Developed by Yuke’s and Visual Concepts and published by 2K sports, WWE 2K19 is the latest WWE title to release on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. While WWE 2K18 was a blast to play, WWE 2K19 ups the entertainment factor with a plethora of modes to choose from as well as WWE Superstars.
Content is the name of the game when it comes to WWE 2K19… There is a lot of it, which is absolutely glorious. Kicking things off we have Showcase Mode. While absent from the last few WWE titles, Showcase Mode has made a triumphant return – much like the wrestler it focuses on. This time around Showcase Mode focuses on the career of Daniel Bryan. One of the best parts of this mode is the fact that the story is told by Daniel Bryan himself and mostly covers his early days in sports entertainment as well as his premature retirement and his emotional return to the ring at Wrestlemania 34.
When playing through Showcase Mode, players will battle through some of Daniel Bryan’s most iconic matches. Each match has certain criteria that needs to be met by the player in order to progress. Achieving objectives often triggers mid-match cinematic cutscenes that allow the user to recreate historic moments on their way to victory. Completing objectives also unlocks special arenas, superstars, attires and championship belts.
Overall, Showcase Mode is fun to experience and something that the developers should focus on every year. I, personally, would love to experience a Showcase Mode featuring Jeff Hardy’s most iconic moments, as well as The Undertaker, Shawn Michael and Triple H.
Apart from Showcase Mode, WWE 2K19 features a ton of WWE Superstars to choose from. These would include the likes of Alexa Bliss, Ronda Rousey, AJ Styles, Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, and more. There are over 200 WWE Superstars to choose from making WWE 2K19’s roster the largest we have ever seen in a WWE title to-date.
As I mentioned before, WWE 2K19 is packed full of content and modes. The MyCAREER Mode is back and is phenomenally better than what we experienced in WWE 2K18. WWE 2K18’s MyCAREER Mode got stale pretty quickly and not having voiced characters was a big problem. Thankfully, WWE 2K19 rights the wrongs and introduces a story-driven MyCAREER Mode that comes with voiced characters and a pretty decent storyline, which follows the players created character, who has been dubbed Buzz, as they make their way from the bottom of the industry in order to become one of the greats. It’s all good fun at the end of the day and definitely a step in the right direction.
Sticking with modes, players can also take their game online and offline in one of the many gameplay modes available. These would include one on one matches as well as tag matches. In addition to this, there is also the option to compete in cage matches, TLC matches, Hell in a Cell matches, and pretty much anything else the WWE showcases at its Pay Per View events. There is even a Big Head Mode, which adds to the overall fun of the game.
WWE 2K19 also introduces Tower Mode. This new mode gives players the chance to compete as their favourite Superstars or custom MyPlayers in a string of unique challenges, including varying win conditions, unexpected opponents from WWE and NXT, as well as competitive tests of endurance.
Players can plan to compete in two different Tower types in this mode:
– Gauntlet: In this Tower type, players must complete every Gauntlet challenge in a single session.
– Steps: In this Tower type, players can advance through each new challenge one at a time and on their own schedule.
Tower Mode is another great addition; however, it can be very challenging… So be sure to prepare before entering Tower Mode as it really pushes players to their limits. Once you have mastered a few Superstars be sure to take on the AJ Styles Million Dollar Tower, which will pit players against the toughest Superstars in WWE 2K19, each of them set at a higher difficulty level.
My biggest issue with WWE 2K18, as well as previous titles, was the fact that gameplay always felt a bit slow and sluggish. Thankfully, WWE Superstars are now quicker on their feet. Strikes feel more impactful and so do various moves. The overall gameplay also felt smoother as I waged war against the locker room performing powerful moves that resulted in me actually feeling like I killed my opponent. The framerate for matches has also improved, which ultimately improves the way the game looks and plays when more than six players enter the ring. Strikes have also been overhauled with over 250 new attack and reaction animations.
As revealed by the developers, the team of Michael Cole, Corey Graves, and Byron Saxton now have 15,000 new lines, which really adds to the overall entertainment. While commentary has seen an improvement the team does still miss call various moves quite frequently.
In addition to these improvements, there are plenty more; however, this would become an extensively long review if I covered all of them. Let’s just say that WWE 2K19 has received a lot of attention when it comes to improving the overall gameplay in order to make it more fun and less like a simulation.
Conclusion:
WWE 2K19 is a pleasure to play. It’s fun, addictive and extremely entertaining. The return of Showcase Mode is also a welcomed addition, which I, personally, would love to see every year.
To add to the overall fun, WWE 2K19 features a number of modes and Superstars that will keep you extremely entertained until the release of WWE 2K20. Overall, WWE 2K19 is a must play for any fan of the series.
By Darryl Linington
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