Five Things You Should Know About WWE 2K17 - gamescom Preview

WWE is back, and at this year’s gamescom, we got a look at what you guys can expect. So, grab your passports, pack your bag and meet us in Suplex City; here are five things you should know about WWE 2K17.

Brock Lesnar is this Year’s Cover Star

For the third year running, 2K have elected to focus on the career of an iconic wrestler. This year, it’s the Mayor of Suplex City himself, Brock Lesnar, who will feature on the cover of the game as well as being the face of the marketing campaigns. Bryce Yang, 2K Brand director, told us that when it comes to legends, Lesnar is up there with the best, having been a champion across all levels of wrestling. Before his reign as WWE Champion, he was a heavyweight champion in professional wrestling and more recently has been an undisputed UFC champion. According to Yang, this perfectly captures the rise to greatness you can experience in WWE 2K17 (without the UFC element, of course).

It's The Biggest Roster Ever (Again)

Once again, 2K have continued to expand the roster of wrestlers available from the get go, with WWE 2K17 offering (for yet another year) the largest roster to date with over 130 different fighters. Offering the usual favourites such as Seth Rollins, Finn Balor and John Cena, WWE 2K17 also adds to the number of Divas available - some of which were only DLC last year - as well as bringing some former heroes of the sport into the fray: Goldberg is available as a pre-order bonus (much like The Terminator last year) but you’ll also be able to take control of legends such as Andre The Giant, Ultimate Warrior and Bret Hart.

The NXT Edition is Actually a Worthy Special Edition

With the growing popularity of the WWE NXT, the developmental division of the WWE itself, 2K have opted to create a limited edition NXT version of WWE 2K17, and it’s actually pretty good. Despite it being a current-gen console exclusive and having limited copies, it genuinely offers some interesting content. These include a Finn Balor statue, a signed Nakamura lithograph and NXT relic card. On top of this you’ll be able to play as NXT favourites Nakamura, Nia Jax and Apollo Crews from the get go, without having to wait for DLC packs.

You Can Get Even More Creative

According to Brand Director, Bryce Yang, one of the biggest bits of feedback they received last year was that the fans wanted the ability to get more creative. While this has resulted in the likes of the entrance creation being expanded, where you can now get creative with your mini and TitanTrons, WWE 2K17 also give you the chance to make your own highlight reel. Through the new Create-A-Video feature, you can compile your match highlights, entrances and victory scenes together into one seamless video to show off online. Wrestling is all about in your face attitude and bragging rights, and the ability to put show off your best moves and fights is what wrestling fans having been wanting for some time.

There's More Than Just Fighting "in" the Ring

WWE 2K17, according to Yang, has listened to fans a lot, heading into the development of this year’s game, not only “making it all about the wrestling” but looking to improve “key parts of gameplay”. Targeting has received a huge overhaul after feedback from last year’s game, as has the ladder positioning in Money in the Bank fights; where last year the ladder had to be pinpoint accurate in order to claim the suitcase, now, as long as the ladder is “somewhere in the centre” you’ll be able to be victorious. The big change comes in the areas surrounding the ring, though. In WWE 2K17, you’ll be able to fight ringside, backstage and even smash your way into Triple H’s office, this then offers a wider variety of items to use, camera angles to view from and even corners to trap your opponent.

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WWE 2K17 will release on 11th October on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC.