A Familiar WWE Franchise Title With An Improved Career Mode and More Ways to Win In The Ring

2K Sports’ franchise wrestling title is back for another year. This year, WWE 2K19 offers more hard-hitting moves, death-defying jumps and glorious brawls all in a familiar setting to those who have played the previous titles. Gameplay The past several WWE titles all have had similar chemistry to them. WWE 2K19 doesn’t change the original recipe, but it introduces new elements that offer some excitement and amusement to this famed series. Bugs and issues in previous issues have been fixed and the game now has a much faster pace. The simulation aspect has been toned down for a more arcade-like atmosphere that makes each match more exciting. According to 2K, there are over 250 new attack and reaction animations. The new striking system also takes into account your fatigue level and any difference in sizes between the characters. Wrestlers like the 5’6” Rey Mysterio will behave differently against the 7’ tall Big Show. The Payback system is also new and a clever feature that can drastically change the fate of a match. With Payback, this defensive mechanism can be triggered during the match to give you an advantage. Some Paybacks include perks like speed and recovery buffs, while others are unique attacks like Poison Mist and even attaching brass knuckles to knockout your opponent. Some of the Payback moves can cause a disqualification so you need to use them at your own risk. To make things a bit less serious, WWE 2K19 also offers some unique perks like big-head mode, block bodies and environment filters. These silly settings turn down the seriousness in your traditional wrestling match. Though 2K has made a good effort in cleaning up the engine, I did notice that hair textures, specially for long-haired characters, feel a bit chunky and leave room for improvement. Towers Another new game mode to break into the scene this year is Towers. The Towers mode is similar to the challenges mode available in previous titles. In Towers you can use your created player or take control of a WWE superstar and play in a series or challenging matches. There are two modes with Towers. In Gauntlet Mode, losing a match or exiting early will reset your progress. You have one shot for victory and it’s not for the faint of heart. If you prefer to take your time, the Steps Tower allows you to save your progress after each match. With WWE Superstars new and old, you can take on Tower challenges from different eras of the wrestling world. MyPlayer WWE 2K19 took a big step forward with its single-player story mode, otherwise known as MyPlayer. In previous years, the career mode was challenging but felt repetitive at times and really made the player grind it out for achievements and unlockables. This year’s career mode is lively and offers the ease and flexibility of creating a wrestler on the way to stardom. The storyline is unique and the voice acting and characters offer a charismatic charm. Superstars like Triple H, Kurt Angle, Daniel Bryan and more lend their voices so you feel like you are right in the heart of the WWE. When beginning the storyline, instead of starting off as a newly-signed WWE wrestler, you are working the independent circuit with hopes of making it to the WWE roster. There are different responses you can provide during social interactions and you are able to branch out your skills to create a unique identity for your wrestler. All these interactions and abilities create an RPG mindset in the WWE universe. The only downside is WWE 2K19 offers loot boxes which puts a price on unlocking new moves, clothing and other abilities for your character. You can earn tokens through challenges or purchase them. Of course these are optional, but the “Pay to Win” idea does impact the integrity of the game. Showcase Each year, the WWE takes an iconic wrestler and brings you through their life and career in the WWE. In WWE 2K19 you play through WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan’s rise to the top, his retirement and eventual return to the ring. The showcase features live video and narration of Daniel Bryan through your progress so that you feel like you’ve strapped on his boots yourself. Multiplayer With the kind of chaos you can unleash in the ring, it’s difficult not to take this game online or play with friends locally. Ladder matches are exceptionally fun and you can even make any game a title match by putting a belt on the line. With the WWE Universe online you partake in an online WWE show solo or even with partner in Co-op mode. Unfortunately, the overall online experience still hasn’t improved over previous years so fans who are expecting something new and exciting for multiplayer and online will have to wait for next year. Overall WWE 2K19 is an improvement, but with maintaining the same engine over previous years, fans of the series might be swayed away from picking up a copy this year. But with solid gameplay and an exceptional career mode, wrestling fans who haven’t picked up a 2K WWE title in a few years will be pleasantly surprised and enjoy what the game has to offer.