WWE 2K24

It seems that the WWE 2K series really needed to experience the tragedy that was {WWE 2K20}, one of the worst games I have ever played. This led the developers to pause the series, which had been very mediocre even before this game, to get it back on track. The return then gave us {WWE 2K22} and {WWE 2K23}, both of which have revitalised the series, and now {WWE 2K24} continues this effort as a very good game, which unfortunately has some classic problems that never seem to go away.

WWE 2K24 is here. Is there anything to cheer about?

It's hard for me to let go of the sadness from four years ago, but it seems like the time is now. 2K24 offers pretty much everything I need and want from a wrestling game, from great gameplay to deep game modes. But how hard can it be to fix things like hair physics? How many years has hair looked like plasticine, often cutting right through a wrestler? Too many years, is the answer. The game otherwise looks mostly fantastic, and while some faces have received too little love and clearly been hit in the face with a steel chair too many times during development, the quality is very good in an appearance sense.

The quality of what happens in the ring is also good. There have been no major changes from what we saw last year, which is a good thing. What has been added is a little mini-game when the wrestlers exchange blows, you know the classic "you hit me, I hit you, you hit me, I hit you back". You now have to time these punches by holding down the punch button and releasing it in a shrinking zone. Anyone who fails three times has lost the battle and is the one who gets the short end of the stick.

It is now possible to play as a guest referee, who is also wearing the right clothes.

The guest referee system has been revamped. Any character can now be a "guest referee" whether it's a woman in a match with two men, a manager, or a buddy of one of the participants. It was previously possible to have or be a guest referee, but they had to wear their normal clothes, however, now everyone has their own entrance and a classic black and white referee shirt. If you choose to play as a referee, it is up to you to count 1, 2, maybe 3, but how fast or slow you want to count is up to you. It is also possible to cheat and say that a competitor gave up when fighting in a submission hold. You can switch between referee mode where you just do things the referee does and wrestler mode where you can fight if you want to. If the referee is computerised and has a positive relationship with a participant, it will give them an advantage, and the opposite if it's someone it doesn't like.

Casket and ambulance match are two new match types.

However, a few problems remain in the ring as a reminder of the bygone 2K20 era. Teleportation for short distances still happens, there are clumsy animations that make strikes miss completely, and the ring ropes seem to be out to get you as much as possible. Several times I have been caught in, or had body parts bent in grotesque directions by the ropes. This kind of thing needs to go away soon as it takes away some of the fun of the game. Fortunately, the developers have added some new match types to try and paper over these cracks. The three new ones, in addition to the guest judges, are {Casket}, {Gauntlet}, and an ambulance match, the list of available match types is now very large. {Casket} is the {Undertaker}'s home turf where you have to put someone in a coffin and close the lid. {Gauntlet} is a "winner take all" type of match: when someone loses, someone else comes in. This is until everyone has been knocked out and only one remains. The ambulance game is exactly what it sounds like, throw someone into the back of the ambulance and close the doors to win.

2K Showcase of the Immortals features some of the greatest matches from 40 years of Wrestlemania.

As with match types, the game modes offer a lot of depth. The big focus this year is on {2K Showcase of the Immortals}. Wrestlemania turns 40 years old and 2K celebrates this by offering ... 21 matches. Some 'Manias don't even have a match. Neither the very first nor the second edition has a match, which feels strange, and celebrating the long history without having anything from where it started is weird. Much is probably due to the fact that most people from that era are not in the game. The first match is instead from Wrestlemania III with one of the best matches ever, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat against "Macho Man" Randy Savage. Just like previous years in the {Showcase}, we play with objectives and after accomplishing this, the match seamlessly transitions to actual footage of the match. I would have liked a little more audio from the matches while playing instead of generic music, but the game mode is a nice tribute regardless.

Two distinctly different story modes.

The MyRise story mode is back with the same focus as last year. There are two different stories, one for a custom male character and one for a female. 2K seems to want to create a kind of universe (WWE Universe?!) now as many side characters from last year's edition return in different forms here. The playable characters from last year are also mentioned. The story of the male character is that Roman Reigns is unbeatable, but has grown tired and left the belt to go to Hollywood. This gives your character, who has been in WWE for two years without success, a chance in a small tournament. The {Dark Horse}, as he is called, then tries to create his own little dynasty. The female counterpart starts out as the owner of an indie show called TBD. She then reluctantly gets her chance in the WWE and has to deal with not having as much creative freedom as in her own show. Both stories are fun to play through and are a great setting to sink your teeth into as a solo player. There's also the classic sandbox mode, {Universe Mode}, where you are essentially a god, and are able to plan shows down to the last detail and basically do whatever you want. I can see players easily spending hundreds of hours here.

Let me tell you something brother! WWE 2K24 is a good game.

You can certainly do that in MyGM too, a game mode that came back a few years ago. Again, you have to plan shows and make them as good as possible, but here you compete against at least one other person (computer-controlled or a friend), by booking the best matches and getting the most fans. There are some small additions this year. It is now possible to trade wrestlers with another show, plus there are more match types, more titles, some extra shows and GMs and talent scouts to find new talent. One of my favourite things every year is to take some computer-generated free agent who sucks, many of whom are on MyRise in one way or another, and turn them into superstars. The mode is obviously more fun with a friend, but works great on its own. The online part consists of creating a lobby and playing different match types, with a maximum of eight players, even in {Royal Rumble} with 30 participants, of which 22 will be computer controlled.

That leaves us with what is probably the game's most controversial game mode: MyFaction. This is an {Ultimate Team}-like game mode where card packs are purchased. There is obviously a market for this and the money will roll in, but at the same time it doesn't feel like wrestling is a genre that needs this. When it was introduced a couple of years ago, it wasn't even possible to play online, which thankfully has now changed. The game mode is good for what it is, but like I said, it's not needed.

WWE 2K24 continues on the same nice track that the train has been on for a few years since WWE 2K20 went off the rails. It's fun to play, looks great, has many varied game modes and match types, and a nice tribute to Wrestlemania's 40-year history. A few minor annoyances remain, but not enough to detract from the overall gaming experience.