Annualized sports franchises are nothing new, though it’s uncharacteristic of them to skip a year – as the name implies. Of course, stranger things have happened, and after a disastrous cocktail of technical issues in its 2020 version, theWWEgames decided to take a year offto focus on quality and improved gameplay mechanics. The end result isWWE 2K22,which is looking to bring the franchise back into the wrestling spotlight. Game Rant recently went hands-on withWWE 2K22during a remote preview event.
The preview offered 2 hours withWWE 2K22’s MyGM mode, which puts players in charge of their own brand of WWE, like Smackdown or Raw. Players get to draft their own roster of wrestlers to compete in weekly cards, throwing the best show they possibly can within their given budget. The series has featured a GM mode before, but it’s been missing for over a decade now, last appearing inWWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008.
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The setup is simple, players select theirGeneral Manager– in our case Stephanie McMahon – each of which has a special suite of abilities they can use to their advantage. For instance, one GM may boost their roster’s morale while another can lower a rival GM’s earnings for a given week. As players progress, they’ll steadily grow their reach by bringing in larger audiences with more complex shows that hinge on how well put together they are. All of this spans over a 15, 25, or 50-week season, with players forming new relationships and rivalries throughout.
It’s here thatWWE 2K22’s MyGM finds its complexity. While the structure is simple, performing adequately in the eyes of fans is another task entirely. Players have to find the right combination of fighters, match types, and promos if they want to wow their audience, which in turn leads to higher earnings that can be reinvested into subsequent shows. Piecing together what works and what doesn’t takes some trial and error, with the payoff being the wrestlers that players unlock along the way.
During each week, players have the opportunity to sign new talent to their rosters, grabbing from a pool of currently active wrestlers and “Legends” likethe Undertaker and Batista. Each wrestler has a class, with certain combinations being more entertaining for fans to watch than others are. Players need to carefully mix between match types, wrestler types, and promo types to create an entertaining showcase, otherwise, they’ll suffer the bitter ridicule of a rival GM and disappointed fans.
It’s an effective way for players to form their own stories in the context of the greater WWE world, aided by the relationships that wrestlers develop along the way. Players are actively encouraged with “Call Outs” between wrestlers, which develop rivalries that play out during matches and boost fan reception.
These rivalries can also develop naturally after matches. For us, one wrestler requested a title match against a champion, which they lost, resulting in a request for a rematch. They also lost the rematch, though the debacle still deepened the relationship withWWE Raw, the brand we chose for the preview, thanks to acknowledging their requests.
Encased within MyGM are the matches themselves, which players can choose to control manually or simulate. Typically, each card will contain 2-4 matches, with an emphasis placed on the opening and main cards. Not only is diversifying match types good for the audience, but for those that want to play each in a week, it can help keep things from getting too repetitive. It’s a subtle way for MyGM to turn players keeping themselves engaged into a game mechanic.
As far as playing matches inWWE 2K22goes, it feels like a proper wrestling game. It successfully captures the impact that players are hoping to see, with satisfying slaps and slams against opponents, the ring, and any other surface that players could conceivably hit delivering solid feedback. There was a satisfying variety in moves and combos among the dozen or so wrestlers that we played against, though it’s easy to repeat certain combos and lock in the same move unintentionally.
However, whenWWE 2K22shines, it feels like watching an authentic wrestling match. That authenticity, a product ofWWE 2K22’s new gameplay engine, kept us wanting to dive back into matches between each week instead of simulating our way through. That’s an important accomplishment for a game that hinges on a single activity.
The true appeal of playing each match comes after spending several weeks building up a brand. In the first few cards, players will be stuck with the wrestlers that they drafted, but as they grow, their budgets will allow them to sign contracts with high-profile wrestlers. Being able to assemble dream matches using wrestlers from just about any period inWWE’s extensive historystill hasn’t lost its magic, almost feeling like a crossover event at times.
There is, however, something of an issue with sluggishness.WWE 2K22didn’t always feel fluid, with wrestlers occasionally feeling like they were moving underwater. In a way, it captures thetheatricality that has defined WWEon TV since its inception, but it simply doesn’t serveWWE 2K22very well. Individual matches can also drag on a bit longer than feels natural, trading blows with opponents that, at times, felt as resilient as The Terminator.
Problems aside, it’s clear thatWWE 2K22’s MyGM mode is in the hands of a development studio that genuinely loves the sport. WithWWE 2K20being a jarring technical disaster, it’s as crucial as ever for Take Two to get the new entry right, and while players won’t know if that’s the case until it drops later this year, MyGM is at least shaping up to be a solid iteration of a fan-favorite mode.
WWE 2K22launches March 11 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. Game Rant was provided a PC key for this preview.
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