WWE 2K24 review - arcade fighter celebrates 40 years of Wrestlemania with slapstick spectacle
It’s a storyline worthy of a WWE superstar: washed up, widely ridiculed, apparently on its way to obscurity, WWE 2K20 was video game wrestling’s lowest ebb. Not five years later, presumably having performed all manner of off-screen training montages in meat lockers, the game returns revitalised, with a twinkle in its eye and, much more pertinently, controls that not only function but actually put a smile on your face.
Conceptually, wrestling has always been hard to translate to a game. Why not just keep leathering your opponent in the face until they’re too stunned to resist a pin? Because that makes bad television, and if you hadn’t already guessed by the smell of body oil and hairspray, you’re in the world of sports entertainment here. No, being “good” at WWE 2K24 or its predecessors is about putting on a show. And boy, does it know how to let you do that.
Whenever you’re in the ring, there’s a fluidity to your moves. Chops transition into grapples without awkward delays, and the massive variety of animations motors even the most specific, contextual actions along nicely – even throwing a Slim Jim right in John Cena’s face. In Showcase mode, which goes big on Wrestlemania’s 40th birthday, you can play iconic matches from the hairy, backcombed 1980s to the present. It’s a shame you can’t rewrite history in these well-recreated moments, but you’ve got to respect the effort – the game even faithfully tries to recreate 80s camera effects.
This being a modern sports game, it offers about 40 different modes and inevitably, some are left to fester between releases. (The MyGM manager mode is the worst victim this year.) Among the dizzying myriad of match options are two newcomers. In ambulance matches, your goal is to weaken your foe sufficiently that they can be bundled into the back of the ambulance that’s – and it’s really best not to ask too many questions – parked up inside the arena, just by the ring. In special guest referee matches, you play as … a special guest referee. Even these side-shows are delivered with gloss and functionality that fans used to dream of.
The story-focused career mode, meanwhile, offers two completely different interactive tales. One pits you as the star female wrestler of a local indie scene looking to grab some national attention, the other places you as a jobbing male wrestler on Raw who makes an improbable play for the big time after Roman Reigns unexpectedly quits, leaving the title vacant. Like almost every other corner of the game, they’re dripping in expensive production values, enjoyable star cameos and an unending variety of ways to beat people up on TV.
There’s a parable for sports franchises to follow here: taking a year off (as WWE did in 2020) can be a good thing. From the hilariously detailed character creator to the sensation of administering a German suplex, 2K24 hits its marks.
WWE 2K24 is out 8 March; £59.99
