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WWE 2k15 PS4/XB1 Review Thread (Embargoed Until Release Date)

H

Hasney

Member
hu4Z4Wr.png


There is an embargo happening, but one has snuck out so I thought I'd get this started and post more as they happen tomorrow.

Venturebeat - 80/100

The slower pace might throw some people off, but I like it (as long as I’m not finding it impossible to counter 5 minutes’ worth of moves). WWE 2K15 has some problems, but it’s still a fun wrestling simulation that actually made a decent attempt to bring some new features for its new-gen debut. I just can’t bring myself to get overly enthusiastic about it.
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Bleacher Report - 8

WWE 2K15 will likely be one of the most important releases in the series' history. The groundwork has been laid for a fresh and exciting direction in gameplay for years to come. The visuals, which are already excellent, should continue to improve, as should the presentation.

For the most part, this game excels in a major way. However, there are issues with commentary, modes and storytelling that keep it from being a crowning achievement.

Still, it's a solid debut on next-gen systems. Because of its overwhelming qualities, WWE 2K15 is a must-buy for fans of wrestling video games.
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Game Revolution - 4/5

Without a creation mode for finishers and stories, the creation suite is comparatively limited to past WWE titles, but the realistic character modeling mostly compensates for it. Regrettably, many in-depth options for facial tweaking have gone missing, and the loading times for selecting and deselecting item options in CAW creation take an excruciatingly 15-20 seconds. The possibilities for crafting a wacky wrestler with inhuman proportions have narrowed dramatically as well. The new create-a-entrance fails better with a more easily manageable design; uploading and downloading creations are manageable as well and rewards you with more slots as more users download your work.
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IGN - 7

WWE 2K15 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One doesn't quite meet the expectations set by previous entries in the series. While the wrestlers look amazing and the combat feels significantly better, MyCareer mode is an absolute slog and everything else has been done better in previous years. Between the narrower historical mode, the shuttered creation suites, and the dearth of combat options for bigger groups, WWE 2K15 has lost some of the tools that brought previous entries to the main event.
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Gameinformer - 7/10

This first new-gen edition of WWE 2K15 lays a solid foundation in the presentation and mechanics, but it’s hurt by cuts and 2K Showcase and MyCareer in particular need plenty of work before they’re ready for the main event spot.
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Examiner - 3/5

While its a created character you are taking through the NXT and WWE ranks, the mode just never “feels.” While it’s one of the most in-depth story modes in any professional wrestling game, there’s serious room for improvement here. A long list of matches, objectives and upgrade point gathering, the mode can be fun, but will ultimately be remembered as something that wasn’t as good as the hype surrounding it.

The same thing can be said for the inclusion of WCW legend, Sting. While his character model is beautiful and most of his moves are spot on, his Scorpion Death Drop finisher lacks “sizzle.” A basic Reverse DDT, it’s sad that the same move in the Nintendo 64 classic “WCW vs. nWo Revenge” not only looks better, but is more gratifying to pull off.
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WrestlingInc - 6.5 (Or -42/10 if you take into account Florida Georgia Line)

It's a little baffling that in moving to next-gen consoles WWE and 2K took giant leaps in the wrong direction. The roster is smaller, the match types have been stripped and the freedom of created content has been limited. This is the latest former THQ property to seemingly move backwards, with the EA UFC property not being well received, either. The company may have been miserably run, but at least they didn't literally move back three steps compared to the previous year's incarnation of their games.

I want this game to be good-- I think we all did. The potential is there, but it isn't. THQ rarely made huge strides during the PS3/360 era, but they certainly didn't regress. 2K Sports has managed to do that on their first installment on the next-gen consoles. This was WrestleMania for 2K Sports, and they blew up and gassed out within four minutes of the main event.
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Metro - 6/10

The obvious assumption is that the yearly release schedule just didn’t allow for these features, and so they were simply cut out to meet the deadline (this next gen version is already nearly a month behind the last gen). The only chance for getting them back seems to be if 2K can spare a few extra weeks of development somewhere, no doubt by leaving one of the other aspects unchanged next year.

Unfortunately that’s the reality these schedules force upon all sports games, but WWE has always handled the tight deadlines worse than most. As the first next gen game this is a promising start in some senses, but when it’ll transform into the game fans want and deserve is another thing entirely.
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Gamefront - 60/100

Ignoring the visuals, it is an inferior product in every way compared to last year’s WWE 2K14, and even WWE 13 from the year before that. WWE 2K15 ofers fewer wrestlers, match types and creative options, a weaker story mode, and the same core gameplay that, honestly, is starting to feel a little stale. If the WWE 2K series is looking to get back over with its fans, it might be time for a repackaging.
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Gametrailers - 5.5

WWE 2K15 has attempted to create an authentic wrestling experience by slowing the pace to a crawl, and the result is a boring and unsatisfying. WWE 2K15 loses sight of what makes wrestling fun in the first place: high thrills, meaningful momentum changes, and unsuspected surprises. While it’s fun reliving past rivalries, the stripped down create-a-superstar, laggy online, and lackluster career mode pin this year’s game into a submission it simply can’t break out of.
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Game-Over - 66%

