WWE 2K15: Two generations make a world of difference
After THQ officially went bankrupt in 2013, they had to sell the rights to some of their video games series. One of their series, the WWE games, was bought by Take-Two Interactive, the company that owns 2K. Now, one year later and after a rushed release of WWE 2K14, fans are finally getting a taste of what 2K can really do…if you have a PlayStation 4 or XBOX One. If you didn’t feel like spending $400 on a next generation console, you’re unfortunately going to be treated to basically the same game graphically and in regards to gameplay from 2K14. But don’t worry, you’ll still get things next generation doesn’t. I had the chance to play the game for both last generation (XBOX 360) and next generation (PS4) consoles, so here’s a comparison of WWE 2K15 for both XBOX 360 and PlayStation 4.
Just to start it off, the soundtrack is terrible. It’s the same for both games, and it’s just grating. Created by John Cena, the soundtrack has 14 songs on it, and 12 of them are just awful. Some of the artists of the soundtrack include Wiz Khalifa, Florida Georgia Line, and even John Cena himself. The songs don’t pump you up to play the game, and are really just a great reason to play the game with the volume off. However, “This Means War” by Avenged Sevenfold and “Zero Visibility” by Rise Against are great songs, but the latter doesn’t really fit in with the game either. This is a change from previous games, which used wrestlers entrance music as a soundtrack, but I’d much rather listen to CM Punk’s entrance music 20 times than a John Cena rap once.
The graphics for the last generation are basically the same as last years, with small improvements to the faces. The next generation however, has incredible characters models that look incredibly life like, thanks to the face scan technology formerly used in the NBA 2K games. The characters will actually show emotions when they make their entrances and even small things like skin texture and clothing have tons of detail. I’m very glad to see the new graphics in the game, as it makes the game feel more lifelike.
The gameplay for the last generation is the same as last year, but has been vastly improved for the next generation. There is a new grapple system where players play a small minigame to gain control. Along with that, there is a new stamina system which affects how the character fights in the game. An example of this is when a superstar hits a finisher or signature. If you have low stamina, the character will struggle to get up, and sometimes after hitting finishers, the character will be so damaged that they can’t physically cover the opponent. This new gameplay works great, and is a great addition that makes the game more lifelike
Universe mode for both games is basically the same as last year, with a little addition. Adding on to last year’s ability to set rivalries, this year there are more options for storylines, with over 800 different options. While that is cool, the rivalry system is still messed up, making people in a rivalry fight every week of universe and at the pap-per-view, which is unrealistic compared to real life.
Both games feature the “2K Showcase” mode, where players can play through two storied rivalries in WWE history. The first is John Cena vs CM Punk, titled “Hustle, Loyalty, Disrespect”, goes through their rivalry that spanned from 2011 to 2013, starting with CM Punk leaving the company with the WWE Championship after Money in the Bank, and ending on their incredible RAW match on February 25th, 2013. The second, titled “Best Friends, Better Enemies”, takes the player through Triple H and Shawn Michaels’ two year rivalry between 2002 and 2004, starting with Triple H turning on Shawn Michaels, and ending with their brutal Hell in a Cell match at Bad Blood. While the mode is fun, it still has the same problem that WWE 13’s “Attitude Era” and WWE 2K14’s “Road to WrestleMania” modes did. Because you’re going through events that already happened, there is no surprise factor since you know exactly what’s going to happen.
Next-gen will feature a “My Career” mode, where players can create themselves and work their way through the WWE, starting in NXT and working your way up to WrestleMania. Along with that, you can do things like get managers when you wrestle, buy new moves and attires with skill points, and even decide if you’re going to be a face or a heel. The mode is fun at first, but can get boring and repetitive quickly, especially after you get your attributes up
Last-gen users won’t get career mood, which has instead been replaced by “Who’s Got NXT”. Similar to the 2K Showcase mode, this mode has the player play through the four best matches of four of NXT’s biggest stars (and Corey Graves, for some reason) It’s clear that there was almost no work put into this mode. Some of the matches are inaccurate, with people winning matches they lost in real life. None of the matches Sami Zayn has in his section are matches he won, and Rusev has a match in his section that never even happened! It sounded cool the first time I heard of it, but in reality, the mode is a sloppy mess
While next-gen is getting all this cool stuff that last-gen doesn’t, the game still has a lot taken out. For starters, the “Creation Suite” on next-gen has taken a huge hit. The number of custom superstars has cut from 100 to 25, and players can no longer create arenas, stories, finishers, or even Divas. However, last years “Superstar Heads” has been reworked so all superstars and divas in the game can have new custom attires. The paint tool (image designer) has been removed, but was replaced by the ability to import images from the computer to the game.
This should make it easier for players to create wrestlers that aren’t in the game or even themselves for career mode.
Lastly, several match types have been taken out of the game, such as tornado tag team matches, I Quit matches, and even ladder matches. Even worse, any match with more than two people has only three match types to choose from: Normal, Extreme Rules, and Hell in a Cell. The roster is also rather unimpressive, with a lack of legends, less custom superstar slots, and no created divas making things like Universe Mode less fun.
