Wrestling games based on the WWE have been around since before it changed its name from WWF, and featured Shawn Michaels and Bret “The Hitman” Hart and the original Big Daddy Cool Diesel. The latest game in the series makes its debut appearance on Playstation 4 and Xbox One. That’s not the version we’re looking at today. Let’s get the Playstation 3/Xbox 360 version into a half-nelson and hope we don’t get KO’d.
WWE 2K15 is the supposedly new! upgraded! version of WWE 2K14. The game, if you hadn’t surmised by now, is a wrestling game that focuses on the entertainment (not wrestling the actual sport, as many will tell you) of wrestling. This means big costumes, big muscles, and big mouths. The game attempts to recreate the matches and atmosphere of a big WWE match, complete with the commentary and insanity that goes along with it.
The last gen version of the game has several modes, including the usual quick play matches, cage matches, and so on. In terms of story modes, the last gen version of the game features “Who Got NXT?” which showcases up-and-coming wrestlers, Proving Ground which pits one of the NXT fighters against a souped-up John Cena, and 2K Showcase, which focuses on the rivalries between John Cena and CM Punk, and between Triple H and Shawn Michaels. By the way, if you have no idea who these people are, you’re probably better off with something else.
The fighting mechanics themselves are not hard to grasp or learn to control, but they’re underwhelming in the least, and while wrestling has often translated well to the joystick, in this particular case, I’m sorry to say that fun has been slammed in the face with a steel chair. Earlier versions of the game were faster, and far more frenetic, and 2K15 has decided that the scenic route around the ring would be better. It isn’t. Frankly, it’s damned clear that 2K Games spent more of the development time, energy, and money on the current-gen versions of the game for PS4 and Xbox One. All the decent modes and visuals are in the current gen version, and it feels like the PS3/360 version of the game is simply there to appease those who are still sitting on the fence about upgrading.
If you’ve been a fan of the WWE series of games, this one is going to come as a huge disappointment, and you will need to have yourself clotheslined a few times to get any decent enjoyment out of this title, I’m sorry to say. Either way, if you have both a new and old system, the best bet would be to get the new version. If you have WWE 2K14 or even WWE ‘13, you’re better off sticking with those. WWE 2K15 isn’t as bad as, say, Fighter Within, but it’s still completely lacking in whelm, especially given the game’s historic fun factor.
Final Score: 4.5 out of 10
Detailed Information:
Developer: Visual Concepts
Publisher: 2K Games
Distributor: Megarom Games
Platforms: PS3 (reviewed), Xbox 360
Age Rating: Teen
Website: http://wwe.2k.com/