CM Punk WILL be in WWE 2K15, new details on 2K Showcase

Last week on Grizzly Gaming, I detailed a lot of the new features of the upcoming WWE 2K15 video game for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and today there is some exciting new information about the 2K Showcase, one of the single player modes in the game which will detail some of the most prominent feuds in the history of WWE.

Perhaps the biggest and most surprising news is that former WWE Superstar CM Punk WILL be featured in WWE 2K15 as part of the 2K Showcase for his 2011-2013 feud with John Cena. The 2002-2004 feud between Triple H and Shawn Michaels was also unveiled recently. In all there will be 33 matches featured in the 2K Showcase but additional feuds will be added as DLC after the game hits shelves on October 28.

It should also be noted that the CM Punk vs John Cena feud will be playable at Gamescom in Germany and at the SummerSlam event this weekend in Los Angeles. Much like the “Attitude Era” mode and “30 Years of Wrestlemania” in the past two WWE games, completing the 2K Showcase will unlock new wrestlers, attires, arenas and more.

Regardless of how you feel about CM Punk’s sudden departure from the company, it’s pretty cool we’ll get at least one next-generation wrestling game with CM Punk in it. I also suppose that this means that CM Punk will be a playable character outside of the 2K Showcase, though none of the articles I’ve read make specific reference to that. It would be odd to include Punk and not allow him to be used outside of the 2K Showcase but considering the way he left WWE, I was a little surprised to see him included at all.

Everything known about new modes and special edition of WWE 2K15

The first screen of WWE 2K15, tweeted recently by John Cena. The level of detail is astounding.
This is allegedly an in-game screenshot too and not from a pre-rendered cinematic.

With its impending release on October 28, lots of interesting information has been made known recently about WWE 2K15. In addition to new modes and technical specs, info about a special edition of WWE 2K15 was recently released.

The Hulkamania special collector’s edition of WWE 2K15 feature several exclusive in-game characters such as unique Hulk Hogan, Hollywood Hulk Hogan as well as two versions of Sting (blonde, flat-top Sting and “Crow” Sting). I believe that these characters, at least the Sting characters, will be available with a pre-order of the standard game.

However, the Hulkamania edition will net you several other cool extras. Those who purchase the $100 special edition will also receive an art card signed by Hulk Hogan, a piece of the canvas from Monday Night Raw on March 10, 2014 in Memphis TN, as well as a special edition Hollywood Hulk Hogan vinyl figure by Funko. Only 25,000 copies of this special edition will be produced so if you really want one, better pre-order early. This special edition will only be available for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles.

Randy Orton's signature pose recreated in WWE 2K15

There’s a lot of new information about the actual gameplay and modes of WWE 2K15 known now too. This is the second WWE game published by 2K, though WWE 2K14 was largely produced by THQ and only finished and distributed by 2K. WWE 2K15 on the other hand was created from the ground up by 2K, Yuke’s and Visual Concepts and promises to give the series an entirely new look and feel. Compared to the previous title, there has been over five times the amount of animation data recorded for 2K15 which will allow give the Superstars more lifelike movements than ever before. Additionally, over four times the amount of dialogue has been recorded for commentary which should hopefully alleviate hearing the same phrases too often, which has been an issue in the past.

The past two WWE games had introduced spectacular new single player modes – one following the Attitude Era and one highlighting huge matches from each of the 30 Wrestlemania shows. WWE2K15 will have its own such mode, the 2K Showcase, which will focus on popular past rivalries. No rivalries in specific have been mentioned but one could speculate all day that we could see rivalries like Hulk Hogan/Sergeant Slaughter, Bret Hart/Shawn Michaels, Triple H/Rock highlighted in the 2K Showcase. It’s said that the mode will give in-depth details about each rivalry, treating each almost like a mini-documentary.

In addition to the 2K Showcase, a mode called My Career will also be included, which will be exclusive to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game. Not much has been made known about this mode, except that it will allow you follow the career of a user created Superstar through his career in WWE. A mode like this hasn’t been included in a WWE game for several years and it will be interesting to see how the developers plan on implementing methods to keep this mode fresh and interesting to extend replayability. Several articles have compared it to the similar career mode in NBA 2K14, though I couldn’t say how accurate that is, having never played it. No word yet on if Universe mode will return.

I’m pretty excited for WWE 2K15. The series had gotten a bit stale under THQ and it seems like 2K is really trying to inject a lot of life and new ideas with this title. The few released screen shots (posted above) are very impressive and I can’t wait to actually see this game in action. I just hope this title also allows for the ability to upload/download created wrestlers so I can see all my favorite indy stars in glorious high definition competing for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.