WWE 2K15

[The Law]

Well, we don't really know much of anything yet. But I wanted to start a thread anyway to kick around ideas. For me, the biggest intrigue is what "theme" they have for the game this year. 2K13 was Attitude Era, last year was 30 Years of Wrestlemania. Will they do something similar, or go back to Road to Wrestlemania/season mode? I really like the historic modes, so I hope they come up with another one. Here are a few ideas:

-The territory days (jump from territory to territory as your wrestler battling the legends of the 1980s. Would be awesome, won't happen).
-Monday Night War (cover 1995 to 1999 with WCW and the WWF slugging it out).
-Rock N Wrestling Era (Good idea, could happen).
-History of WWE Mode (Could happen due to WWE Network. Would just cover WWE's entire history, probably starting with Bruno becoming champion in 1963).

Any predictions/ideas?

[Newf]

With the increased focus on NXT in the last year I wonder if they'd forego having an abundance of legends in order to have a decently fleshed out NXT roster. I mean they briefly incorporated it into the the '12 storyline with the whole Jacob Cass thing but that felt kind of lame.

I suppose it's hard to do without extensive voicework and scripting, and for some reason they've decided to forego that the last few years, but if they could return those kinds of epic storylines with a bit more depth and branching it might be fun.

Especially it it would mean we could get guys like Sami Zayn and Corey Graves and Adam Rose and Paige before their main roster debuts.

[LOCONUT]

The answer is simply GOLDBERG.

[Judas Iscariot]

Dean Ambrose is going to be on the cover holding the severed head of Zeus.

[Psycho666Soldier]

I'm interested in what "Story Mode" theme they go with this year, but more than anything I'm really wanting to see a massive improvement on the Universe Mode. It was a good attempt with SvR '11 when they introduced it, but since they have hardly changed anything other than how the menus work. They need far more variety in cutscenes, and more interaction with the the card. I've said this many times in many different places, but they need to take the Universe Mode in its current form and implement the best parts of the old Smackdown games' Season Mode and RAW 2's Season Mode.

[Donald]

It's a long shot, but have every WWE/WCW/ECW character in the game.

[Donald]

Just had a better idea. Have it focused on the Hall Of Fame. Have all the Hall Of Famers appear in the game. Re-live their greatest matches.

[Stocky]

It's a long shot, but have every WWE/WCW/ECW character in the game.

Being that this game will be the first on the new gen systems I would hope for this as a minimum then every match type like strap matches to the kennel from hell match.

[lotjx]

I want some better graphics and I want options for the matches. We all know they are not giving to give us all the characters in one game thanks to downloads, so there is point in complaining about that.

[Peter Griffin]

Universe for sure needs a overhaul, playing 2k14 there are so many issues, including a gimmick/triple threat match every show near enough, non nonsensical cut scenes that go no where story wise, and the one that annoyed me last night that happens a lot is when you win a #1 contenders match with say Big Show and at the PPV Sheamus gets a title match, what is the point?

Also just change the engine/feel to the game, been playing the same game near enough for years.

[Stocky]

I want some better graphics and I want options for the matches. We all know they are not giving to give us all the characters in one game thanks to downloads, so there is point in complaining about that.

I would prefer as many as possible in game and let the DLC be old attires and shit like that.

[Clerk]

2K hasn't made any good WWE games i love the old Smack down vs Raw games alot better

[The_Mike]

Being that this game will be the first on the new gen systems I would hope for this as a minimum then every match type like strap matches to the kennel from hell match.

I doubt we'll see more wrestlers on the roster just because of moving to next generation systems. The power and storage capacity of the consoles has never been the problem, it's the enormous amount of time it takes to craft a single character model. I doubt we'll see a plethora of matches either, because while they may be fairly simple to code they have to actually be playable, and Yukes managed to make simple ladder matches and cage matches and even tag matches a complete nightmare. I can't see them having the time or interest in balancing a strap match to make it remotely enjoyable.


Also just change the engine/feel to the game, been playing the same game near enough for years.

For almost 20 years.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjTIUW0auQI

[Peter Griffin]

They have only made one :wtf:

[Peter Griffin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjTIUW0auQI[/video]

That shit looks dope.