This series has had some major blunders before, but this is the worst-played and least-fun entry yet. Normally, there’s at least a silver lining or a sliver of hope that things will get dramatically better. Sadly, because this game’s problems run so deep to the point where even replicating a wrestling match is a struggle, that seems unlikely. Hopefully, the next installment takes things back to where they were in 2K14 gameplay-wise and just expands on that with improvements here like more context-based specials and the chain wrestling because the attempt to change the flow of matches absolutely kills things. For a series that needed change, it got the wrong ones this time around. I adore pro wrestling and love how much better this series has gotten, but this is just a failure in far too many important ways. I didn’t think it was even possible, but a wrestling game has been crafted that I do not want to play. There is absolutely nothing this game does well enough beyond Sting that makes it worth playing over WWE 2K14. Yuke’s seemingly wanted to reinvent the wheel, and instead of getting a round one that moves you along smoothly, you get a blocky wheel that may move you forward, but will result in a much bumpier ride than needed.
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Moviepilot - 5/10 (This uses an image from the game TNA iMPACT for Sting... Whoops)

Over all, I have been pretty disappointed with this game on both generations. It certainly is a lot cleaner than 2K14 in terms of combat and the graphics have slight improvements, but all the other gameplay mechanics feel like too little too late and demonstrate 2K's reluctance for change OR their desire to remove everything we loved about the series. Some of the new combat systems really are great, but with such a reduced experience, I can't help but dislike this title.

This game really isn't worth anyone's time, I see nothing here for fans of the series or anyone with a controller. In the title picture of the article it states "Work in Progress", I couldn't agree more.
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Ginx Television - Mixed tone leaning towards negative (no score)

This year, we said... This year would be when WWE games would be pushed to the next level. When 2k will really get their teeth in. When we'll finally get the game we wrestling fans deserve. In first impressions, it looks like we have. (Graphics, animation, vastly improved commentary, modes and menus).

Unfortunately, the devil is in the details and they just aren't there. You might think that sounds picky, and it is. There are so many things in WWE 2k15's presentation that just haven't been considered. Things that are all good enough, but well, not good enough.

For the first time in years, gameplay takes a step back as well. Bear in mind, we love the feel of 2k14, so if you didn't, you might prefer the changes. Mainly a slower pace in the early goings of the matches and more meters and mini-game gimmicks dotted around.

In Short, it's neither as ambitious or as authentic as it could be. but if you're a die hard fan, you'll still have a lot of fun.
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i0I3yfL11O3qT.gif
 
S

Solaire of Astora

Death by black JPN
Saw a stream of the PS4 version at the weekend and the animations seemed like a massive step in the right direction. I even thought about buying my first Wrestling game in ~10 years... Guess not.
 
W

Windpower

Banned
All wrestling games besides will continue to be garbage until Yukes/2K/whatever piece of shit development team realizes they could make a fortune just from an HD version of the WWF No Mercy engine, which worked perfectly. Don't even bother trying to "update" the graphics anymore because the engine they're using still looks terrible
 
H

Hasney

Member
I've added a video "overview" from Ginx as it is basically a review when you listen to it. Let me know if people think it shouldn't be in there.

They enjoyed WWE 2k14 but don't like the gameplay changes in this one.
 
A

atomico

Member
I doubt they'll write an actual review for it, but I can't wait till Dan Ryckert and Jeff Gerstmann have a go at this game.
 
X

Xater

Member
Hasney said:
I've added a video "overview" from Ginx as it is basically a review when you listen to it. Let me know if people think it shouldn't be in there.

They enjoyed WWE 2k14 but don't like the gameplay changes in this one.
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I'm amost completely with the guy in this video. I hated the new grapple system when I played this. Even after multiple matches I could not warm up to it. I did like the stamina system though which kinda made the pace of a match more realistic.
 
H

Hasney

Member
Xater said:
I'm amost completely with the guy in this video. I hated the new grapple system when I played this. Even after multiple matches I could not warm up to it. I did like the stamina system though which kinda made the pace of a match more realistic.
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What do you mean by new grapple system? That mini-game that keeps happening at the start? If that is the case, at least you can turn that off.

Anyway, IGN have confirmed that the review is going up at the same time the game unlocks, so 9PM PST/Midnight EST.
 
B

BoboBrazil

Member
IGN - 7

WWE 2K15 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One doesn't quite meet the expectations set by previous entries in the series. While the wrestlers look amazing and the combat feels significantly better, MyCareer mode is an absolute slog and everything else has been done better in previous years. Between the narrower historical mode, the shuttered creation suites, and the dearth of combat options for bigger groups, WWE 2K15 has lost some of the tools that brought previous entries to the main event.
Click to expand...
 
