WWE2K25 PS5 Review 8/10 “Strong and Steady” 🤼‍♂️ #WWE

The WWE2K games have been on a nice run, just like the product it’s based on, we haven't had any massive backward steps, and whilst there are some things that don’t land or could be improved upon, it’s nothing that makes you want to throw your WWE merch into a pit of fire. 

After loving the last few entries I wondered if we would finally have the rug pull, modes and match types taken out, corners cut etc. but to my very pleasant surprise we are still on a great roll, remaining modes have been improved, and most of the new additions are good - but I do think one game mode should have been left out... or maybe sent to an island, never to return.
The first thing I always talk about when reviewing WWE games is GM mode, probably the best thing in the entirety of human existence...OK, maybe that is a stretch - but it is one of my favourite things, so how does this mode hold up this year? 

GM

Well, it’s a mixed bag really, more GM’s have been added, and you can now play it online which is really cool. Premium Live Events (PLE’s) are now ‘brand vs brand’ where you book a match or two and then the opener and main event are ‘brand vs brand’ with the winner gaining something for being successful, which is neat but it means you blow off most of your feuds the week before which is a bit weird. 

The problem remains that the PLE calendar still isn't in the right order, still no Royal Rumble and then the winner going to main event WrestleMania (or open it as the last few years seem to think the Royal Rumble winner should do), we also still don’t have Money in the Bank with wrestlers holding that boon and then cashing in when they choose. We also still cant pick belt designs or assign classic titles to shows. Improvements have been made, but I would like to see some bigger ones in the next game.

MY RISE
The ‘My Rise’ mode is definitely the best one that they have ever done. It was the most fun and interesting that the mode has ever been. The story is very engaging and made me want to keep playing to see how it all played out. It had some nice twists and the voice acting was quite good overall. For the first time you can make decisions that affect the story, you also get options to influence your characters’ words and actions, I had a blast going through it.

SHOWCASE
‘Showcase’ mode has also had some improvements made to it, this is a mode that I don’t really care for, but I think this year is probably the best it has ever been, in concentrating on The Bloodline and spanning several generations of it means that you play as multiple members in various decades - it has a nice variety to it. 

They have also taken out the archival footage and now just has gameplay which is a massive plus as for the last few years the footage has had so much blurred out that it was borderline stupid, in one of the previous entries I genuinely at one point checked my glasses as most things on screen were blurred out, so purely having gameplay footage just makes sense. It still has some very irritating tasks that will drive you up the wall! A certain Ladder match with Tamina made me hate both Ladders and people called Tamina, I may never use a Ladder ever again! Well, that was probably going to happen before being tortured by that showcase match - but still.
THE ISLAND
And now... ‘The Island’. A new mode that has been added to the game and it really isn't great. It’s very heavy on the ol’ micro transactions, and becomes a ‘pay to win’ scenario. It has a story which is told through still images and text (which is very unexciting), you also end up running around to the same few people to get missions, it is super boring and when you fight people online they were just much stronger than my character and I got my ass kicked most of the time. 

The amount of money that you get from these fights is poor and would take ages to pay to upgrade your stats or buy any interesting gear. It is naff and can be largely ignored... it is a real shame. With most modes either getting big or at least small refinements this feels like a massive misstep and does cause a slight worry if this is what 2K continue to focus on.

SUMMARY
As Sheamus would say, “Banger after banger”. It has been a really good run of games for this series, most additions have been really great, with WWE2K25 featuring the best ‘My Rise’ and ‘Showcase’ modes, and gameplay is as solid as it has ever been. 

It is a real shame about ‘The Island’, and here is hoping 2K leave it lost and uninhabited in future games.

8/10

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