[OD50]

The Toukon Retsuden series is awesome, my favorite wrestling games by far. Never played TR4 though since it only was released on the Dreamcast for whatever reason. Power Move Pro Wrestling was the US/EU port of the game, released by Activision in 1996. Gameplay is the same but the roster is made up of original characters based on the original New Japan roster.

And yeah, Mike is correct, Toukon Retsuden, the first ever 3D wrestling game released in 1995 ran on the same basic engine as WWE 2K14 released in 2013.

[Stocky]

I doubt we'll see more wrestlers on the roster just because of moving to next generation systems. The power and storage capacity of the consoles has never been the problem, it's the enormous amount of time it takes to craft a single character model. I doubt we'll see a plethora of matches either, because while they may be fairly simple to code they have to actually be playable, and Yukes managed to make simple ladder matches and cage matches and even tag matches a complete nightmare. I can't see them having the time or interest in balancing a strap match to make it remotely enjoyable.


My opinion would be that being this is the first on the New gen they could get back people that stopped buy the games because they have been so bland in their upgrades over the past few years. Being that you can't play previous games on the PS4 will be a selling point as well. I have 2k13 on the PS3 but i couldn't convince myself to get 2k14 because other than the storymode it basically looked the same to me. But this year i'll be looking to buy the game but if its just like the old ones with nothing new but the roster i'll go plug my ps3 back in.

[lotjx]

I would prefer as many as possible in game and let the DLC be old attires and shit like that.

I would too, but they know we will pay for the wrestlers. I also agree those Smackdown games were the shit.

[The_Mike]

My opinion would be that being this is the first on the New gen they could get back people that stopped buy the games because they have been so bland in their upgrades over the past few years. Being that you can't play previous games on the PS4 will be a selling point as well. I have 2k13 on the PS3 but i couldn't convince myself to get 2k14 because other than the storymode it basically looked the same to me. But this year i'll be looking to buy the game but if its just like the old ones with nothing new but the roster i'll go plug my ps3 back in.

I agree with you, but unfortunately Yukes have traditionally seen the 'first on the next generation' as an excuse to have a half-assed version because they needed more time to figure out how to code for the new machines. They did it with the PS2 and PS3. I'm beyond hoping they'll ever change.

[Morrison]

I agree with you, but unfortunately Yukes have traditionally seen the 'first on the next generation' as an excuse to have a half-assed version because they needed more time to figure out how to code for the new machines. They did it with the PS2 and PS3. I'm beyond hoping they'll ever change.

beyond that, this year will be the game that releases on ALL systems, so it's going to have to be watered down and consistent enough through all generations available. they're not going to give ps4/xb1 100 plus characters and then only give ps3/360 50, or whatever.

[Stocky]

I thought i read it was just on new consoles. Dang.

[Beer-Belly]

I wish they'd release a "Smackdown Classic" that used the old school arcade-like engine of the original games. Seems like it would be easy to produce and I'm sure they'd make a pretty penny off of it. I've always preferred the AKI games over the Yuke's games, but those original PS1 games were just simple and fun. The current "simulator" engine is a fucking chore and probably too big of a time investment for casual fans.

[Morrison]

I thought i read it was just on new consoles. Dang.

the latest nba game came out for all consoles. no reason they wouldn't do the same here.

[Stocky]

It won't be out until late October at least which will be a year into the new gen cycle did they release a PS2 version that far into the PS3 life span?

[Stocky]

PS3 came out on November 17, 2006

Smackdown vs Raw 2007 was not available on PS3 but was released on November 14, 2006
SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 was available on PS2 and PS3 and was released November 13, 2007
SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 was available on PS2 and PS3 and was released November 9, 2008

Apparently the last year they made a PS2 copy was 2011 which is amazing i didn't think the PS2 lasted that long after the PS3 came out.

[Matthew]

the last ps2 game officially released was fifa 14 or some shit

[Judas Iscariot]

Matthew sell me Brand New Modest Mouse tickets thanks in advance.

