WWE 2K17: Will It Be Worth It?

It's that time of year again where WWE plugs its latest video game, that being the yearly 2K installment of the juggernaut franchise. As the years have passed, I have fallen out of love with the wrestling games produced by WWE. The days of gorging myself on the likes of No Mercy, Know Your Role and Here Comes The Pain are long gone, I have gotten older(and fatter!) and maybe the games just are not as fun but is that truly fair to say? Well I am here and you have got nothing better to do so why not take a look at my thoughts on 2K17 thus far?

All In The Graphics?

Each week IGN is releasing pictures of the superstars featured in the game. So far, at least 40 superstars have been revealed to the world with 6 or 7 superstars being shown such as Chris Jericho, Brock Lesnar, The Bellas and The Usos. Since 2K15, the graphics of the franchise have been on another level. However, stunning visuals do not make a great game. 2K15 was by no means a great game, there were many problems which were caused by starting from scratch in terms of game mechanics for the PS4 but 2K16 was no better. It would be a stretch to call it a n improvement. Sure, the gameplay is now much more realistic than ever before, it is much slower and feels like a wrestling simulator but is that what fans truly want from their wrestling game? Is there many differences or advances from 2K15 to 2K16? New characters are one of the few alterations from game to game but the gameplay needs tweaking. Speaking of gameplay, why have I seen nothing of a game that is two months away from being released to the world? Why have I been treated to some screenshots here and there instead of seeing the game I am going to buy? Is that your way of telling me you have changed absolutely nothing 2K? Bottom line is show me the game I am going to but instead of pissing about by having people obsess over your great graphics. Gameplay over graphics every day of the week (And twice on Sundays you Son Of A Bitch).

A Revamped Career Mode!

Jesus Christ they need this bad, so you all remember the great tale of your create a superstar and his historic rivalry with Barron Blade correct? Yeah me neither, 2K15's career mode was a brutal slap to the face of anyone who bought the game. With promises of storylines, imagine every gamer's delight as he is told week after week, creative has nothing for you. Actually, that might be the most realistic interpretation of being a WWE wrestler that I have ever seen but I do not want to see that in my game! 2K16 improved on this marginally and I am truly being nice with that statement, random feuds and the opportunity to join the authority was what greeted me on my journey. I refused The Authority which led to a match with Triple H and it was nothing special, why? Because I had beaten Triple H and the likes of Undertaker, The Rock, ,and Sting on Smackdown every second week! How can you screw up something so bad that so many people love? Keeping with the theme of The Authority, there orders which you can complete in every match are so ridiculous sometimes, it is too good to be true! I have come up against opponents where I have been told to lose to please my masters? What? Are You Serious ? In regards to Career Mode, 2K should get their heads out of their own asses and look to the likes of No Mercy's branching storylines or Shut Your Mouth/Here Comes The Pain stories which followed or resembled real life feuds. Do It 2K!

 General Manager Mode?

This one is something that fans have been crying out for a while and I can understand their complaints. Introduced in Smackdown vs Raw 2006, GM Mode allowed you to take control of a brand whether it be Raw or Smackdown and produce shows in a bid to become the dominant brand. You hired/fired superstars, built storylines and held pay per views and championship matches. It was awesome and by 2009, it was gone and everyone was like why did you take this away from us? How could you? Is the time right for GM Mode to return? Absolutely! With the return of the brand split, we have separate rosters allowing for GM Mode to become a great mode as we can battle it out to see who is the dominant brand. We can use the existing rosters or customize the rosters to allow a more balanced battle between the brands. Besides, isn't that what we all do in Universe Mode? We split the rosters and the championships in order to make the game more fun so why don't 2K gives us GM Mode so we can make things all the more interesting? And add in story deisgner for good measure so we can really feel like we are creating our own storylines that run throughout our shows. This could be such an easy thing to do and would add hours of fun for many fans of the series!

Don't Take Us For Granted

Look, I am a fan same as you, I want to see 2K make great WWE games so I can continue to enjoy wrestling. A pre-order edition of the game has the added bonus of Goldberg (still no footage of him in game). A more expensive edition gives you Nakamura, Nia Jax and Apollo Crews (No footage of these superstars either). I will get the NXT edition because I am a mark and I like collecting the games but I beg you 2K, do not make the same recycled game as last year. Do not tell me the reason you have shown us fans nothing up to now is because it is the same game with a few new characters. Last time, you denied us The Four Horsewomen, why not simply show gameplay of those four women in the game? It would be simple promotion, you wouldn't even being scratching the surface of what you could show but instead you do this suplexcity census that shows no gameplay and some pictures that gets you ohs and aws. Do not make me spend 70 plus euro on the same game, do not gave me some half-hearted attempt at a Career Mode, do not give me a universe mode with no additions to improve the mode, do not give me some poorly put together showcase mode where I play as one person for 20 matches, do not shove all the dlc and worthless characters from last year's game into this game. If a roster space could be used for someone from NXT, give it to them rather than keeping Mikey Whipwreck or General Adnan, they just are not needed. 2K you have the potential to be great, you could have a great game on your hands if you show it love and listen to your fans. Sadly, the hopes of 2K producing a game that would incorporate just a few of the elements I have mentioned are slim to none. I just hope I am not needlessly throwing away money that I could have used better.