40 YEARS OF WRESTLEMANIA!

Last year, I made a triumphant return to wrestling video games, having reviewed both WWE 2K23 and AEW Fight Forever. Each had its merits, but ultimately, I enjoyed the former a hell of a lot more due to an abundance of modes. While yes, I’ve grown out of the promotion’s televised product, there’s zero disputing how damn fun it is. For crying out loud, I gave it an 8.5 and praised the script writing for being scarily accurate. I admit the jump from the arcade jaunts of the past to simulation was jarring, but I did adapt. Besides, as long as the physical soap opera shenanigans are intact, I’m a happy boy, but will it be joyful?

WWE 2K24 is the latest of the annualized franchise. Apart from the Showcase, which covers the history of Wrestlemania, several of the features will be identical to the previous entry. That put me in a tough position. Well, that is until it hit me with a stiff shot to the face, slamming me to the ground. See, I’m going to approach this coverage from the perspective of it being a companion piece. While I’ll still be an analytical snob, I’ll try not to retread the waters. I only care about the new, so with that said, prepare your butt.

FROM OUT OF NOWHERE!

If you’re lactose intolerant and taking medicine to help your stomach digest dairy, it’s best to swallow a couple. Much like WWE 2K23, the writing in the campaign is true to the entertainment medium it’s trying to emulate. It’s super campy, cheesy as hell, and is an easy candidate for the dumbest storylines, but it’s so good because it’s so awful. MyRise also retains what has become the patented female and male route that takes us on a unique journey with decisions that’ll cause events to branch. It isn’t going to divert on a grand scale, and eventually, it goes back to a set path, but it adds the slimmest morsels of replayability by tweaking interactions.

In my WWE 2K23 review, I make the foolish complaint of the predictable narrative. It still rings true, but credit where credit is due; I did notice a minuscule uptick in trying to shake it up and keep the player guessing. It doesn’t work, but at least the attempt is there. If you’re curious, it still only affects people familiar with pro-wrestling nonsense and not casual fans. That’s the furthest from being detrimental, though. After all, this title is about grown men in their underwear, erotically embracing and grunting. Basically, all this rambling to say that it is what it needs to be and what it ends up achieving is delightful.

As someone who grew up with Here Comes the Pain, I have a nostalgia for the supernatural. That game had a fair share of plot threads steeped in insanity. While I understand that 2K wants to portray their version as realistic, WWE is a company that had an Undead Mortician and a literal Boogeyman on their active roster. Sports Entertainment is simply bonkers, and sure, it dabbles in being serious, but it’s a balancing act. Last year’s edition failed, never tipping the scales to lunacy, but WWE 2K24 doesn’t. I can’t say how exactly, but when Doppelgangers are just the tip of the iceberg, we’re obviously in for a strange but wild ride.

HAVE I BEEN REHIRED!?

MyGM is back and has seen robust improvements. In WWE 2K23, it was abundantly evident that I became enthralled with playing the General Manager of a brand, be it Smackdown, Raw, or even NXT. It’s no different here as I, again, was as addicted as ever. I got to choose the rivalries I wanted, matches I thought would boost a rating, and schedule promos, and that’s just scratching the surface. I can defend my belts in a Triple Threat, too, which has me irrationally ecstatic to see on Day One as opposed to a much later update. It ignites my competitive spirit so that it keeps me glued to my screen, leaving me engaged.

It also seems the developers indulged in Sea of Stars and maybe Persona 5 Tactica between releases, as MyGM has an avalanche of RPG elements. That was a genuine shock to see and to address the elephant in the room: yeah, we’re grinding. To gain XP, I must book my wrestlers over and over for them to level eventually. In doing so, their reputation is bolstered. They become a bigger attraction, but it won’t affect the viewership that they draw. Popularity remains the stat to focus on, but that doesn’t mean it’s strictly for aesthetics. A wide range of passive skills will slowly reveal, encouraging me to be strategic.

See, the class system from WWE 2K23 returns, but it isn’t as basic. Thanks to those perks, it tosses spice onto the gameplay, giving it an intriguing flavor. In the past, I was limited to pairing categories that worked optimally together, such as Giants versus Cruisers. I would be forced to have two personalities forever tussling just to capitalize on their bonuses, which, let’s be real, got boring. To circumvent this problem, I’d periodically purchase a free agent for that injection of variety, but that got expensive, and money is best spent elsewhere. Luckily, I can bounce between said typings in WWE 2K24, opening the door to a vast array of feuds.

