WWE 2K22 Review

Ask any wrestling game fan about their opinion of WWE 2K20 and the answer would be pretty much universal: It was terrible. After a much needed two-and-a-half year hiatus, developer Visual Concepts is back with the latest in the “sports entertainment” videogame series: WWE 2K22. With the promise of returning fan-favourite modes, improved gameplay, and the most realistic graphics in a WWE title to date, is this worthy of a 5-star Meltzer rating, or should it just be wished well in its future endeavours?

If, like me, the first thing you do in a WWE game is just jump right into a match with your favourite superstars (Pete Dunne vs William Regal for me) to get a feel for the action, I would absolutely suggest that you first try out the new tutorial mode. Coach Gulak is here to provide a brief session on the completely new gameplay mechanics this year, and oh boy did it take a while for my muscle memory to acclimatise to the new control system.

You have three main attack buttons; light attack, heavy attack, and grapple. These can be inputted in various sequences to create combos, with each superstar having their own specific ones, giving WWE 2K22 a slight fighting game feel. However, you’re not just limited to combos, as the grapple mechanics work largely the same as they did in previous games; lock-up with an opponent and you’ll have the standard light and heavy moves, as well as the option to target a limb, perform a submission, etc. The combos are just an added layer of attacks that expand the movesets, and thankfully they’re just a pause button away alongside a complete list of controls — which I found essential in the beginning hours of my time with the game — making it easy enough to perform any action you want.

The Beast looks meaner than ever!

I’ll admit, I hated the new controls when first starting, so I decided to go back to WWE 2K20 (shudder) to compare the two and quickly realised how wrong I was. In comparison to the past few games, WWE 2K22 feels much more fluid and arcadey, allowing for more attacks and grapples for each wrestler, making this iteration more about having fun and less about stamina and reversal stock management.

The reversal system in particular has seen one of the biggest changes. You’re no longer limited to a set number of them, becoming vulnerable whilst waiting for them to recharge. This time around they’re unlimited, but the on-screen prompt doesn’t appear for every move. For example, if an opponent is laying the smackdown with a combo, you won’t see the reversal indicator pop up, but if you press the corresponding button (light, heavy, or grapple depending on which attack they use) before their strike connects, you’ll stop them dead in their tracks and open them up to your own offence. There’s even a dodge button — a first for a WWE title — which, once I got to grips with, had me evading more than an NXT superstar avoiding a phone call from talent relations (seriously, a large number of the 160+ wrestlers on the roster are no longer with the company).

In addition to the overhaul in gameplay, the overall presentation has been improved (which is not too surprising given the games leap onto modern consoles) and the majority of the superstar models look spot-on, with no wrestlers looking like slightly melted wax models in sight (see Dana Brooke in WWE 2K17). The over-the-top entrances also look better than ever, even more so with the impressive lighting system on show. Menus are sleeker, the physics are improved — no more rigid hair! — even the weapons break and splinter after use, although the weapon physics are still a bit hit and miss.

Not only is WWE 2K22 a visual upgrade, but it sounds a lot closer to the real thing as well! The most noticeable improvement is the commentary, which has gone from calling the wrong moves or mentioning wrestlers not even in the match as if they were there, to calling spots, talking more in-depth about the action in the ring, and having a much more natural flow. It still isn’t perfect, and isn’t quite up to the standards seen in other 2K sports titles, but it’s still better than what we’ve come to expect.

So, the game is fun to play and easy on the eyes. That’s all well and good, but none of that really matters if there isn’t enough variety in game modes does it? Well we’re in luck this year, as WWE 2K22 includes modes both new and old, as well as a very welcome return in the form of MyGM mode.

Being able to spectate the matches you book is a fun touch

Yes, General Manager mode (last seen in WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008) makes a surprise return and whilst it isn’t as robust as previous iterations, it’s a step in the right direction for the franchise. You pick a GM and a brand to run, and from there you draft your roster and book shows to entertain the fans, all whilst trying to keep the talent happy. The unfortunate aspect of MyGM is that you can only play for a set period of time. In previous games you were able to keep going for years as you expanded your brand to become a wrestling empire, whereas in WWE 2K22 you’re limited to a maximum of 50 weeks before being taken to a results screen, showing how you did when compared to the AI or human opposition (no online component for this mode though unfortunately).

MyRise is this year's career mode, and allows you to play either a male or female wrestler created using the super in-depth character creator (mine was a super heavyweight high-flyer named Beautiful Beefcake). This is less linear than in the past, and includes less cringe-inducing cutscenes (The “I’m gunna give your grandmother bedsores'' line from 2K20 still haunts me) but at the expense of having rather generic storylines play out, before moving onto the next wrestler you want to feud with. Social media is used a lot in MyRise, with the ability to engage with other wrestlers online and develop rivalries from there, so make sure you can back up your keyboard warrior replies in the ring. Overall, it’s a decent enough mode that’s yet another improvement from WWE 2K20, and having separate storylines depending on gender makes it worth playing twice.

Next up is MyFaction, and a lot of players expecting this to be a separate story mode in which you build up a dominant faction of wrestlers to conquer the wrestling world à la The Shield will be left disappointed. Publishers 2K clearly took one look at money making modes such as FIFA’s Ultimate Team with its wealth of microtransactions and decided “Yeah, let’s do that”. So in essence, MyFaction sees you collecting cards with various wrestlers, managers, cosmetics, and powerups and use them to compete in matches to earn more cards and currency. I definitely didn’t feel like I needed to spend real world cash to progress in this mode, but there wasn’t much enjoyment to be had here regardless.

You think you know him?

Finally we have series regular modes: Showcase and Universe. This year's showcase has us relieving the legendary career of one Rey Mysterio from his time in WCW all the way to the present day, narrated by the master of the 619 himself. As per usual with Showcase mode, there are optional objectives to complete mid-match, mirroring the real events that happened in these matches. One small new touch for the mode was that the cutscenes would often blend seamlessly into real-world footage of whatever action was being performed. I loved how well these played out and reminded me of just how great Mysterio was, and still is!

Universe mode is largely unchanged from previous years, allowing you to completely customise the calendar year, which wrestlers appear on what shows, and so much more. This is MyGM but indefinite and without the resource management, and the customisation options allow you to use creations to play through shows that aren’t even WWE related. A large amount of AEW wrestlers, arenas, championships, and more are already available on the community creations, meaning you can have a Universe that has no WWE programming whatsoever. But wait, there’s more! For the first time ever you have the option of focusing exclusively on one superstar through Universe mode, which makes the whole thing feel like a throwback to the earlier titles' career modes. It’s not a game changer, but it adds some long overdue variety.

During my time with WWE 2K22 I have yet to come across any game-breaking bugs, and aside from constant server disconnects meaning I can’t play online or check out the community creations (which are finally cross-platform!) and the occasional clipping issue and gravity defying weapon physics, WWE 2K22 has really benefited from the extra time in development. A few patches here and there would elevate this to one of the best wrestling games of all time, and certainly make it the best WWE 2K title to date, although as it stands, it’s still an incredibly fun game with a lot of content.