WWE 2K18

As a kid, the first thing that I considered “appointment viewing” was WCW Monday Nitro. At the height of the Monday Night War between Ted Turner’s backed brand and Vince McMahon’s then WWF product Raw is War, WCW was doing the unthinkable and reversed professional wresting gravity by beating Raw in the Nielsen Ratings 82 weeks in a row during the mid ’90s. Eventually, WCW lost steam, folded, and sold their intellectual property to the McMahon’s. Accordingly, I switched watching habits to the only pro wrestling outfit left for several years after, but I eventually lost my predilection for “sports entertainment.” So it was to my former fanboy delight that 2K18 pays serious homage to WWF and WCW roots.

Going through the annals of wrestling video games past, there’s one consistent theme: arcade. WCW/nWo Revenge (1998), WWF No Mercy (2000), WrestleMania XIX (2003), so on and so on. All of these offer very fun experiences, but from a gameplay standpoint, not a ton of depth to be had. It seems more recent releases by Yuke’s/Visual Concepts attempt to add some layers. Said layers churn into a mixture that feature control mechanisms which elevate playing above pure button mashing madness. Strikes and Grapples are assigned to square and x, respectively. Naturally, a “strong” modifier is offered in the form of holding the button press longer. Irish Whipping an opponent is handled by circle and a direction with the left thumbstick and triangle is designated to handle Signature and Finishing moves when attained. Move sets are extensive, but the more you use a particular guy or gal, the better your feel for their bag o’ tricks becomes. Input assignments such as this shows the devs aren’t trying to re-invent the wheel just for the sake.  ‘Basic” aspects of control should be just that, basic. And 2K18 doesn’t interfere with good logic in this regard.  With that said, things that are more technical are more involved. Perfect example is with submissions. When one is launched, a mini-game starts which displays a circle and the two participants are offered their own slider. The “attacker” must eclipse the “defender’s” portion in order to drain the resistance effort. There is an option to switch this setting to a rapid tap system that changes the correct button at different intervals. Another advanced scheme is in ladder matches. When stretching for the briefcase, another task appears. This time, a white circle with a small portion missing rotates with a red dot along the outside. You have to spin the dot to catch and align with the opening then pull R2. This has to be done several times to snag “money in the bank.”

Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of the control scheme is reversals. Instead of rapidly tapping some button to parry a strike or quell a grapple, a well timed R2 pull is required to thwart incoming offense. And when I say well timed, I mean there is very little margin for error, even for highly rated characters. With that being the only way to keep from getting smacked, slammed, and stomped, it can become borderline infuriating, which exacerbates your anxiety, making it harder to counter. With repetition, these idiosyncrasies get more familiar; practice does make perfect, as they say. All things considered, however, I think 2K18 plays really well.  And my favorable inkling improved with each match. Because professional wrestling is equal parts legit athletic endeavor and somewhat choreographed performance, it translates to a certain pace and tempo. Fans know what I mean, there’s an ebb and flow to the action that is only possible with coordination from the athletes. Yuke’s/VC have done a fantastic job in replicating the “dance.” To that end, the Star rating works perfectly. When a match becomes a back-and-forth war of attrition with variations in attacks, multiple finishing moves, and a couple of narrow pin escapes between counts two and three, the five star containers at the top left of the screen fill up. Higher scores net more VC credits, used for the smorgasbord of in-game swag.

As multifaceted as this release is, the portion that will request the most time is all the things to be done with MyPLAYER. Create a custom Superstar with a crazy amount of options like look and build, measurables, attire in and out of the ring, entrance music and effects, move set, and more. The latter option is centered around your choice of fighting style. Eight in all, the list consists of: High Flyer, Showboat, Striker, Technician, Brawler, Strong Style, Powerhouse, and Giant. Your selection also determines your allotted Attributes. Striking, Grappling, Power, Toughness, Technique, Reversals, Athleticism, Speed, Stamina, and Promo will each have varying starting points and limits. I went with Powerhouse, so I got a buff with Toughness, Reversals, and Grappling while Athleticism and Speed were hindered. Once your lady or gentleman has been forged, it’s time to unleash them upon the WWE world! First stop for many will probably be MyCareer. This primary offline offering is the usual start from the bottom, climb the ladder, something from nothing ascension found in most sports games. Begin your journey at the WWE Performance Center with lead trainer Matt Bloom showing you the ropes, literally, with a few preliminary tasks like tutorials and exhibitions. Chiefly among these is how to “cut” a promo. Yet another advanced feature, addressing the crowd becomes a game of consistency as you’ll select an initial statement, then have to follow up in the same “tone and tempo” with each proceeding selection, only having a few seconds to scan through the options. It’s a little awkward to explain without a visible example, but it’s actually a pretty slick solution for emulating such an important part of pro wrestling.

