There comes a time when just going through the motions just does not cut it anymore. When to give the fans the game they deserve, you must go and change what you are doing. Yuke’s and Visual Concepts have heard the fans and have given them a WWE game that blows the previous ones out of the water. WWE2K19 is quite simply a big surprise for people who felt the series had lost touch with it’s fan base.
The game is straightforward. Pick a wrestler and go into the ring. You have your choice of match type and how many wrestlers will be in the match. The graphics look good, every new year seems to bring video games closer to real life. The soundtrack is a mixture of rock and rap, some songs picked by the wrestlers themselves. The controls are still not perfect, but they improved over last year. It’s in the game mode, specifically two of them, that WWE2K19 delivers it’s most polished and exciting feature.
The first mode is the 2K Showcase, featuring the story of Daniel Bryan. Players will be able to play through 11 of Bryan’s matches which trace the path of his career in WWE. What makes this mode so much more intimate is that Bryan talks directly to the camera, telling what was going through his mind and where he was professionally. This adds a touch of realism and players might learn something new about the Yes Man.
The second mode is My Career, and this is where WWE2K19 really went a different direction. The story is about your rise from the indie scene to the WWE. The story has purpose, not just saying a promo or deciding to interfere with a match. Taken as a version of the story modes that NBA2K has gone to in recent years, this mode is ridiculous fun and paints a picture of what it takes to be a WWE Superstar. This is not to say it is strictly real. Just wait until Matt Hardy takes you on a tour of the multiverse. If you don’t like wrestling video games, you should still give this mode a try. The fact that everyone, including you, is voice acted is a brilliant touch.
Some gamers get tired of yearly releases where it seems that only a few new things are added, and nothing really changes. WWE2K19 decided that it needed to listen to the fans to create a better video game. The chances they took produced one of the best sports titles of this generation. With this release, the first great game of the WWE2K franchise has finally arrived.
9/10
Available on PS4, Xbox and PC