S

SwiftDeath

Member
Gamespot 7th Gen [360/PS3] Review

At last month's Hell in a Cell PPV, John Cena and Randy Orton fought for the #1 Contendership to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. These superstars, two of the most storied performers in WWE history, didn't have this match because storylines had built up this encounter in the demonic Hell in a Cell. It happened because the WWE needed to give John Cena something to do while current champion, Brock Lesnar, continues his months long hiatus. It was an afterthought of a match that paled in comparison to the PPV's main event, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins in the same structure, which had brewed over months of excellently written betrayal, revenge, and brutality. WWE 2K15 on last-gen consoles is, sadly, more Cena/Orton than Rollins/Ambrose.
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4/10

----------

Slow review thread
 
B

BoboBrazil

Member
Lol, they just said on the new legacy stream that Brocks hair looks like a pack of uncooked ramen noodles and it's so damn true.
 
H

Hasney

Member
BoboBrazil said:
Lol, they just said on the new legacy stream that Brocks hair looks like a pack of uncooked ramen noodles and it's so damn true.
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Oh god, he just came out when I was fiddling with Universe mode and he had a look on his face that he clearly smelled a fart.
 
B

BoboBrazil

Member
@alex_navarro
I have not written my WWE 2K15 review yet but I've played enough to be comfortable in saying it is not good and you should not play it.
Gameplay is jankier than usual, chain wrestling is a drag, modes are barren as hell, online seems generally busted. Bad scene all around.
 
B

BoboBrazil

Member
Game Informer - 7

This first new-gen edition of WWE 2K15 lays a solid foundation in the presentation and mechanics, but it’s hurt by cuts and 2K Showcase and MyCareer in particular need plenty of work before they’re ready for the main event spot.
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I still have a feeling most sites are afraid to give a major release less than a 7.
 
B

BoboBrazil

Member
Gamefront - 60/100

Ignoring the visuals, it is an inferior product in every way compared to last year’s WWE 2K14, and even WWE 13 from the year before that. WWE 2K15 ofers fewer wrestlers, match types and creative options, a weaker story mode, and the same core gameplay that, honestly, is starting to feel a little stale. If the WWE 2K series is looking to get back over with its fans, it might be time for a repackaging.
Click to expand...
 
J

JPeeples83

Member
I've spent the day with it, customized a few characters visually and moveset-wise. I'm about 1,300 words into a review and I'll just that I'm not enjoying the game anywhere near as much as I hoped to and they also removed way too many moves and moveset slots too.
 
B

BoboBrazil

Member
JPeeples83 said:
I've spent the day with it, customized a few characters visually and moveset-wise. I'm about 1,300 words into a review and I'll just that I'm not enjoying the game anywhere near as much as I hoped to and they also removed way too many moves and moveset slots too.
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What site do you write for?
 
B

BoboBrazil

Member
ALLseeingEYE said:
Game Informer - 7.0
http://www.metacritic.com/publication/game-informer?filter=games

Gamesbeat - 8.0
http://venturebeat.com/2014/11/17/wwe-2k15s-mycareer-mode-trumps-its-other-frustrations-review/

Game Revolution - 8.0
http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/wwe-2k15-ps4-xone


The Metacritic reviews don't seem too bad so far:
Xbox One
http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-one/wwe-2k15

PS4
http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-4/wwe-2k15
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That Game Revolution review is bullshit. No justification for the 8 if you actually read the review and it's overall pretty negative about the game.
 
T

Tagyhag

Member
Going for graphics over content, seems like the "in" thing this gen.

Although that was there last gen, it feels more prominent now.
 
A

ALLseeingEYE

Member
Tagyhag said:
Going for graphics over content, seems like the "in" thing this gen.

Although that was there last gen, it feels more prominent now.
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I don't think that's the true idea for next-gen, to be honest. I think it's just companies completely rebuilding their game engines from the ground up, and wanting to hit deadlines. Games like NHL and WWE probably suffer more than FIFA and Assassin's creed due to lower sales/budgets.

Taking Assassin's Creed, for example. It had a game engine that was iterated upon and expanded for 8+ years on X360/PS3. Even if you had 2-3 years to rebuild a PS4/X1 game from scratch, that's still 5 years of work unaccounted for. It's likely the main reason that game is missing the pirate ships, or why NHL 15 is missing a robust career and game modes. Adding features is a huge time investment.

They do this because it will give them better visual performance in the long run than just porting over an 8 year old engine. So for WWE, even if this year's game is lacking, as a fan, I think it's worth being excited that 2K is going to this extent to rebuild it. Over the next 5 years, it will ideally just get bigger and better.

BoboBrazil said:
That Game Revolution review is bullshit. No justification for the 8 if you actually read the review and it's overall pretty negative about the game.
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BoboBrazil said:
Actually that Gamesbeat review score also doesn't match what he wrote in the review.
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I don't see what your point is, to be honest dude. I admittedly don't have any investment in this game, but have you played it? Are you arguing that the reviewer's opinions are wrong?
 
B

BoboBrazil

Member
ALLseeingEYE said:
I don't see what your point is, to be honest dude. I admittedly don't have any investment in this game, but have you played it? Are you arguing that the reviewer's opinions are wrong?
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No, everyone is entitled to their opinion. I'm saying the score they gave the game doesn't match the review text unless they have very lax scoring requirements to get 80+.
 
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