After a few days, you’re propelled into an NXT roster spot, the developmental level of the company. After a couple of matches and promos, the path crosses with that of NXT champion Bobby Roode. Take on that chump one-on-one, claim his belt, and use the sudden stardom as a platform to rise up the ranks and possibly headline WrestleMania! The other main MyPLAYER venture is Road to Glory. Here, you’ll participate in online tilts to earn Stars. Grind enough to improve your rank, qualify for Pay-Per-View events, and be rewarded with Loot Cases. In them are goodies ranging from equipment, to creation unlocks like new moves, to match buffs, and even VC credit dumps. The importance of VC becomes evident when bearing witness to the litany of locked items. The current WWE roster seems complete from what I can gather, but personally, I loved seeing dozens of retired pros from WWF and WCW. Classic throwbacks like “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes and Ted “The Million Dollar Man” DiBiase are side-by-side with Attitude Era staples such as Stone Cold, The Rock, and every iteration of Mick Foley. There are even year specific variants; my favorite being the 1998 version of the one and only Diamond Dallas Page. I’m presenting a mere sample, but just about any notable personality from the two companies is present, sans Hulk Hogan (for PR sake, I’d wager).

There are a few other offline and online offerings worth noting. In terms of local play, the “quick match” options are insane. One-on-One, Tag, 6 person Tag, Submission only, ladder, Hell In A Cell, Royal Rumble. You name it, it’s probably here. If not, launch WWE Creations from the main menu and set custom match parameters to your heart’s desire. And while you’re at it, make some more wrestlers, design more entrances, map out more move lists, and adjust the look of the ‘ship belts. WWE Universe features full TV event rundowns in which you can take part. Jump into promo spots and matches, all the while still banking valuable VC. I saw this as a cool way to assimilate a range of Superstars and match types. Going back to the world wide web, WWE LIVE host lobbies for One on One, Two on Two, Triple Threat, Fatal 4-Way, and 6-Man. If co-op is your thing, select Team Up and take on other Tag Team groups throughout the world!  From what I played, matches seemed pretty stable; they were definitely a little less fluid, but nothing that completely detracts the experience.

With a grandiose product like World Wrestling Entertainment, it’s a requirement that presentation be preserved in granular detail. Fortunately, this is another win for the development team. Character models of each wrestler are thoroughly adept. Facial features, hair, costume styling, tattoos, all of it. Expect your favorites to be as close to the real thing as current console prowess will allow. Entrances are modeled exactly as they are produced IRL. Bray Wyatt’s walkout is one of the best in recent history, and seeing the crowd swing cell phone camera lights in a pitch black arena while Bray holds the lantern on his way to the ring is oh so dope. Speaking of the crowd, they’re impressive accoutrement. Acting as a pulse to the action, they’ll react in proportion to the level of spectacle happening in, out, or around the squared circle. Commentary team of Byron Saxton, Corey Graves, and mic OG Michael Cole are perhaps the best I’ve heard in a wrestling game yet and are the garnish to a solid recreation effort.

With the saliency of digital distribution, I’m of the mind that sports releases no longer need to be on an annual schedule. I would argue an overwhelming majority of the player base has their chosen machine tethered to a broadband connection, affording the ability to receive updates ad nauseam. Therefore, cycles could easily be extended to 24 months with a major paid update coming halfway through the life cycle. I say that with something like this as evidence to my position. WWE 2K18 not only offers very good gameplay, but has an insane amount of depth. Depth that I just don’t reasonably see being improved upon this time next year. The Yuke’s/Visual Concepts team has done a valiant job in coalescing the current state of professional wrestling with an illustrious past. That could very well sustain as the lasting contribution for this particular WWE 2K entry.