[Morrison]

PS3 came out on November 17, 2006

Smackdown vs Raw 2007 was not available on PS3 but was released on November 14, 2006
SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 was available on PS2 and PS3 and was released November 13, 2007
SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 was available on PS2 and PS3 and was released November 9, 2008

Apparently the last year they made a PS2 copy was 2011 which is amazing i didn't think the PS2 lasted that long after the PS3 came out.
these annual sports games always span generations for a couple years, since they're so cyclical and next gen reallllllllly doesn't offer much for them right out of the gate to go exclusive.

[Kyle_242]

The next gen versions may have more and/or better game modes, simply because they can render more stuff at once. I remember an interview with some 2K developers on how they were looking forward to the day where they could have more than 6 wrestlers loaded at any given time. But no, I don't think they'll have a significantly bigger roster, if it's bigger at all (outside of the pre-order exclusives that you know are going to happen regardless).

Personally, I buy this series maybe once every 3 years, as I find that I have fun with it for about 2-3 weeks before inevitably solving the AI which sucks the fun out of all matches thereafter. I'll probably buy the PS4 version if they manage to add any cool features, though.

[Stocky]

I hope that they make a deal where they put more into the next gen copies to drive further sales of the next gen consoles. But some say I'm a dreamer.

[Matthew]

Matthew sell me Brand New Modest Mouse tickets thanks in advance.
what

[The_Mike]

The next gen versions may have more and/or better game modes, simply because they can render more stuff at once. I remember an interview with some 2K developers on how they were looking forward to the day where they could have more than 6 wrestlers loaded at any given time. But no, I don't think they'll have a significantly bigger roster, if it's bigger at all (outside of the pre-order exclusives that you know are going to happen regardless).

Personally, I buy this series maybe once every 3 years, as I find that I have fun with it for about 2-3 weeks before inevitably solving the AI which sucks the fun out of all matches thereafter. I'll probably buy the PS4 version if they manage to add any cool features, though.

So it being pointed out that this hasn't happened with any of the previous generations means there's still hope..? The only time they've found the time and energy to make differences between consoles is when they made the Wii version utterly crap and spartan by removing stuff. They are constantly rushing these things out the door without even play-testing them, they're not going to find the time to write brand new game modes for PS4. I doubt this gen will allow them to have more than six wrestlers on screen at once either; they'll probably just suck up all that extra power by making the models even more ridiculously complicated. I'd love to be wrong about that, though. Maybe the leap in power this time around is finally enough, but I doubt it.

[Kyle_242]

From what I've heard from developer interviews, this generation of consoles has been a much smoother transition than the previous one. NBA 2K14 expanded some of their game modes for PS4/XB1, and that was a launch game, so it's not unreasonable.

As for more than six wrestlers, I'm just passing on what I've heard the 2K guys want to do from some interview I heard (unfortunately I can't remember exactly where). Remains to be seen if it happens, but it seems there is some intent in that area at least. I haven't played it, but Dead Rising 3 supposedly does a pretty remarkable job of rendering a ton of stuff at once, and again, that's a launch game.

[The_Mike]

I hadn't heard that. It does look possible, then. I'm just pretty jaded with Yukes, they are incredibly sloppy and sluggish to improve anything and have always used the complexity of the character models nobody forced them to make as an excuse. THQ couldn't or wouldn't do much about it, so I wonder what 2K's take will be. 8-person tag matches would be awesome, but I just don't see any serious changes in WWE games until they take the license from Yukes and use a better engine.

[Big]

I'd like to have 8 wrestlers on a screen to do a proper survivor series format. I think that could be the major selling point of the game. I don't understand how 2k can have 10 players on a court in NBA2k and not skip a beat with the smooth gameplay, but 8 wrestlers in a ring is impossible and 6 wrestlers can often be glitchy.

I'd like DLC content to have storylines. Like with each DLC pack we just got, why couldn't we get a decent 1hr-2hrs of gameplay of storylines similar to the old Road to Wrestlemania storylines for each DLC pack? Those are my two main gripes with the current game... the DLC needs a little more oomph behind it and not having 8 people in a wrestling match on screen.

