WWE 2K24was a massive step forward for the series as a historical wrestling game – something that it was struggling with since returning with2K22.2K24saw the franchise return to its2K19-level of greatness when it came to replicating many different eras of in-ring action and that was showcased nicely with the legends roster consisting of Jerry Lawler and Bruno Sammartino, who excelled at doing little in terms of moves, but everything they did was done well and evoked passion from the crowd. Organic matches from many different eras allow a wrestling game to be more timeless and outside of the combos and rolling evasion, nothing really broke the immersion of that.
2K25aims to continue that formula with even more being done when it comes to organic match action, and the debut of several match types allows for a longer lifespan than even2K24had. Raw/NXT Underground matches make their debut alongside a new Bloodline history-centric showcase, the Island area on PS5 and Xbox Series, and Bloodline Rules matches debut here as well. Those are essentially a blend of a regular match, a hardcore match and a touch of War Games or the Royal Rumble with timed run-ins being possible for up to three people.
The timing-based nature of the run-ins allows for interesting stories to be told with matches and like with War Games, having a staggered entry for each side allows a tale to be told of either a babyface overcoming all the odds like Cody did at WrestleMania XL or evil using the odds to gain an edge like many pre-WWE War Games matches. It’s a low-key interesting mechanic to have to work with and is something players will get a lot of use out of later on when the creation suite is active and it’ll be possible to do things like have classic WCW vs. NWO wars using that ruleset for them.
Roman Prepares to Rule his Island
Before release, the current gen-exclusive Island – named after Roman Reigns' Island of Relevancy – is a large interconnected online world that allows players to explore the various areas and engage in missions and matches. Players unlock VC for wins and you can use that money for in-Island garb like branded clothing from Nike and WWE Shop alongside using that VC to unlock things in the main game itself like Legends and classic title belts. Before release, I compared the mode to PlayStation Home and while there are some similarities there when it comes to a superficial level with shops being there, there aren’t as many interactive elements on the Island.
It’s reminiscent in execution of a blend of that and the more open-environment season modes from early PS2 WWE games likeJust Bring ItandShut Your Mouthwith matches being possible at various areas in the world itself and an in-game phone system to keep track of things to some extent. The various island zones capture a different vibe, like Asuka’s arcade of tomorrow being full of neon and running around the Island with the left trigger ensures that you don’t move through it at a snail’s pace, but the game itself doesn’t tell you that running is doable, and that will make it feel like a time sink in a negative way as walking is slow. It’s a fun diversion from the main game, but not something I see myself going back to a ton, unlike the MyFaction card game, which at least offers up unique matches to go into year after year.
The debut of the more MMA-influenced Underground matches alongside the return of the technical wrestling mini-game allows for better chain wrestling than prior games. Sadly, there’s no NXT Fight Pit featured here, but the Underground match allows for pins and submissions alongside unique animations for things like throwing people off of the ring frame and diving off of it onto opponents. The loss of MMA/pro wrestling hybrid wrestlers in the main game hurts the inclusion, but it’s still a natural fit for the likes of William Regal, his son Charlie Dempsey, Natalya and Shayna Bazsler, and the creation suite will open the door to it for folks like the legendary Minoru Suzuki and Katsuyori Shibata as well. It’s a nice blend of the usual grappling with a more serious look to things, but I wouldn’t say it’s akin to Virtual Pro Wrestling 2 including both an MMA and pro wrestling grapple system that worked well for both – or Fire Pro Wrestling’s blend of the two genres either.
NBA, TNA Roster Members Inclusion Highlight WWE 2K25 Season Pass
2K Games has revealed WWE 2K25’s season pass – with a mix of NBA, TNA and WWE roster members included.
Intergender Matches Debut in WWE 2K25
I would still say that to replicate a modern-day Bloodsport match, Fire Pro would be best, followed by VPW. For a mainline WWE game, this is a solid first-effort with the mode with room for improvement for things like a more intricate ground game and being able to dish out more blows on the ground as the match wears on – like how the Aki engine games would start with two grounded strikes and then progress to five or six as the match wore on and folks were rendered more defenseless.
The showcase mode has been hit or miss over the past 10 years of WWE 2K games and this year’s is one of the best in terms of idea and execution – with some exceptions. The usage of legends that have never been in the game before or rarely like Haku, Tama, Peter Maivia and both Afa and Sika is commendable – who truly started off the Bloodline as fear-inducing in San Francisco beating up folks in crowd brawls to the point where it made more sense to train them to wrestle and that begat generations of main event-tier wrestlers. 3 Minute Warning makes their 2K debut and the blend of real-life historical matches alongside what if scenarios help expose several generations of fans to the older members of the family who don’t even have a ton of footage available to watch.
The showcase mode has been hit or miss over the past 10 years of WWE 2K games and this year’s is one of the best in terms of idea and execution
The showcase benefits a lot from commentary and not having matches be in a white noise-filled void like last year. Full commentary helps so much when it comes to keeping people engaged in the action and the reduction of obtuse match objectives helps – although things like having a Money in the Bank match included mean that there’s a lot of uncontrolled chaos on display that can result in having to replay matches to unlock everything in the showcase. The inclusion of time-limited objectives is also annoying and having one in the MITB match especially seems a bit much, but it’s still a fun showcase and one that I didn’t mind replaying matches from to unlock everything after exploring other game options. It’s easily a top-five showcase in the franchise, and other than having the Day 1 arena used for legends instead of a more period-appropriate arena with a lower-end feel to it, it’s immensely enjoyable.
