Ughhhhhh.

Unrelated, but does anyone know if you can turn off the commentary in the game?

I dig the game, a friend and I had a bunch of close awesome matches yesterday, career mode is kicking my ass (in a good way), and the roster is among the best I've had in a WWE game (sue me, I like the current WWE roster a lot).

It's been an option every year so I assume so. I've only been playing around with it when I went to visit my friend so I haven't spent to much time fucking around with the options. In the past WWE games have been a supply your own music kinda game I assume this isn't any different.

Every thread I see about one of these games, he's always disproportionately positive about them to the point of having zero credibility. The part about the game resembling real matches is flat out untrue. It's the same sluggish game as always with some improvements.

I believe the person applying the submission is red, and the person trying to escape is blue.

@xerseslives: So because someone is really positive on something they are then not credible? That makes zero sense. Also, I bought the game since that post and I have to say I enjoy what they are doing here. I do think that the pacing is way better. The limited reversals and slowed down pacing is one of the things that sold me on giving this a try. Still a bit of clunkiness and rough edges but overall I think its a pretty solid experience.

@demoskinos: That's... not really what I said. I said he was disproportionately positive to the point of having zero credibility. There's a difference between liking a game and constantly acting like it's the second coming, especially when he's often shared opinions of the series that don't seem to line up with anyone else, like when he referred to the gameplay of even the previous game asbeing "rock solid", which is comically untrue. I mean, someone basically even said he was coming off like a PR guy.

I'm just trying to temper expectations because this sort of happens every year the week of release, then the shiny newness wears off and the flaws show through again.

The new submission system makes me think of energybending from Avatar: The Last Airbender with one guy trying to smother the other's essence.

@xerseslives: And again, who cares if someones opinion lines up with others? But to that point there are plenty of reviews out there that are praising the game play. It IS pretty damn solid but it all hinges on if you want a slower more methodical sim style of wrestling game. Its currently at an 84 on Metacritic which is pretty solid score especially when last years was low 60's.

Fuck me for liking wrestling games, right?

I covered it pretty well in a previous post; if you like stupid wrestling games like WWE All-Stars then this isn't for you. If you don't like wrestling, this isn't for you. If you don't like WWE, this isn't for you. It's okay that you don't like it. I don't like FIFA, but I don't call Danny O'Dwyer a PR shill because he gushes about the new changes to a game he plays every year. I understand that FIFA is not for me, it's for fans of futbol. Why is it hard for you to accept that wrestling fans are really enjoying 2K16? People who play wrestling games have wanted, for years, a simulation of wrestling. We've got that. They knocked it out of the park this year with the changes they made to a, yes, rock solid foundation in 2K15. It's fun to play, it's accurate to the product, and it's got a suite of modes that should keep people invested until the next game.

Exactly what is your problem here?

@demoskinos: I care because some people are likely trying to use this thread to influence their purchasing decisions and he was setting expectations higher than were warranted. Did you miss the part where I said he also praised last years game? Nevermind. Don't answer that. This is a dumb argument and I feel dumb for having it.

I see people say that there is more of a sim-focus, but outside of being somewhat slower, there is still a major disconnect with how in-game matches are structured compared to anything in reality. They've made little improvements in how AI works, especially on the heel end, but they still haven't really fixed the problem where most real world wrestling matches aren't exchanges of front and running grapples. It's still moves without rhyme or reason for the most part. Dudes will have wrist lock exchanges in hardcore matches. Strikes and irish whips are kind of the cornerstone of WWE matches and aren't really ever given priority over any others. As long as you don't use the same moves over and over, you get a good match rating.

It's not something that I expect to ever get fixed because it's THE wrestling game problem, but it's the kind of thing that comes to mind whenever I see people say how close the games have gotten to the real product. In presentation, sure, but the gameplay has never been close.

Quick question; how does the career mode handle a possible heel story? Can you be Lesnar-ish or will you be more Rollins-esque?

From what I recall in previous years, it was always this underdog story and you never felt like a true power heel, so to speak.

@xerseslives: You're still saying "don't be so excited about this" to someone. Its higher than warranted in your opinion because obviously your opinions clash on this. That doesn't mean his perspective is invalid. People have different expectations out of this product. If I'm wanting to buy a game I wanna hear a mix of opinions I want to see the people who are 5-star gushing about it and I want to see the 1-Star I hated it people. Believe it or not the general majority opinion specially from what I've seen on NeoGAF is VERY positive on this year as a whole minus its technical glitches.

People are having fun with it and the buzz around the communities I've seen so far are pretty happy with this years iteration. I'm glad @oldirtybearon is enjoying it. Its nice to see a wrestling fan not fucking cynical about something for once.

Man when did the 20 download cap happen? That sucks,