We therefore welcomed the release of WWE 2K18 with great curiosity, hoping for a re-thinking by the developers regarding the presence of the showcase, the
single player mode that until 2016 characterized each new edition of the franchise, giving it a precise connotation in narrative terms. The last time we wanted to test ourselves with a story mode based on the multifaceted and controversial career of Brock Lesnar, the cover athlete, and in the same wayit would have been appreciable
this year to be able to relive Seth Rollins’ debut from the time of NXT to the birth of Shield, passing through the most important and intense phases of the “kingslayer” career ; but no, once again the game is divided between simple performances, a long career in which we control a character created from scratch and the inevitable Universe mode.
MORE AND MORE BEAUTIFUL, BUT …
Let’s start with the positive aspects: it was a long and tortuous path, in which the transition from the previous to the current generation of consoles has weighed so much
(and probably continues to do so in some situations: we arrive shortly), but at present the roster WWE 2K18 is not only the richest ever at launch, but also the one with the most refined polygonal models and resembling real counterparts. There has not yet been the expected qualitative leap for the wrestlers, it is true,
but we had never experienced such a constant and transversal care in the realization of the superstars., whether it’s the most noble personalities or simple midcarders. John Cena and Randy Orton are visually excellent by now some edition,
but also a Dean Ambrose, which at first glance does not convince, at a certain point it pulls out the typical animator animations and thus smoothes any “aesthetic” lack.
The shoulder joints have been fixed for some time and the quality of the movements is further refined, although there are still no intermezzo frame sequences able to provide more ready and realistic reactions during interruptions, as done by
EA Canada with the latest FIFA. The aiming system is the same as WWE 2K17 and works very well, eliminating a historic problem in the series, as there are “escapes” with which to temporarily escape the offensive of his opponent, slipping quickly out of the ring to catch
his breath. It is possible to raise the enemy and carry it around to perform unusual interactions with the ring or the scenario, for example in the backstage brawl, and there are always plenty of maneuvers available,Unfortunately, the counter system based on the instantaneous pressure of the triggers continues to not convince us , and it was not enough to insert a second call in WWE 2K17 to reduce the perplexities surrounding this solution.
Fortunately, an alternative mode was added to the horrible rotation of the stick for the submission grips, but the woodiness that characterizes the gameplay is still present, along with episodes often frustrating, in which one remains glued to the ground for several seconds, apparently incapable to get up again, even during the early stages of the match, when the athletes should be cool and pimping.
The interpretation of Yuke’s seems to us, in short, still too static, cumbersome, focused on simulation aspects that can arouse interest for one or two editions, but that in the long run highlight all their limits where the objective of the game is to entertain.We do not doubt it was the absolute lack of alternative productions to
determine this situation that has been going on for years, made of stale and not very exciting mechanics, especially for those who do not have a huge passion for WWE shows; the fact is that a general rethink should be addressed, perhaps before a sharp decline in sales makes this process no longer expansive and perhaps hurried.
