Review: WWE 2K14 celebrates wrestling’s biggest spectacle

Wrestlemania, the biggest annual show for World Wrestling Entertainment, has become synonymous with events like the Super Bowl and the World Series in its 30 years of existence. The show is a spectacle of the highest order, with the WWE putting on a week-long celebration in the host city featuring all sorts of events with Superstars, autograph signings, shows featuring up-and-coming talent and more. To commemorate the upcoming Wrestlemania 30 event, this year being held in New Orleans, WWE included “30 Years of Wrestlemania” to its newest video game, “WWE 2K14.”

Similar to WWE ‘13’s “Attitude Era” mode, 2K14’s single player mode lets fans relive some of the biggest matches and moments in the history of Wrestlemania. Hogan vs. Andre; Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold; Punk vs. Undertaker and so many more epic contests are part of 30 Years of Wrestlemania. Along with each match, you’re treated to photos, videos and information retelling the story of the match and relating its place in the history of WWE. It’s a great trip down memory lane for older fans who have experienced many of the biggest moments in the history of the show and also a great way for younger fans to be exposed to some of the classic matches in Wrestlemania lore. 30 Years mode is also where players will unlock new playable characters, championship belts, arenas and more.

Along with 30 Years mode is another new single player feature called “The Streak” where you can choose to defend the Undertaker’s undefeated streak at Wrestlemania or try to achieve immortality by pinning the Phenom at Wrestlemania. Defeating the streak is an interesting concept that lets you create dream matches like Daniel Bryan/Undertaker or Goldberg/Undertaker. The difficulty is upped considerably when trying to end Undertaker’s streak though. Defending the streak is a bit of a weird mode, though, as it’s basically a gauntlet match that has you, as the Undertaker, facing Superstar after Superstar in what feels like a never-ending contest. I tried it once and defeated 12 or 13 opponents before I realized there was an achievement for defending the streak against more than 30 opponents and decided to call it a day.

WWE 2K14 is the first game published by 2K Sports since Take-Two Interactive acquired the license from a bankrupt THQ. The overall quality of the product has been improved as 2K Sports has a wealth of experience creating popular, well-made sports games. Character models have been improved slightly but the biggest enhancements have been made to the actual gameplay itself.

You can play numerous classic matches from Wrestlemania history, like Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold from WM 13

 In past games, it was far too easy for players to spam one or a couple moves over and over to achieve success. Changes to the engine in WWE 2K14 have made it easier to not only utilize a wider array of maneuvers but also to cut down on cheap players’ ability to spam moves. For instance, in past games, running at your opponent and hitting the grapple button would initiate a running grapple like a DDT or swinging neckbreaker. It was easy to abuse these quick, powerful moves as your character would usually pop right back up to his feet, allowing your opponent to line up yet another running grapple. And another. And another. Now, extra/extended animations have been added to reduce the effectiveness of spamming moves.

Striking has been sped up slightly and is now a more viable form of attack and is good to keep your opponent off balance, rather than just immediately looking to grapple. Grappling has also been enhanced thanks to an improved reversal system. No longer will advanced players be stuck in a never-ending reversal loop as countered maneuvers will often lead into a new position where the animation either ends with a strike or predetermined move or open potential for different moves. New OMG moments have been added as well and now you’re also able to perform catch or catapult finishing moves where you launch an opponent into the air before performing your finisher.

There hasn’t been much added in the way of new match types, but the list of available matches is already very extensive. The ability to host King of the Ring tournaments has been included, which is a very welcome addition.

Fandango and Summer Rae will soon be available in WWE 2K14 via DLC

 Universe Mode and Create-a-Wrestler also return and are both greatly expanded. In Universe Mode, you now have greater control over shows themselves as well as the progression of storylines and rivalries. It’s easy to track and control every aspect of your shows from tweaking the roster to custom championships and arenas. The new rivalry tool also lets you create feuds and control the length of each, giving you a greater feeling of control over the flow of your Universe.

You can lose hours creating just one custom wrestler, considering the wealth of options available in the creation process. Tack on the time it takes to create an entrance (now with a more options for both the Easy and Advanced creator tools) or creating a custom finishing move and you could spend several hours on just one wrestler.

Speaking of created wrestlers, the online component for WWE 2K14 is even better than before. While the layout and practical uses are the same, the title’s move to 2K’s hands has made a world of difference in terms of the strength of its user content servers. With WWE ‘13, it was a real gamble to even be able to connect to the user content server, let alone download anything. Now, the servers are faster and more reliable – I don’t think I’ve ever had a problem accessing the system. Not only that, but there is much more space available to save created content. The amount of created wrestlers you can save alone has been increased from 50 to 100.

My only problems with the game are somewhat superficial. A few times, it seemed like 30 Year of WM mode didn’t save a match that I had cleared and I had to replay it. Not sure if it was my error, that I didn’t save properly, but it only happened once or twice. Also, the commentary is still pretty terrible. Commentary still usually feels disjointed and out of place, often leaving what seems like minutes of dead air during a match. It’s great to hear Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler calling matches together again in 30 Years mode, especially since JR’s recent departure from WWE means we probably won’t ever hear them work together again. But even then it’s still odd to hear the duo call a match like Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant.

Overall, WWE 2K14 is a great product, especially considering that Yuke’s and 2K had to basically work from what THQ has already produced. It boasts a massive list of features and wrestlers as well as the ability to truly make the game your own with the extensive amount of customization possible in terms of both wrestlers and Universe mode. Gameplay has been refined and made much smoother around the edges. Even the loading times between menu screens and browsing Create-A-Wrestler options has been reduced, greatly streamlining your experience with the game. And with one DLC pack already available (the nWo pack) and more on the way, WWE 2K14 is only getting better.

(Pictures above from Wikipedia.org, Digitalspy.com and Pastemagazine.com)