Now that the latest entry in the WWE 2K games franchise, WWE 2K18, has been announced, wrestling fans have something to look forward to this October, especially if they are fans of Seth Rollins, who is on this year's cover.
WWE 2K games have something new to offer every year, whether it's improvements to current mechanics or added features. For example, in WWE 2K15 and further on, players were able to go through 'My Career' mode by creating their own wrestler and making the journey through NXT to the Hall of Fame.
It is fair, however, to point out that not all of the WWE 2K games are perfect. Each one has its flaws and has room for improvement. From boring and ridiculous storylines in 'My Career' mode to the awful commentary present during matches, there has yet to be a perfect modern title that captures the mood and the feel of real-life wrestling.
Here, we talk about five things that could make WWE 2K18 a better game than those that came before it -- and how it will hopefully exceed its predecessors since the title follows the motto of #BeLikeNoOne.
Better Commentary
One major improvement that players want to see pertains to the commentary. Every year, we are told that the commentary has been slightly tweaked and beefed up with more lines and quotes. But the problem is that the in-game commentary isn't as great as its real-life counterpart. If you have played any of the past WWE 2K games and actually listened to the commentary, it's really bad.
Some examples include:
- Not calling the action when it happens
- Repeating the same annoying and bland phrases over and over again
- Not being "emotional" enough when insane moves are pulled off
Improving the commentary and making it more believable and realistic will significantly help WWE 2K18 be a better game. Some ways to do that could include fixing and improving commentary tracks and trying to bring the commentary to the level of other 2K titles like NBA 2K.
Undertaker Showcase
WrestleMania 33 may have been The Undertaker's last match, but that doesn't mean that his legacy should be forgotten. Yes, this year's cover is Seth Rollins, and there might be some sort of showcase mode that will deal with him, but it would be nice to have Undertaker's legacy included somewhere as a "bonus" showcase mode.
Even if you're not a wrestling fan, or stopped watching wrestling some time ago, chances are, you've heard of The Undertaker at some point in your life. The man is loved and respected by a lot of people, and he has achieved so much during his time in the WWF and WWE that not including him as a significant figure in WWE 2K18 will make things awkward and somewhat puzzling.
Make Face Importing Easier/Simpler
The NBA 2K games may have some face scanning horror stories. Sure, it might create monsters and abominations, but at least the face scanning feature is there -- unlike in WWE 2K games. After browsing the web, we managed to find videos that perfectly depict the tedious and unnecessary process of importing one's face into a WWE game (feel free to watch the video above).
The process of taking a picture of your face, editing it in Photoshop, importing it to a website, and importing it into the game may not only waste players' time, but it may also make them quit the whole game.
Why can't WWE games implement the face scanning feature that NBA games have? Just scan your face with the camera that corresponds with your system and you're good to go!
(Video Credit: DSPGaming)
Make 'My Career Mode' More Fun and Meaningful
When 'My Career' mode made its debut in WWE 2K15, it was a hot mess. Extremely boring and repetitive grinding made the mode extremely un-fun and dry all around. WWE 2K16 and 2K17 made improvements by adding things like backstage interviews, the ability to interfere in other wrestlers' matches, starting rivalries, and more. But that wasn't enough to make the whole mode feel authentic and make players feel like they were an actual WWE wrestler.
One interesting way to improve 'My Career' mode in WWE 2K18 is to make it more engaging and interactive. Incorporate storylines, but with choices, somewhat similar to Telltale Games' series, where certain actions and responses will generate significant outcomes and consequences.
For instance, ambush a wrestler during an important match and then feel free to either explain your actions or not, all while carefully planning out your next move. Something like that would make the gameplay more meaningful and interactive.
It would be nice to create a female wrestler in 'My Career' mode and see how she'd do in the women's division.
More Matches!
Current WWE 2K games are trying to replicate the actual matches that happen in reality, like one-on-one, tag team, extreme rules, etc. But what if players want to experience a fun and creative match? Unfortunately, when WWE 2K15 came out, many unique matches like inferno matches, special guest referee matches, and more were taken out of the game.
If those matches that were taken out were to be brought back in WWE 2K18, along with other matches like Buried Alive, casket match, barbed wire match, and others, fans would definitely have something to look forward to. There would be lots of possibilities with those matches, which could also increase replay value.
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These are just a handful of things we want to see in this year's installment of the WWE 2K franchise. There are many other technicalities and mechanics that can be improved or enhanced, but the ones that are listed here are some of the basic ones, since they can greatly enhance the gameplay experience and make the game more authentic, interactive, and realistic. Even if at least one of these suggestions will be taken into consideration and implemented into the game, WWE 2K18 will surely become a much better title when compared to its modern predecessors.
What other improvements and additions would you like to see in the upcoming WWE 2K18 game? Feel free to share in the comment section!
Published: Jun 21, 2017 12:22 pm