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Wrestling games were all the rage years ago and we received a ton of them in the market. Debates can still go on today about all sorts of iconic releases. You had No Mercy, Day of Reckoning, not to mention that variety of Smackdown installments. Unfortunately, the current-generation video game platforms are just not seeing the different wrestling games release like we used to see in previous generations. Arcade wrestling titles are a thing of the past especially on console platforms and WWE rules the marketplace with the WWE 2K series.
AEW may have made a huge splash when it launched but we’re still waiting on the game to release and after the failure of WWE 2K20, it looks like the series is going to be on hold for a couple of years. This may give developers time to craft up something new and unique to deliver fans. Still, if you own an Xbox One and want to enjoy some wrestling games, WWE 2K series is going to be your best choice, and below are some of the best available on the platform. Of course, this is just preference and some may enjoy WWE 2K20 today after patches were released along with WWE 2K15. With that said, we’re sticking to what has been pretty much deemed the go to installments right now.
#6 WWE Battlegrounds
While we’re used to seeing WWE games release as simulation title, there was a bit of a change in 2020 where we can an arcade-style game called WWE Battlegrounds. With some easy to understand controls and cartoon visuals, this is a drastic change-up from the previous WWE annual releases we’ve seen. In fact, it was the last WWE 2K release that came out which prompted 2K to deliver a new style of game. With WWE 2K20 filled with bugs, the title prompted WWE 2K21 to get cancelled, forcing the launch of WWE Battlegrounds. That’s not to say there aren’t issues with Battlegrounds as you can find certain moves get copied and pasted on different character models.
If that doesn’t throw you off, WWE Battlegrounds may be for you. Included in the roster is a wide range of wrestlers both old and new to choose from and there’s also a campaign mode. The campaign mode is set up to appear like pages from a comic book where players are tossed into different matches. What’s on the line for these matches is usually different rewards such as maps and characters. Of course, being a 2K game there are some microtransactions to spend if you’re interested but if that doesn’t sway you away then this game may be worth checking out.
#5 WWE 2K16
WWE 2K16 was the second installment to reach the next-generation market which at the time was the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Unfortunately, WWE 2K15 just wasn’t the hit title that fans had hoped for and with this iteration, we got some much needed improvements. Outside of the slight bump in visuals, there are some other adjustments that got tweaked such as submissions. Players are given a little mini-game essentially with the joysticks in hopes of breaking out of the hold rather than just mindlessly mashing buttons, though some may find the traditional mashing a bit more pleasing to go through.
Another big change-up that came by default is the reversals that players could trigger. Initially, it’s something that can be quite limiting for players and as a result, you’ll have to think about when the appropriate time hits to activate the reversal. This is something that several fans were not all that thrilled about and luckily it’s a feature that can be turned off.
Furthermore Showcase made a return with the focus being Stone Cold Steve Austin though if you rather steer away from playing through Steve Austin’s career highlights, you can dabble into the character customization area of the game. Most wrestling games feature some type of character creator and the feature can be found in WWE 2K16. In this game, players can tweak a wrestler’s appearance, entrance, moves, among other little attributes to help give your wrestler some flair.
#4 WWE 2K17
WWE 2K17 followed after and while there were some improvements, fans were a bit bummed over the loss of one particular feature. That’s, unfortunately, the Showcase mode that was present within the previous year’s iteration. While fans may have been able to relive the Stone Cold Steve Austin highlights and memorable matches in the past installment, the base game for WWE 2K17 dropped it in favor of the career mode and some slight adjustments to the overall gameplay.
In this game installment, players found that there were multiple opponent matches with a manual targeting system. Fortunately, this system is rather fluid, you can quickly snap from opponent to opponent without feeling sluggish. To top it off, there were some adjustments made to reversals as well to help give players a larger time frame to pull a major reversal off. This was something that fans had a problem with in WWE 2K16. If fighting in a ring wasn’t your style, the backstage battles are present, giving fans some new scenery and it wasn’t limited to any particular area, as you could go into a room and ravage it for a weapon.
One area that fans have found a problem with and it’s been a trend going forward is the Promo Performance. It’s essentially another mini-game where players are given a set of phrases to choose through. Depending on the phrases you pick your wrestler will attempt to go through a monologue in hopes of hyping up a crowd. Oftentimes it feels out of place or things that a wrestler would never say which doesn’t do much in terms of the game.
With that said, one feature that did give fans plenty of content to chew through is the Universe Mode where you can create shows. Players are given control over what Superstars fight, the championships, PPVs, among other areas that entails a good show for audiences tuning in.
#3 WWE 2K18
After fans expressed disappointment over the loss of Showcase mode in WWE 2K17, developers still opted to leave the feature out with WWE 2K18. Despite not having a specific wrestler highlight, WWE 2K18 felt like another step in making some needed improvements to the franchise, though it’s a small step forward. This installment feels very similar to WWE 2K17 which isn’t to say that’s a bad thing. For those that loved WWE 2K17, they will likely find WWE 2K18 to be just as entertaining.
While you don’t have Showcase you still have Universe to give players that creative freedom of setting up matches and shows. We even got a new gameplay mechanic that allows a wrestler to be picked up in four different positions before moving around and delivering a devastating ground slam. There’s also a feature set in the career mode where players can freely explore around training areas and speak with different wrestlers, take some promotional photos or simply change outfits.
This roster is packed as well with over 170 wrestlers to choose from though if you’re not finding a particular wrestler all that appealing then you can still get creative and make your own custom wrestler.
#2 WWE 2K19
While not the latest installment to have hit the marketplace, there’s a ton of love towards WWE 2K19, at least in terms of a current-generation wrestling game on the platform. The gameplay is very much the same, nothing has drastically changed to make this game feel like an arcade title though you may find it a bit more fluid compared to previous installments. There is also one particular adjustment known as the Payback System that can give players a buff in a variety of areas such as speed, striking power, and recovery, just to name a few. With these buffs, you can at times get a slight edge within the match.
My Career mode feels tighter than ever with players taking the role of an amateur wrestler starting on the indie level in hopes of making it to the WWE. Though you can still find little hiccups in areas like the Promo Performance. Universe mode once again delivers fans the ability to create custom shows and the character creator is just as pleasing with fans replicating all sorts of people from real life or works of fiction. Seeing fictional super heroes fight against iconic individuals throughout history never gets boring.
There are even some tower matches for players to go through featuring certain wrestlers or rule sets and it does offer a nice little change of pace. However, a fan favorite game mode finally makes a return and that’s Showcase. This time around players will get a Showcase on Daniel Bryan as he relives some of the most iconic matches throughout the years. It’s been a feature that fans have been missing so seeing it back was a welcomed surprise.
#1 WWE 2K22
WWE 2K22 is the latest attempt to truly give fans what they want, a truly accurate and fun wrestling game. The previous attempt in WWE 2K20 was…well…it was a disaster, and thus the team at 2K truly took their time (thank goodness) to make this one work. And for the most part, it does.
Mainly because it returns to basics and gives both freshness and nuance to the title behind a new control scheme, multiple fresh modes like Create-A-Character and the General Manager mode, and more.
To be fair, not everything works here, and certain features would make this title better overall. But for a return to form that will make wrestling fans happy? WWE 2K22 is a win.