Also, I'd really enjoy something similar to NBA2k's MyPlayer mode for WWE, where you create your wrestler and have him go through trials at Tough Enough, then onto NXT, then either Raw or Smackdown, and continue building up his stats along the way, like purchasing Finishing moves, taunts, attires, custom entrances, and abilities. A nice touch would be the "Choose Your Own Adventure" type of formats where each decision you make impacts something else... like aligning with someone, choosing someone as a manager, blowing someone off in the backstage area.

A Hall of Fame concept mode would be awesome too, where former legends wrestle on current rosters. Storylines with Hogan vs. Cena, Stone Cold vs. CM Punk, HBK vs. Daniel Bryan... or even something different like instead of rehashing the past, maybe rewriting the past... if NWO invaded WWE in 96 or if DX actually invaded WCW.

There's so much untapped potential in these games, especially with the libraries of footage they have.

Oh, and nix the awful Pin format.

[Kyle_242]

Also, I'd really enjoy something similar to NBA2k's MyPlayer mode for WWE, where you create your wrestler and have him go through trials at Tough Enough, then onto NXT, then either Raw or Smackdown, and continue building up his stats along the way, like purchasing Finishing moves, taunts, attires, custom entrances, and abilities. A nice touch would be the "Choose Your Own Adventure" type of formats where each decision you make impacts something else... like aligning with someone, choosing someone as a manager, blowing someone off in the backstage area.

It is really criminal that we don't have something like this, or at least one that's any good. Especially given that every other sports game does, and wrestling is the one where it makes the most sense.

Even if they had to cut voice acting, if the content and choices were deep enough, I wouldn't mind at all.

[The_Mike]

Yeah, that's the big thing I have been looking for since WWF Warzone. I don't understand why a serious attempt has never been made, and I think every year we sadly are getting further away from it being likely, since publishers are loathe to cut things like voice-acting and fancy graphics now that they've made them into such 'crucial' features.

[Psycho666Soldier]

I noticed a few people in here are chastising 2K as if they've been running the game for years. This doesn't go for everyone here, but some of you have to realize that last year was 2K's first WWE game, so anything they didn't fix or change there wouldn't have happened immediately anyway.

That said, I'm really hoping they push Yuke's to step it up. This upcoming game, to me, will show whether switching from THQ to 2K will begin making any difference. I'm not going to hold my breath, but I really hope we see something fresh this year.

[The_Mike]

I noticed a few people in here are chastising 2K as if they've been running the game for years. This doesn't go for everyone here, but some of you have to realize that last year was 2K's first WWE game, so anything they didn't fix or change there wouldn't have happened immediately anyway.

That said, I'm really hoping they push Yuke's to step it up. This upcoming game, to me, will show whether switching from THQ to 2K will begin making any difference. I'm not going to hold my breath, but I really hope we see something fresh this year.

As far as I can see, nobody has done that except Clerk, who's an idiot. We've all been aiming our ire at Yukes.

[mth]

There was one where you could play a story mode as a CAW. You got a make over and there was a chicken suit at one point and I think you fought Vince at Mania maybe...I thought that was somewhat decent. Could definitely be improved/expanded into something better, though, absolutely.

[Psycho666Soldier]

As far as I can see, nobody has done that except Clerk, who's an idiot. We've all been aiming our ire at Yukes.

Big said something about it when talking about how many models can be rendered on screen at one time, which is what prompted me, but I guess he pretty much is the only (important) person who said something about it.

[The_Mike]

I think he just meant 2K have been able to have 10 players on-screen for the basketball games they make so there's no reason whoever makes wrestling games can barely handle 6.

[Psycho666Soldier]

I think he just meant 2K have been able to have 10 players on-screen for the basketball games they make so there's no reason whoever makes wrestling games can barely handle 6.

I took it as "2K can have 10 players on screen, why can't 2K have more than 6 in a wrestling game," but it's whatever. Either way, my statement probably didn't need to be said. :dunno:

[Kyle_242]

I think it's harder because wrestlers require unique models and textures for each guy, whereas in sports games many players can share the same model shaders and many of the same textures, saving memory and graphics processing power. I'm more of a 2D graphics guy but that's my understanding of how 3D models work, rendering 10 things that are totally unique is more taxing than 30 that are identical.

