The Verdict
Is WWE 2K16 a perfect game? By all means, no. But my god is it light years ahead of where the franchise was last year. What we have in 2K16 is a wrestling game that feels like a wrestling game. It has everything you could want — your favorite wrestlers, a vastly improved MyCareer, tons of match types, a reworked reversal system, and matches that play out with drama and intensity.
I can look past the things that annoyed me and see that a ton of effort was put in to get this game where it is, and it’s a game that fans of wrestling, and the franchise, will appreciate. If you’ve loved WWE 2K games in the past, or even miss the N64 days, give WWE 2K16 a go.
The Positives
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As a fan of wrestling back in the day, I’m thrilled that WWE 2K16 features the largest roster ever. There are over 120 characters, from Stone Cold Steve Austin and Daniel Bryan, to Eva Marie and Adrian Neville. Almost everyone you could possibly want to play as is there.
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The reworked reversal system will be loved by most, hated by some. It is a limited resource that slowly regenerates, so you’ll have to decide when you want to use a reversal to escape a hairy situation. Different wrestlers have a different amount of reversals.
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Presentation is big plus this year. While some wrestlers don’t look exactly like their real-life counterparts, most of them do. The music is awesome, the ring entrances are spot on, and the load times between entrances are non-existent.
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The MyCareer mode is a huge upgrade over last year, mostly because it actually feels like a career that you have control over. Your career now spans multiple years instead of ending after one WrestleMania appearance. I also love how you gain allies and rivals, using opportunities like pre-match run-ins on the ramp. You can also choose which belt you’d prefer to fight for.
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The creation suite is unreal. You can create a wrestler or diva, with tons of options to choose from (it can take a while), a championship and belt, an arena, an entrance and a show.
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As a fan of Stone Cold Steve Austin, the 2K Showcase is one of my favorite features. It’s like a trip down memory lane as you compete in some of Stone Cold’s most famous matches, with requirements that want you to recreate how the match went down.
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As much as some of the reversals and animations bothered me, this game plays like a wrestling sim. Matches play out like they would on television, with two groggy wrestlers standing up at the same moment, or that well-timed reversal on a finisher leading to a pin. Oh and those pesky managers — just get near their side of the ring and they’ll distract you just like in real life.
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WWE 2K16 shines the most when playing against other people. Suddenly, you’re so wrapped up in how much fun you’re having that the little bugs and glitches don’t bother you as much. You also don’t have to worry about annoying AI at that point. And there’s so many freakin’ match types and wrestlers that you’ll never get bored.
The Negatives
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Play-by-play commentary is boring and repetitive, and there’s a lack of excitement to the moves you’re pulling off in the ring.
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I found the actual wrestling to be a bit hit-or-miss, especially against AI opponents. I encountered a lot of instances of my wrestler or opponent flashing from laying on the mat to standing in a hold, depending on the move performed. There was also some noticeable input lag at times.
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I said in the Positives that reversals will be loved by most. It lands in a gray area for me. I don’t exactly like being reliant on reversals as your only defense. Most matches turned out to just be won by whoever had the most reversals saved up. The timing of the reversals also seemed off to me. Sometimes it would flash green that I hit the reversal at the right time, but I would fail it instead. The timing is really finicky also, and even after hours put into the game, reversals can still be tricky.
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The MyCareer mode took too long to progress from NXT. I was bored of fighting the same couple of wrestlers over and over. Another problem I had with the career mode was the woman on camera that would ask you the questions. It ended up after like 20 matches being mostly the same question, and there’s only so many times that I can be asked if my wrestler play WWE video games.
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Most basic matches come down to a formula to win, usually two signatures, two finishers, pin.
I was a huge wrestling fan during the late 80s to early 2000s. I started as a fan of Seargent Slaughter, moving onto the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Test, and The Hardy Boys. I don’t know how it happened, but I eventually drifted away from watching wrestling. The same thing kind of happened with wrestling video games. My favorite wrestling video game of all-time was WWF WrestleMania 2000 on the Nintendo 64. There were some others I’ve enjoyed — some of the Smackdown vs Raw games weren’t too bad. So when I tried WWE 2K15 last year, I was filled with disappointment… the same disappointment I felt when Triple H interrupted Test’s and Stephanie McMahon’s wedding with some terrible news.
So you understand my cautiousness when approaching WWE 2K16. After a hands-on event that left me with mixed feelings, I was feeling better about this year’s title. Is a revamped Career mode and a huge roster of wrestlers enough to bring the Heavyweight Title back to WWE 2K16?
