WWE 2K17 Review In Progress

Share.

No 2K Showcase hurts, but the in-ring action is still terrific.

By Vince Ingenito

In the last few years, the WWE 2K series has more or less bucked the iterative trend of annual sports (a term used loosely here) games by making risky but ultimately worthwhile changes to its formerly arcade-style formula. This year, however, feels like more of a fine-tuning year by comparison. There are some welcome additions for sure, and the gameplay remains as strong as ever, but while WWE 2K17 takes a few small steps forwards, in other areas it either remains stationary or – in one significant case – goes backwards.

So let’s just get the bad news out of the way: there’s no 2K Showcase this year, and it kinda hurts, folks. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still tons of content here to justify a purchase. This isn’t about quantity. But 2K Showcase has been a staple since it was introduced in WWE 2K15, and for good reason. It’s been the perfect mix of historical reverence and fantasy fulfillment, and in past years’ games it took full advantage of the many mechanics that make up the combat system. I know and understand the reasons for this decision, but that doesn’t make the absence of one of my favorite modes any easier to take. Without it, the role of the self-contained single-player story mode falls to MyCareer, which I’m too early in right now to say if it can fill the gap properly.

Got feedback on our player?

We want to hear it.

Still, I maintain that dedicated story modes in a fighting game (or a sports game, depending on who you ask) are more or less packaging that give some structure or form to the actual gameplay. In WWE 2K17 that’s continued to improve, even if by relatively small measures compared to 2K15 and 2K16.

“

Suddenly all these traditionally multi-person match types have new life.

The single most significant improvement is to multi-person matches, which have always been such an awkward mess that I usually avoid them altogether. This year, subtle changes to the default targeting system and a clever new rollout mechanic has changed all of that for me. Manual targeting is now the default, who you are targeting is made much clearer, and switching targets is snappier. As a result, I can reverse an attack from one opponent and then quickly switch targets, whip around, and wail on someone behind me without feeling like I’m mired in mud.

That’s assuming I have to deal with multiple targets at all times, which, thanks to the new rollout system, is not the case. If you’ve ever seen a Triple Threat or Fatal 4-Way on TV, you know it isn’t three or four wrestlers wailing on each other for 10 minutes. One guy takes a big bump, rolls out of the ring and lets the other two put on a show for a while. That’s exactly what this new system enables. Not only does this make these types of matches look and feel more like their real-life counterparts, it also makes them less chaotic, and as a result, a lot more fun. The option to choose whether to come back in sooner with a debuff or later at full strength becomes a key decision down the stretch, and that leads to some dramatic interventions right as your opponent is about to score that match-winning pinfall or briefcase grab. The happy side-effect is that suddenly all these traditionally multi-person match types have new life. Rather than being one-off modes I try once and then ignore, they’ve become my favorite way to play WWE 2K17.

Got feedback on our player?

We want to hear it.

While it’s the biggest change this year, it’s by no means the only one. Small tweaks like the tighter feel of the submission mini-game, many more transitional animations, and the increased significance of taunts have made combat feel more well-rounded and organic than last year’s already authentic feel. This is the part that has to be nailed, otherwise all the modes in the world can’t make it worth playing. That said, features, bells, and whistles are a big part of the franchise’s appeal, so losing something as big as 2K Showcase still burns. I’ll be playing through the week to determine whether 2K17’s gameplay advancements are enough to make up for it. Look for a tentative score in the next few days after I’ve been able to put it through its paces some more.

Vincent Ingenito is IGN’s foremost fighting game nerd. Follow him on Twitter and help him sort out his Street Fighter 5 character crisis.

Source: IGN Video Games