[Bill Casey]

If WWE can sign Sting, which looks like it might happen, they have all the players they need for a WCW/nWo themed game...
Which would be the first time that's all fallen into place...

They've done an Attitude Era one and a Wrestlemania one...
An ECW one would be missing the Dudleys and Taz...

[OD50]

The character models in WWE games consist of like 50 billion polygons (well kind of..) each, and the engine is old as fuck = No more than six people on screen at once.

Cory Ledesma said a couple of years ago that they could have 8 wrestlers on screen at once, but then they would have to significantly lower the quality of the models.

[RuneEdge]

We're on next gen now. Surely we can finally make the break through with more models on screen. I think 10 wrestlers at once would be the golden number to aim for. Any more than that and it just becomes a clusterfuck on screen.
SD! Just Bring It on the PS2 did 8 wrestlers while Royal Rumble on the Dreamcast did 9 wrestlers and it was manageable.

[Jez]

What people are not realising is that it's not the hardware that's holding them back from having 8 and 10 man matches, it's the awful antiqued engine. This is pretty obvious when you think about the amount of processing that an open world game like Red Dead Redemption or GTA V requires compared to a match in WWE 2K14 which features a crowd with huge amounts of repeated models and can only have 6 on screen wrestlers and even then the frames start dropping. I would be very surprised if the next gen versions included bigger matches while still using the same engine, so really they should just start from scratch for next gen. It worked out well for FIFA after a few years of transition.

[Stocky]

How about we talk about what matches we wouldn't mind seeing in the new game.

Strap match...
Ambulance match...

[Psycho666Soldier]

Triple Threat Tag matches, goddammit. They've been important for far too long to not include them. Would make Tag Matches feel a lot more fresh.

[The_Mike]

What people are not realising is that it's not the hardware that's holding them back from having 8 and 10 man matches, it's the awful antiqued engine. This is pretty obvious when you think about the amount of processing that an open world game like Red Dead Redemption or GTA V requires compared to a match in WWE 2K14 which features a crowd with huge amounts of repeated models and can only have 6 on screen wrestlers and even then the frames start dropping. I would be very surprised if the next gen versions included bigger matches while still using the same engine, so really they should just start from scratch for next gen. It worked out well for FIFA after a few years of transition.

That's not really it, though. The developers have said numerous times they can't do it because of the detail they put into the wrestler models (which is their own damn fault), and those models are massively more complex than John Marston, some horses and a desert. Being able to display lots of 'stuff' across a wide distance doesn't really mean anything, it is all about the complexity of each individual component of all that stuff. I can see more stuff for way further in Oblivion than in Skyrim, but in a really busy area my Skyrim framerate might drop because it's rendering a much more complicated picture. The age of the engine isn't really related to how many people can be put on there, either. Just being old doesn't make it not able to put more than 6 people on screen (older engines have done it), the trouble is that those six people are such enormous strains because they're insanely complex. It takes months to make a single wrestler in a Smackdown game, which is probably as long as it took to make a many square miles section of the RDR map.

The engine is old a shit though, you're right, and I'd love to see them start from scratch and produce something more suited to modern gaming. I just don't see it happening; it never has before. There's no competition and no pressure to treat this as anything but an annual piece of merchandise, slapped together to keep selling 'WWE' to gamers.


How about we talk about what matches we wouldn't mind seeing in the new game.

Strap match...
Ambulance match...

I was never a big fan of strap matches myself, but it could be fun if they get the physics right. An ambulance match I guess would just be a casket match with a different model, which really shouldn't be difficult at all.


Triple Threat Tag matches, goddammit. They've been important for far too long to not include them. Would make Tag Matches feel a lot more fresh.

Yes! They used to be included back in the day, didn't they? I'm sure I was able to do proper TLC matches with three teams in some of the PS2 games. I don't know why features are constantly dropped like that.

Something I think would be interesting is a mode where the regular wrestling rules are completely different. People like Taker and Lesnar love to get into striking contests, so maybe an actual MMA-style gimmick could be fun. Wrestlers could have the same stats but a modified moveset, and we can see who works well in that environment. Just call it a Lion's Den match. Fire Pro Wrestling Returns has a couple of MMA/boxing modes and it's a nice breather from endless wrestling.