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I’M GOOD AT SUPLEXING!

We, as humans, have a set of skills that separate us. For instance, whenever my parents have issues with their iPads, they come to me. It’s my specialty of sorts, and that ideology carries into WWE 2K24. Everyone’s proficient in a specific match, be it bashing folks with a sledgehammer in a Hardcore bout or throwing them off of Hell in a Cell. As I’m sure you’ve surmised, taking part in whatever you’re the cream of the crop at increases the final star ranking. Unlike WWE 2K23, however, that information won’t be hidden behind a menu and is placed in an in-your-face way. It’s a quality-of-life adjustment that ensured that I took advantage. 

While on the topic of making it easier for the player to remember aspects, another is a section known as Logistics. Essentially, these are the arenas, backstage crew, lights, and other things that help the overall standard of your show. Previously, I would have to continuously set it before finalizing so that it would count. Well, 2K gave my goldfish memory a bone because in WWE 2K24, after I’ve bought it, it’s permanent. I can’t begin to explain how beneficial it is in terms of accessibility. I mean, I constantly forgot to make use of it in WWE 2K23. Having this functionality makes me wonder how I dealt with it before, but I’m glad it exists now. 

 A second mechanic that has been introduced to MyGM is trade. It creates an opportunity to freshen up my roster for a fraction of the cost. I can hopefully grab a superstar, like The Fiend Bray Wyatt, that my opponent sniped from me during the initial draft. If there are worries about exploiting the CPU and making the challenge a cakewalk, lose them because they’re legitimately intelligent. Even when I met the value of whoever I wanted, it didn’t guarantee my offer would be accepted. I can’t cheez it and steal all of the top names.

It’s staggering to gnaw at the sheer volume of depth and fixes that have been put into MyGM, but it goes to making an already superb mode far superior. I can finally call out actual tag teams in a promo, train for XP and other selections such as training or charity work. What’s also back is the Commissioner’s goal that, if I decide to do it, reward me with a Power Card. These are lovely and could potentially turn the tide in my favor. I can sabotage the CPU with plenty of methods, preventing their win. I would imagine that if you’re not a loser like myself, constantly messing with a friend using these would probably make the coop interesting.

THE JUICES ARE FLOWING!

I vividly recall spending hours toying with the creation suite, building the perfect athlete. WWE 2K23 saw the birth of Kathryn Crimson and Yuri Sakamoto. With WWE 2K24 having the bulk of the clothing from the prior entry, with a couple of new options, I could restore their likenesses while modifying whatever I disliked about their outfit. Not feeling creatively content, I established a third women’s wrestler named Victoria Velvet with the blessed nickname of Daddy. For folks who don’t care for customization, your mileage will be minimal, if not lacking. For my money, it’s incredibly awesome to do. 

What I foresee being contentious is when deciding on moves. WWE 2K23 had a laundry list, and it truly tested my patience. Sadly, that not only remains true for WWE 2K24, but it’s also worse because, oh boy, it’s longer. Thankfully, I could add the techniques I adore to my favorites, and I strongly suggest making liberal use of them. A small gripe I do have is with the sort feature. It lets me separate the slams, maneuvers that harm a specific limb, etc. On paper, it sounds handy, but I found what I’d consider to fit a certain label isn’t always how the developers would define it. There’s a disconnect, leading me to the tedious slog of scrolling through.

A TALE OF BENCH PRESSES!

For veterans of the WWE games, MyRise hasn’t been altered much. It’s precisely what it was in WWE 2K23, but it has the bonus of spookiness. The absence of change might sound dreadful, but I think that it’s a plus. It retains the feeling of watching a genuine episode of Raw or Smackdown. The dialogue is also pretty damn decent. It’s oddly charming, and there being unlockables is beyond swell. It harkens to the old era when I didn’t have to shell out for further entrance motions or attires. Even if you consider the chatter to be cringe, it’s a nifty incentive that gives players enough purpose to muscle through. 

Now, apart from the story, sidequests await. To the absolute surprise of nobody, we’re throwing down with other performers. The gripe I have isn’t with how it’s laid out, though, and is, instead, for when I’m in a handicap situation. To toggle who I target, I must press R3, and to put it bluntly, it’s cumbersome. I struggled, getting my ass beat for those efforts. The positioning makes it unintuitive for fast reactions or sudden movements. Granted, I reckon that due to the nerve damage to my right side, it’s isolated to me. Regardless, I’ve got to advocate for the ability to remap because the shoulder buttons would nullify any frustrations.  

