[paragraph]WWE 2K17 might look like another yearly iteration of the most popular wrestling game, but this time around 2K has jumped curves when it comes to improvements in features, game modes, and in-ring fight mechanics. Some of the changes might disappoint a few, but most of them will be welcomed by the fans. So let’s find out more details on all that is new and improved in my following review. [/paragraph]
WWE 2K17 Review
Game Mechanics
The in-ring game has improved by ages, as the weight of the characters feels realistic, making punches & smacks looks impressively real. This hard-hitting can be dodged with reversals and punches, especially much better in 2K17, as you now have two reversal modes – Normal & Stronger.
You get ongoing hints for performing the reversals, and you can’t be too fast or too slow, or even constant clicks won’t get you out of beating as you expect. The timing is all that matters in reversals, making the combat mechanics excellent compared to older WWE versions.
The character detailing, audience reactions, intros, the arena environment, music and attitude was already mastered in the previous WWE games, it has now become even smoother and realistic this year.
Major Improvements
The manual targeting of character is now set to default, which I expected as the obvious feature since all these years, and finally, its done This makes tag-team or multi-person matches under absolute control, and you can use the combination of the reversals, change target and strong punches to get out of any dominating situation.
The roll out feature helps player relax from significant beating, and get back in the game with full energy, a simple tactic similar to what we see in real life wrestling matches. It also frees up the ring in multi-person matches, making in-game combats further realistic.
The fight in the crowd, the drama, and backstage brawls were often non-impressive parts of older WWE games, but 2K17 has changed that in a big way. Be it in the career or universal mode, these little upgrades to the game make it highly worth it.
Game Modes
The much popular Universal mode has to be the highlight of WWE 2K17, as you can customize the hell out of it. We can choose how the show runs, match ups and even intro videos of the players.
You can give the big show an entry video of Triple H & physical entry style of the Shawn Michaels, I mean how cool is that?
The ladder and hell in the cell multi tag-team matches are my personal favorites, whereas the regular shows like SmackDown or RAW are great for quick casual wrestling fun. You can even tweak the WWE specials from music, videos & arenas, to make the most out of Univeral Modes.
The Career mode was the mixed bag for me. Firs you get to make the unknown character, customize his look in-depth and start showing up at WWE shows. The promo of our characters is outright disappointing, and even we don’t feel confident about his journey in the ring. The audience is hard to understand, so we fail at communicating with them, which gets your player nothing more than booing all over the arenas.
But if you master the craft of the wrestling in WWE 2k17, you can turn the tables with the performance in matches, and slowly building up the career for your player.
Even though ‘career mode’ is designed for a very new player, I wish I could rebuild the careers of my favorite WWE stars, and make choices that will shape their careers differently.
The facial morphing is one of the most advanced tools I have seen in any game or even the real modeling software I’ve had used before. Similarly, the video editor is as powerful as the movie maker or iMovie, and you can make some kick-ass trailers, intros or custom videos from the footages you have saved from some of your most memorable combats.
Verdict
There is no doubt that 2K has built the WWE 2K17 from the ground up this time around, and experiencing their improvements and the scrapping of some annoying old game modes shows they are indeed capable of making the best wrestling game out there.
With major features and improvements, excellent combats and never seen before attention to customization options in a game makes WWE 2K17 a must have WWE game ever made!