WWE 2K25features the most enjoyable MyRise mode in quite a few years. Prior entries have been hit or miss with a more laborious story that droned on too long, while this has a nice, snappy pace to it and every match you’re in feels like it moves the story along and the ones that don’t at least allow you to boost your stats. Being able to switch between male and female wrestlers to play as without having to do a new storyline helps a lot as does the debut of intergender matches – so you can have men wrestle women and that also opens the door to many interesting in-game matches to extend the life, and that will get even better as time goes on and wrestlers like Bull Nakano can be playable with DLC.
The story itself focuses on a blend of an internal invasion alongside using various legends to fight the rebellious roster out to take over WWE and you and your ally are out to save WWE. The story reminds one a lot of the more elaborate stories in the SmackDown vs. Raw era, minus some of the complete insanity that had like paranormal stuff and Teddy Long getting hit by a car while doing his pimp walk. It’s a story that would be right in line with things like the more modern Retribution story – only told far better than that one and using main event-level stars for it instead of mid-card talent that wasn’t elevated properly.
Review: WWE 2K24
WWE 2K24 is a flawed pro-wrestling game, but it’s still the best overall gameplay experience in the Visual Concepts era.
In the ring,WWE 2K25is about on-par with where2K24was, only with more variety with what you can do in matches thanks to barricade diving being back and intergender matches allowing for more fresh matches than have ever been possible in a WWE game to date. The inclusion of more move situations like doubling up on middle-rope flying attacks helps a lot, and yet there are still only three light and heavy strike options despite prior games having five apiece – so that’s still an area for improvement. Combos help allow for more moves to be done both from a striking and grappling perspective, but losing two heavy strikes still stings when you have strike-heavy wrestlers on the roster like CM Punk who lose something by only having three move slots available there.
Visually,WWE 2K25is about on-par with2K24only with extra polish on things like environmental textures. The various parking lot areas all look nicer than before, especially the glass pane-adorned NXT parking lot. Move animations are more fluid and early on, there aren’t visual glitches evident like people clipping through ropes or animations having odd ending points to them as has happened before. Character models do still suffer from having wonky-looking hair, but maybe with the game possibly being the last one basing it around PS4 and Xbox One-level hardware, we’ll see that improve in future entries.
Audio-wise, this is some of the best commentary in a WWE game yet. Phrases aren’t repeated often and in replaying showcase matches, the flow of the commentary was organic for each and it didn’t feel repeated beyond the cutscene-centric commentary where it should be the same across the board. The soundtrack is less song-filled than prior games, but still has some excellent tracks and you can always have in-game roster themes audible in menus if you don’t want to listen to the licensed tracks.
Closing Comments:
WWE 2K25is a healthy year-over-year improvement from last year’s game. The core in-ring action flies better thanks to the revamped technical wrestling mini-game and the meaty showcase and MyRise modes encourage playing through new additions like Bloodline rules and intergender matches naturally so you’re used to them for exhibition play. The new PS5 and Xbox Series Island is a fun way to explore a virtual WWE city and engage in unique matches in unique settings. The graphics are a minor bump over previous games, while the commentary as a whole is better and included for the Showcase mode to breathe new life into it.
Version Reviewed: PlayStation 5
Celebrate The Bloodline in Showcase. Compete online in MyGM. Expanded gameplay includes intergender wrestling, chain wrestling, barricade diving, the return of Promos + much more!A ROSTER FOR THE AGESWWE 2K25 brings you an unparalleled lineup of current Superstars, Legends and Hall of Famers. The 300+ stacked roster spans multiple generations and features Seth “Freakin” Rollins, Undertaker, “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Jade Cargill, and more.2K SHOWCASE: THE BLOODLINE’S DYNASTYThe all-new Showcase, hosted by “The Wiseman” Paul Heyman, celebrates one of the most historic family dynasties in wrestling. Relive legendary showdowns or dream matches between The Bloodline and WWE Superstars and Legends.A UNIFIED MyRISEYour Superstar takes center stage in an all-new intergender storyline with new brawl environments, unlockable arenas, characters, objects and more.MyGM GOES WORLDWIDETake your show on the road with MyGM 4-player online multiplayer! Draft WWE Superstars and Legends to your show’s roster and lead your brand through multi-week seasons.YOUR UNIVERSE, YOUR WAYNew upgrades give greater control over your Universe experience. Promos are back with multiple types and outcomes featuring new cutscenes and branching choices.EXPANDED GAMEPLAYIntergender wrestling makes its long-awaited debut in the WWE 2K franchise! Additional features include the return of chain wrestling, the Underground and Bloodline Rules match types, barricade diving, plus much more.
A Look at the History of the Underground Match Making its Gaming Debut in WWE 2K25
WWE 2K25 will see the debut of the Raw/NXT Underground match type - which has rich roots in wrestling history.