Finally, we’ve got to discuss the reversal system because I couldn’t grasp it in 2K23 fully, and due to a tiny revision in 2K24, it’s worse. Last year, I needed to alternate between Triangle and Square, depending on the situation. I was having trouble, to the point of splitting the difference and hitting both simultaneously. It did the job, but it’s not viable anymore. If I’m too early or late with my press, it won’t activate. I can’t spam it like I would. In that same breath, I did get accustomed to the timing, but not flawlessly. I’d get flustered, feeling overwhelmed and confusing the prompts, which led to a fist in the gut.

I’d be remiss not to talk about submissions. They aren’t ideal, but that’s an obvious statement. What I mean is that whenever I’m stuck in a Boston Crab or a Sharpshooter, I can barely escape. What should occur is a meter to appear, and a tug-of-war mini-game begins. I need to follow the inputs as indicated until I can burst free, but I can’t. If I’m meant to press Square or Circle, I find it impossible to discern which is which. It took me an embarrassingly long while to figure out, and by that point, I had already tapped. It’s a piss-off, especially when my health bar isn’t in the red, making it feel like a cheap loss.

BE ONE WITH THE ROPE!

When it comes to performance, WWE 2K24 is solid in terms of framerate. To my naked eye, I never noticed a drop from 60fps. Animations are rock hard, too, but clipping does plague it. On the bright side, it won’t interfere with general play. It’s purely cosmetic and never prevented me from having a blast. I did see a small hitch when in the corner of the ring where there was a minor graphical freakout, but again, it isn’t going to derail the session. What may mess with my momentum is how, occasionally, in lieu of hitting the proper button to reverse a grapple or strike, it didn’t catch. Fortunately, with a quick patch, that misstep can be fixed.

SMOOTH AS A BABY’S BOTTOM!

As far as the visuals go, there isn’t much to say. It looks excellent. I will note that, and maybe I’m crazy, but it does seem like 2K has polished the 3D models. When making Kathryn, I couldn’t help but question if she looked crisper. It’s tough to explain, but compared to her 2K23 counterpart, while minor, there are disparities – the face textures look stellar, for instance.

Regarding facial expressions, we begin getting into the mixed-bag territory. Smiles specifically have a creepy vibe. It isn’t always horrible, but it’s there. Here’s hoping 2K25 refines it.

COULD IT BE?! IS THAT?!

When it comes to the sound, my main complaint with 2K23 was about the original themes that 2K made. I outright said they were generic, and sadly, that opinion extends into 2K24. Even the song known as Epic should have been called Flaccid. It’s not good and is absent of any oomph. The voice acting is alright, but it’s also still middling. The delivery of a couple of lines is stilted, whereas it’s a smidge above average elsewhere. The thing is, it doesn’t need to be the gold standard, given the genre that it falls in. Having serviceable audio is adequate. What did bewilder me is that, in the case of Mick Foley, it didn’t seem like him – A.I perhaps?

AND THE STONE COLD VERDICT IS…

WWE 2K24 continues the revival of pro-wrestling games, building on the success of its predecessor. Every feature of 2K23 has been enhanced tenfold, and as a result, it’s a goddamn joy to mess around in the various modes. MyUniverse has gotten extra cutscenes that round out the experience, while MyGM has ample flesh on the bone. I might have encountered a handful of blunders during my session, but they can be fixed with a snap. After investing hours, I’m intrigued by what a higher-caliber sequel could look like. Preferably, the custom theme music would bolster in quality since, from a gameplay perspective, it’s everything I want. The glory of this franchise was resuscitated in 2023, and in 2024, it’s breathing without trouble.

 

Graphics: 9.5 Visually, not a lot has changed from the prior entry. What boosts the score ever so slightly is the fact that the models are smoother and polished. It looks better.	Gameplay: 9.5 It’s better across the board. If you don’t have any disabilities and have the reaction time of a god, then you’ll be alright. I don’t foresee many issues arising.
Sound: 7.5 The score is exactly what it was last year because nothing has really changed. The custom tracks are still generic instrumentals. I really want to see lyrics or vocals of some kind be added in 2K25. I feel like that’s what’s missing.	Fun Factor: 9.0 Despite loving the additions made to MyGM, the accessibility issues do hold it back from me enjoying it fully. However, it’s precisely due to MyGM that those hiccups didn’t cause this section to fall.
Final Verdict: 9.0

WWE 2K24 is available now on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

Reviewed on PlayStation 5.

A copy of WWE 2K24 was provided by the publisher.