For next-gen consoles, WWE 2K15 is pretty good game, but was definitely overhyped. Though Career mode, 2K Showcase, and the new gameplay is cool, there’s so much taken out of the game that will turn off casual gamers. For last-gen, there is no point in even buying it. No Career mode, no improved gameplay, and a horrible Who’s Got NXT mode are just a few reasons not to get it. 2K Showcase isn’t enough to sell it. If you have a PS4 or a XBOX One, I would recommend the game just for career mode. If you have last-gen, just get 2K14, it’s basically the same game, but cheaper.
Just to start it off, the soundtrack is terrible. It’s the same for both games, and it’s just grating. Created by John Cena, the soundtrack has 14 songs on it, and 12 of them are just awful. Some of the artists of the soundtrack include Wiz Khalifa, Florida Georgia Line, and even John Cena himself. The songs don’t pump you up to play the game, and are really just a great reason to play the game with the volume off. However, “This Means War” by Avenged Sevenfold and “Zero Visibility” by Rise Against are great songs, but the latter doesn’t really fit in with the game either. This is a change from previous games, which used wrestlers entrance music as a soundtrack, but I’d much rather listen to CM Punk’s entrance music 20 times than a John Cena rap once.
The graphics for the last generation are basically the same as last years, with small improvements to the faces. The next generation however, has incredible characters models that look incredibly life like, thanks to the face scan technology formerly used in the NBA 2K games. The characters will actually show emotions when they make their entrances and even small things like skin texture and clothing have tons of detail. I’m very glad to see the new graphics in the game, as it makes the game feel more lifelike.
The gameplay for the last generation is the same as last year, but has been vastly improved for the next generation. There is a new grapple system where players play a small minigame to gain control. Along with that, there is a new stamina system which affects how the character fights in the game. An example of this is when a superstar hits a finisher or signature. If you have low stamina, the character will struggle to get up, and sometimes after hitting finishers, the character will be so damaged that they can’t physically cover the opponent. This new gameplay works great, and is a great addition that makes the game more lifelike
Universe mode for both games is basically the same as last year, with a little addition. Adding on to last year’s ability to set rivalries, this year there are more options for storylines, with over 800 different options. While that is cool, the rivalry system is still messed up, making people in a rivalry fight every week of universe and at the pap-per-view, which is unrealistic compared to real life.
Both games feature the “2K Showcase” mode, where players can play through two storied rivalries in WWE history. The first is John Cena vs CM Punk, titled “Hustle, Loyalty, Disrespect”, goes through their rivalry that spanned from 2011 to 2013, starting with CM Punk leaving the company with the WWE Championship after Money in the Bank, and ending on their incredible RAW match on February 25th, 2013. The second, titled “Best Friends, Better Enemies”, takes the player through Triple H and Shawn Michaels’ two year rivalry between 2002 and 2004, starting with Triple H turning on Shawn Michaels, and ending with their brutal Hell in a Cell match at Bad Blood. While the mode is fun, it still has the same problem that WWE 13’s “Attitude Era” and WWE 2K14’s “Road to WrestleMania” modes did. Because you’re going through events that already happened, there is no surprise factor since you know exactly what’s going to happen.
Next-gen will feature a “My Career” mode, where players can create themselves and work their way through the WWE, starting in NXT and working your way up to WrestleMania. Along with that, you can do things like get managers when you wrestle, buy new moves and attires with skill points, and even decide if you’re going to be a face or a heel. The mode is fun at first, but can get boring and repetitive quickly, especially after you get your attributes up
Last-gen users won’t get career mood, which has instead been replaced by “Who’s Got NXT”. Similar to the 2K Showcase mode, this mode has the player play through the four best matches of four of NXT’s biggest stars (and Corey Graves, for some reason) It’s clear that there was almost no work put into this mode. Some of the matches are inaccurate, with people winning matches they lost in real life. None of the matches Sami Zayn has in his section are matches he won, and Rusev has a match in his section that never even happened! It sounded cool the first time I heard of it, but in reality, the mode is a sloppy mess
While next-gen is getting all this cool stuff that last-gen doesn’t, the game still has a lot taken out. For starters, the “Creation Suite” on next-gen has taken a huge hit. The number of custom superstars has cut from 100 to 25, and players can no longer create arenas, stories, finishers, or even Divas. However, last years “Superstar Heads” has been reworked so all superstars and divas in the game can have new custom attires. The paint tool (image designer) has been removed, but was replaced by the ability to import images from the computer to the game.
This should make it easier for players to create wrestlers that aren’t in the game or even themselves for career mode.
Lastly, several match types have been taken out of the game, such as tornado tag team matches, I Quit matches, and even ladder matches. Even worse, any match with more than two people has only three match types to choose from: Normal, Extreme Rules, and Hell in a Cell. The roster is also rather unimpressive, with a lack of legends, less custom superstar slots, and no created divas making things like Universe Mode less fun.
For next-gen consoles, WWE 2K15 is pretty good game, but was definitely overhyped. Though Career mode, 2K Showcase, and the new gameplay is cool, there’s so much taken out of the game that will turn off casual gamers. For last-gen, there is no point in even buying it. No Career mode, no improved gameplay, and a horrible Who’s Got NXT mode are just a few reasons not to get it. 2K Showcase isn’t enough to sell it. If you have a PS4 or a XBOX One, I would recommend the game just for career mode. If you have last-gen, just get 2K14, it’s basically the same game, but cheaper.