[Bill Casey]

How about we talk about what matches we wouldn't mind seeing in the new game.

Strap match...
Ambulance match...

Eight Man Tags...

[RuneEdge]

The guys over at EA Sports were saying how the extra RAM on next gen consoles allowed them to include loads more animations that they'd previously created but weren't able to include due to memory restrictions. I imagine the same sort of advancements could be expected from 2K15, which could potentially mean...

1. Multiple sell animations for the same moves
2. More animations for damaging objects such as chairs, tables, etc.
3. Possibly more reversals.
4. More sound bytes for commentary
5. and more frickin' wrestlers on screen at once.

[The_Mike]

Now that I think about it, that is a good point. The RAM differential this generation is absolutely enormous. PS4 has 16 times the RAM of the PS3, and that RAM is much faster to begin with. Maybe this really will be the time things start to change.

[OD50]

But... How many EA Sports games run on an engine from 1995 though?

[Jez]

That's not really it, though. The developers have said numerous times they can't do it because of the detail they put into the wrestler models (which is their own damn fault), and those models are massively more complex than John Marston, some horses and a desert.

You're honestly trying to tell me the character models for WWE 2K14 look better than something like GTA5's models?

http://leagueofmediocregamers.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/hogan-rock.jpg

VS.

http://i.huffpost.com/gadgets/slideshows/288687/slide_288687_2754233_free.jpg?1375176451938

Note that these are two random images I found on a quick Google search but the point stands. You're completely deluded if you think that the character models in WWE games are so complex that PS3s and Xbox 360s would struggle to render more than 6 at once. Open world games are much more than a character, environment and a mode of transport. In GTA there are cars driving about, NPCs walking about, gorgeously detailed environments to display, crazy amounts to do and that's not even considering the technical stuff like dynamic lighting, weather changes, etc. The difference between the two games is obvious - one engine is a modified engine that has existed since the days of PS1, the other was built on a brand new engine from the ground up.

I'm not saying that they ever will build a new engine and don't expect them to, and I'm also not saying that the engine could not be modified to allow more wrestlers on screen at once with a bit of work. All I'm saying is the reason the WWE games aren't as capable as other games on the market is they're trying to work with an engine not designed to work on the hardware whereas most AAA games now are built on up to date engines like Unreal, CryEngine, Frostbite, Anvil, Ignite or whatever.

[Stocky]

Eight Man Tags...

TEN MAN TAGS!

[RuneEdge]

http://leagueofmediocregamers.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/hogan-rock.jpg

The lack of detail on the textures make those models look like upscaled PS2 models.
And people banging on about how the game engine itself not being able to support more than 6 models is just rubbish. On one hand you say its the same outdated engine from over 10 years ago, but then fail to realise that the same engine was able to support 8 characters and a referee model on Smackdown!: Just Bring It on the PS2.

[The_Mike]

You're honestly trying to tell me the character models for WWE 2K14 look better than something like GTA5's models?

No, I was telling you that the character models for WWE2k14 look better than Red Dead Redemption.


Note that these are two random images I found on a quick Google search but the point stands. You're completely deluded if you think that the character models in WWE games are so complex that PS3s and Xbox 360s would struggle to render more than 6 at once. Open world games are much more than a character, environment and a mode of transport. In GTA there are cars driving about, NPCs walking about, gorgeously detailed environments to display, crazy amounts to do and that's not even considering the technical stuff like dynamic lighting, weather changes, etc. The difference between the two games is obvious - one engine is a modified engine that has existed since the days of PS1, the other was built on a brand new engine from the ground up.

I'm not saying that they ever will build a new engine and don't expect them to, and I'm also not saying that the engine could not be modified to allow more wrestlers on screen at once with a bit of work. All I'm saying is the reason the WWE games aren't as capable as other games on the market is they're trying to work with an engine not designed to work on the hardware whereas most AAA games now are built on up to date engines like Unreal, CryEngine, Frostbite, Anvil, Ignite or whatever.

