WWE 2K15

Editor's Notes

PS3 disc version reviewed. Some portions of this review appear in our review of the Xbox One version.

Introduction

From the early days where a 'a winner is you' on the NES 'Pro Wrestling' to the breakout success of the N64's 'WCW/nWo Revenge' the wrestling game has been a genre for nearly two decades now that gets fans of the sport in a buzz each year. For quite some time, Yukes had the monopoly on the WWE license with their long running 'Smackdown vs. Raw' series, until 2K Sports took over with the buzz worthy 'WWE 13.' For all the complaints of the Yukes entries growing stales, 2K managed to counter with an enhanced game engine and more importantly, a story mode built on nostalgia: for 'WWE 13' a great recreation of the Attitude Era highlights and for last year's 'WWE 14' a trip through WrestleMania's greatest moments. With so much going in its favor, the revitalized WWE franchise enters what is likely its last entry on the PS3 and X360 with 'WWE 15'.

The next-gen versions received a lot of hype when first introduced, but wound up delayed while the 360 and PS3 versions shipped on time. Still, with a 2K Showcase mode and exclusive Who Got NXT mode, coupled with two years of successful offerings, the last gen offering should at least be worth checking out for a month, right?

The Game Itself: Our Reviewer's Take

Those familiar with 'WWE 2K13' and 'WWE 2K14' are going to feel right at home on the basic control level with 'WWE 2K15.' Very little in terms of core gameplay feels unchanged, with the combination of analog control movement and button combinations allowing players to unleash a multitude of punishing moves upon their opponent. Gameplay feels roughly as fluid as previous installments, although I couldn't shake a nagging feeling that by and large, the variety of moves offered in this outing is noticeably smaller. It should come as no surprise then, given the focus on the next-gen systems, the physics engine here still has its quirks, and the occasional reality bending glitch does occur, whether it be character models clipping through each other or momentary instances of the environment sticking. If you've come to have a grand time making dream match-ups and carrying them out, then 'WWE 2K15' has you covered.

Should you make the jump over to this year's story mode, 2K Showcase, you'll quickly find a game crumbling at the seams. Gone are the hearty trips down yesteryear; in its place are two paltry offerings of John Cena and CM Punk's 2011 feud and an early 2000s era feud between Triple H and Shawn Michaels. The overall number of matches in each Showcase is noteworthy, but it quickly becomes a slog given the so-so production value. There's never a sense of urgency or importance to the matches presented and the historical context is paltry at best; only by knowing the significance of key matches from actually watching them unfold, did I find myself invested. Likewise if you don't care for Cena, Punk, HHH, or HBK, than 2K Showcase is going to leave you feeling very cold, as it lacks the breadth of Road to Wrestlemania or the Attitude Era from year's past.

Who Got NXT should be this last gen offering's saving grace, but its even more shoddily produced than 2K Showcase and boils down to little more than pick one of five NXT wrestlers, have a few matches and then face John Cena. For NXT fans, it's a huge deal seeing these guys featured prominently when in reality they are still largely unknown to the WWE fan base at large. At the end of the day, the only reason to even power through Who Got NXT or 2K Showcase at all, is once again because all the game's unlockables, including extra wrestlers, arenas, and attires stem solely from making it from start to finish. If you're truly opposed to completing such mediocrity, 2K offers a two-dollar piece of DLC that unlocks everything from the start.

Adding insult to injury is the stripped down creation mode, which is capped at 25 create-a-wrestlers. Further complicating matters is the baffling omission of not only the create-a-finisher which is a key element in finishing off the move set of any CAW, but custom soundtracks and entrances are also omitted. Any way you cut it, 'WWE 2K15' is not just a pale shadow of what the PS4 and Xbox One versions will hopefully be, it fails to even hold ground against entries from the last five years. Nearly everything that brings in the hardcore WWE fan is gone and those unfortunate enough to give this offering a try are going to be left with a bad taste in their mouth; it is sheer ill will that I'm not certain a stellar current gen product could rectify.