WWE 2K19 - MojoPlays Review

The issue with annual sports games, is that at some point you just can’t keep up and completely fall off the wagon. For me, this lead to a 10 year dry spell, despite at one point playing anything I could get my hands on, even that bloody Royal Rumble Dreamcast game back in the day, they just sort of began to blend together, and the price tag was always intimidating… but with that in mind, what better time to jump back in and see how the series has evolved than with its 20th instalment – WWE 2K19. The first thing that is immediately obvious with this game, is that it is absolutely loaded. Almost every superstar under the WWE banner is playable, from Raw, Smackdown, Alumni, NXT, and 205 Live – I’m fairly certain even your dad made the cut. And while this may make it a chore to sift through the characters to pick who you want to play as, the option of playing as someone like Akira Tozawa or Roderick Strong makes it an absolute blessing. So cheers for that. They’re all pretty up-to-date too, save for Baron Corbin still having hair, but honestly who gives a sod about that? With even champions mirroring the WWE’s at the release, this is a big improvement to how archaic the releases felt back in the day, but what about the gameplay – what’s that like? For 2k19, there’s an emphasis on realistic action. While this is commendable and can make you more invested in the match, losing the arcade-y feel its predecessors slows the action down, making it feel less like a video game and more like a simulation – at least until the mini-games come in. As if like bop-it on fat burners, every time you apply a rest hold, pin fall, cage climb, money in the bank reach, and so on, you’re forced into a different quick-time mini game in order to pull it off. A lot of the time they’re rather easy and fun, but you’ll often come across one which can be far too complicated - Which really makes you appreciate the 4D chess that must be going on inside real life superstar’s heads when they want to walk out of a door. The absolute worst offender these is the nigh impossible submission system. With two different styles to alternate between you’d think you’d be spoilt for choice, but alas the AI is an unparalleled fucking war veteran who will never submit, even at death’s door. While the right stick toggle system is sometimes reliable, the button mashing competition is, for our money, broken… so if you’re stuck in a submission match your best bet is to just quit the match before you have to explain to the police why you murdered a man in the ring because he didn’t know tapping was a thing. But aside from this, and when the opponent isn’t reversing literally everything you attempt to do, the grappling system is brilliant, with players able to move their groggy opponents around the ring, making them capable of far more creative maneuvers all of which are perfect for their respective superstar’s move sets. Specialty matches like hell in a cell and cage matches take full advantage of these environmental hazards, and while the inputs required are sometimes a little too elaborate, the moment when you actually do pull them off is a sheer joy. For you, not your opponent. One thing I will say is that this game has an utter disregard for the player’s time. There’s no such thing as a ‘quick match’, since you have to wrestle someone into a bloody mound of testosterone before you can get them to stop kicking out at 1. WWE2K19 is the video game equivalent of wanting to take a quick shower for a rinse around the key areas, but waiting 10 minutes for the water to get hot. In which time your friends have already gone to the pub without you, and all because 2K wanted Roman Reigns to be inde-bloody-structable. Fortunately, you can adjust recovery times and such, but that can get a wee bit finicky and it resets to the default every time you come back to it. The key thing to know going into it is that you may be overwhelmed at first. But with enough hours put into it, the game will reward you for mastering its many nuances and no two matches will ever feel the same. This is especially so when you play with your friends rather than the AI – which honestly is a huge draw for the game. Some of the mechanics may seem annoying at first, but they are a necessary evil to make the game a challenge. So now that we’ve covered the gameplay basics, lets get to the meat of it - What’s some of the new features 2K has bequeathed upon us in the year of our lord 2019? 2K Towers, is the new big addition wherein you can face a series of consecutive matches, retaining your damage through each to earn the ultimate reward. It’s a brilliant challenge for veteran players who stand undeterred by the submission system and have enough time to get through it. There’s a whole heap of these unique match series ranging from easy to legend difficulty - all of which can be enjoyed if you can get past the recorded segment of AJ Styles reading off a teleprompter toward the wrong camera. Bloody phenomenal. The second of these features is the Showcase mode - a series of career highlight matches from Daniel Bryan’s career leading to his glorious return to action – and they’re all accompanied by heartfelt narration by the American Dragon himself. The objectives can be slightly tedious if you’re not entirely sure how to pull them off, but this package is a lovely way of celebrating one of the very best the business has ever seen. And while 2K Towers and the Dbry showcase are a treat, the highlight of 2K19’s special features is the returning ‘MyCareer’ mode. Here you build your own create-a-wrestler, be he Bruise Lee, Big Papa Plump, Hawk Hollywood, or in my case, just a particular horny android from another game I like. Fortunately for the franchise’s incredibly creative fanbase, there are again an incredible number of assets to be used for customizing your dudeguy. But can someone please explain to me why ‘parts unknown’ is not listed as a hometown? Unforgivable. From here you begin your journey to wrestling greatness, starting from a meager little indie federation known as BCW. Now listen, we’re not dealing with high art here but there is something incredibly endearing about the story and characters at play. It’s a tale steeped in kayfabe about the pursuit of greatness, betrayal, and intrigue where everyone treats you like an arsehole because your character is an arsehole. Even I hate me. To summarize, WWE2K19 is the ultimate wrestling toy box where you’re only limited by your own imagination. Cliché to say, but its true. There is a ridiculous amount of content to work with, and plenty more to muck about with, with your pals. It may suffer from a few glitches, as is customary for Wrestling games, but for the most part it is far more polished than those that came before it. But the real seller here is that you can play as Kairi Sane…and she’s lovely isn’t she?