There’s certainly an appeal to building a character of your own creation up from nothing to Hall of Fame status, it just takes a lot of empty-feeling repetition to get there. “That isn’t to say M圜areer is so bad, it’s just longer-form and not as polished as the missing mode it now has to live up to for returning fans.
It's been the perfect mix of historical reverence and fantasy fulfillment, taking full advantage of the many mechanics that make up the combat system. But 2K Showcase has been the single-player staple mode since it was introduced as the “Attitude Era” mode in 2K13, and for good reason. Don't get me wrong, there's still tons of content here to justify a purchase.
So let's address the elephant in the room: there's no 2K Showcase this year, and it kinda hurts, folks. Showcase of the Immortals?Core gameplay is the most important thing, but it’s not the only thing. There aren’t really any new match types, but it almost feels like it thanks to the new life that’s been breathed into so many of the existing ones. Ladder interactions have been expanded and refined, which, along with the new rollout system, makes Ladder and TLC matches much more enjoyable affairs. The inclusion of backstage brawls and the the ability (finally) to fight in the crowd makes Falls Count Anywhere matches far more novel, seeing as – as the name implies – falls can now literally happen anywhere. That more or less sums up the net effect of most of this year’s gameplay tweaks: they broaden the range of matches and modes that feel worth playing. Not only does this make these types of matches look and feel more like their real-life counterparts, it also makes them less chaotic and, as a result, a lot more fun. One guy takes a big bump, rolls out of the ring, and takes a breather while lettings the other two put on a show for a while, and that's exactly what this new system enables. If you've ever seen a Triple Threat or Fatal 4-Way on TV, you know it isn't three or four wrestlers wailing on each other for 10 minutes. Like last year’s Working Holds, it represents another example of how wrestling’s theatrical elements can be co-opted to enhance gameplay. The real gem, though, is the new rollout mechanic. Snappier target-switching helps too, allowing me to reverse an attack from one opponent and then quickly switch targets, whip around, and wail on someone behind me without feeling like I'm mired in mud.
Manual targeting is now the default targeting method, and 2K17 does a better overall job of making your current target clear. This year, subtle changes to the default targeting system and a clever new mechanic has changed all of that for me. The single most significant improvement is to multi-person matches, which in the past have always been such an awkward mess that I usually avoided them altogether. All of that holds true this year even more so thanks to a handful of adjustments and additions. Developers Yukes and Visual Concepts have steadily added layers of tactical depth in the last few years that reward timing, planning, and decision-making in a way that makes matches fun beyond the simple joy of playing as your favorite wrestler. It has a weighty, deliberate feel that really sells the power and impact of each open-hand chop and every double-underhook suplex. And like last year’s game, 2K17 delivers the goods. The first and most important thing, above and beyond the minutiae that’s so easy to get caught up in with wrestling games, is whether the actual wrestling feels right.
There are some welcome gameplay tweaks and additions that keep the in-ring action in top form, but while it takes a few small steps forward in some ways it has either remained stationary or slid backward in areas that have needed improvement for a while now. By comparison WWE 2K17 feels like more of a fine-tuning year.
In the last few years, the WWE 2K series has more or less bucked the iterative trend of the annual sports games it gets some of its DNA from by making risky but ultimately worthwhile changes to its formerly arcade-style formula.