🤼 WWE 2K22 | XSX | Review | 7/10 | “Bad Times Don’t Last, But Bad Guys Do” 🤼 #WWE2K22 @WWEgames

I've always said that WWE games’ motto could be, ‘one step forward, two steps back’, every year they would add something new… while removing other modes, matches or making other aspects worse.

Now, it's almost impossible to make a game worse than WWE 2K20, it was a completely broken and buggy mess, so, like many - after a two-year hiatus I was excited to see if they could rejuvenate the franchise and clean up the mess that had plagued the previous entry.

I'm going to go through the modes in the order of how I played them, as I think it gives a good insight into the game and what makes it good, as well as what needs some more attention in the next entry. 

I started with GM (General Manager) mode, which is a mode that fans of the franchise have clamoured for, for over a decade. It frequently tops every poll of what should be reintroduced into the series - and rightfully so. I love this mode and was ecstatic when I heard it would finally be brought back… Yeah… this isn't it. 

It's really disappointing, having only two titles - the men’s and women’s world titles – so, no Tag Team, no US or Intercontinental championships. That’s disappointing enough, but then realising that you can only do single, or tag team matches - no triple threats, no fatal four ways, and certainly no six/eight-man tags… there is just no variety.

GM mode is about making the most interesting show possible, and that is hard when you have to keep recycling the same match types. Oh, and if you want interference in your match, then you can't watch or participate in that match. I know people will say, ‘at least it’s back in and they can improve on it in the next series’, but there is just too much lacking in this mode for any real substance as it is right now.

What is a major improvement is the actual wrestling itself, with a new control scheme and new animations, the game retains a familiarity and yet feels like a new experience. The controls are fairly easy to pick up and are now more combo-based and in a more arcade-style.

The superstars look better than ever, the hair is improved and doesn't seem to faze into bodies anymore, likewise, titles when worn also don’t have the phasing issue. You can see that the extra time taken has done wonders for gameplay. I did experience one or two technical issues - some remnants of past gameplay - but nothing game-breaking or that made me want to throw my controller in a lake, so a definite improvement.

Showcase mode goes through the career of Rey Mysterio, who I think is almost underrated when people talk of great wrestlers, as Rey has had some fantastic bouts consistently for decades. The problem though is that a lot of his greatest opponents are no longer with the company and hence are not present in the game. 

His classic matches with Eddie Guererro are there but his amazing bouts with Ultimo Dragon, Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho aren't, so you do get matches that probably shouldn't be included. The mode is fun, you complete a set of objectives whilst switching in-between video footage of the actual match, the transitions are great and Rey adds voiceover, giving context to the match.

My Rival is a story mode for your created character, you can be male or female and there is a separate story for both genders, you decide whether to be heel or babyface and proceed down some interesting stories. Now, I will say that these stories can be on the silly side, and also that some of the voice acting is atrocious, but while playing I did have a lot of fun and thoroughly enjoyed my time in this mode.

My Faction is a brand-new mode that is 2K’s answer to things like FIFA Ultimate Team, you collect cards and build your team to beat weekly challenges and try to collect more powerful cards. Sadly, the dreaded microtransactions appear but you can earn enough points and credits through playing matches that you can easily avoid them.

This mode is neat, I'm always on board for card-related action, but the servers were down for 2 days, then came back on and then went straight back down, obviously this may be fixed down the road, but I do want to highlight the issue.