WWE 2K14 Review

Nhe lucrative world of professional wrestling has always been an interesting one, infused with adrenalin pumping action, heart-wrenching drama, and enough cheesy clichéd dialogue to appease 90’s action fanatics. And it has grown considerably through the ages, with each generation of fans fervent in their support for their favourite wrestler, cheering with each win and weeping with each loss – a truly gripping experience. WWE 2K14 seeks to capture the essence of the WWE through the generations, highlighting one of the most iconic events in the industry, Wrestlemania, and it has done a fantastic job at it.


The amalgamation of real-life footage, in-game depiction of the event and everything leading up to it, helps create the atmosphere and the tension of Wrestlemania in the main story mode, 30 Years of Wrestlemania. This game mode is all about reliving every Wrestlemania main event through the ages, beginning at its initialisation and working right through the years leading up to its third decade. Each fight features a list of objectives that one can complete and the objectives are related to the actual fight itself and what moves the particular wrestler used during that bout. There are also button prompt events known as Wrestlemania Moments that are a retelling of a defining moment in the fight that either turned the tide around in the fight or caused some sort of drama in the ring; an aspect that remains true to the proceedings that occur as seen on TV.

The animated crowd adds much to the atmosphere as the wrestlers do and there is variety and enough detail in the crowd that it doesn’t look like a cut and paste job; the little details in the crowd, such as the hand-drawn signs, complete the impression. Other than that, the game is pretty much like its predecessors in that the wrestlers movements seem stocky and unnatural as they move about in the ring, the animations seem a bit improbable and things like a table falling apart from a mild throw is unrealistic.

The fights themselves do bring out the beauty of the game with a variety of grapples that each fighter can perform. It’s a fun exercise to try and figure out all of the different grapples one can perform, knowing that each one damages a specific part of the opponent. Finisher moves are just as stylish and impressive as the real thing and the OMG moments are the icing on top.

The controls are easy enough to understand and it’s less button mashing than it is timing and countering. This makes fighting more of a challenge as countering isn’t the easiest thing to do and each fighter targets specific areas to attack. These aspects can be the deciding factor between victory and humiliating defeat.

A wide roster of fighters is available for use right in the beginning and playing through the Wrestlemania mode unlocks more of them, including the wrestlers of yesteryear. It is also possible to create your very own Super-Star for use in the various game modes, with the option of using existing fighters as templates.

The WWE Universe offers some fun match customisation, setting up of rivalries and other little gimmicks that allow you to make the game be exactly what you want. There is also the intense online mode to push players past AI fights and see how they fair on the online leader boards, while levelling up to be the best of the best. WWE 2K14 is a wrestling game of note..

Verdict:

Experience the hard-hitting, chair grappling action that has made WWE such a huge phenomenon.

Developer: Yukes/Visual Concepts
Publisher: 2K Sports
Distributer: Megarom

Platforms:

XBOX 360
PS3