Your point doesn't stand because you found a shitty picture from WWE2K14 and a great, heavily filtered image from GTAV. I'm not completely deluded, I am going by what has been said by Yukes, THQ and 2K for years. These individual models have a huge number of polygons and are vastly more complex (for the machine) than what you were comparing them to, regardless of how they look. Video game consoles don't care how something looks, they care about how hard it is on the hardware to render. I wasn't being fucking literal about RDR being 'a guy and a horse in the desert' but if you're going to be like that, I'll have to explain more clearly that what is being rendered there is not as heavy on the machine as an individual wrestler in WWE2K14. I know a bit about how computers work, and this is not just because 'the engine is old', it's because of inefficiencies in how Yukes do things and the work they put into those models. If you disagree, fine, but what is with the attitude?


The lack of detail on the textures make those models look like upscaled PS2 models.
And people banging on about how the game engine itself not being able to support more than 6 models is just rubbish. On one hand you say its the same outdated engine from over 10 years ago, but then fail to realise that the same engine was able to support 8 characters and a referee model on Smackdown!: Just Bring It on the PS2.

Exactly. It's not the engine that stops 8 people being on screen, it's the hardware (and Yukes' insistence on overly difficult to render models).

[Newf]

Maybe the engine could handle more models on screen when the models were less detailed. As they've "improved" (I think some of the new models are horrendous, but they probably do have more polygons) it's become more taxing on the engine, so it becomes a case of a little from column A and a little from B. Are Yukes and THQ/2K gonna admit it's the engine? Of course not. They'd be wise to play it up like they're doing us a favor; "we're giving you SUCH detailed models that we can only fit 6 on screen." It's a cop out and others have pointed out why.

[The_Mike]

That's not really how 'engines' work, and is specifically how hardware works, but I'm going in circles. People can believe what they want, and it is definitely true that Yukes and their publishers (at least THQ) are far from the most forthright bunch. The main point is we all agree the engine should bloody change already.

[Jez]

Apologies for my attitude yesterday Mike, I just am struggling to understand how some are arguing that the Xbox 360 and PS3 are capable of gorgeous, complex and massive games but aren't capable of rendering more than 6 highly detailed wrestlers in a closed arena at once. As you said we'll agree to disagree on this one and I think we do all agree that Yukes need to step it up and if possible develop on a new engine - they could even try using Unreal like that TNA game did.

[OD50]

If nothing else they should at least switch to the Day of Reckoning/Wrestle Kingdom engine. It's not exactly new but still almost ten years the junior of the one they are using now, oh and it already belongs to Yuke's so no licensing needed. Although, I remember that Unreal 3 was free to use wasn't it? How about Unreal 4?

Speaking of Yuke's and WWE 2k15.. Do we even know if they will be involved, or if 2K are developing it in-house? Last I heard was that Visual Concepts would be working alongside the Yuke's team on 2K14, and eventually taking over full development for 2K15. Not sure.

[Jez]

Unreal 4 license prices were announced a week or two ago - $19 a month plus 5% of your game's revenue. For such a well equipped engine that runs so perfectly on consoles it isn't surprising that so many studios use it. For budget games like the WWE series though I could see why 2K would want an in house engine to reduce development costs.

I think 2K switching to an in house studio would be a fantastic move for them as they'd have more control which would hopefully result in better games. It would also force them to switch engines as I imagine Yukes own the current one.

[The Rogerer]

I haven't read much about it, but I've heard that UE4 might be a strange beast. I do know that UE3 was a strange beast, and trying to use it for anything other than a 1st/3rd person shooter brought a lot of challenges. I don't think Yukes are in a position to change the engine dramatically. They have a yearly release cycle and a clearly defined upper limit on the market. Other sports titles with larger budgets, teams and markets have had disastrous results lately.

[OD50]

Seems they have kind of painted themselves into a corner. The engine gets older and older, yet they can't switch to a new one due to the (I assume) license demanding yearly releases. In a perfect scenario 2k would have the resources to have two teams working simultaneously on the license. Team 1 is working on WWE 2k15 using the old engine to get the yearly game out while team 2 is working on adapting the game to a spanking new engine, giving them two years to develop it until WWE 2k16 hits.

Who knows what will happen, it'll be interesting to find out.

[Jez]

THQ used Unreal to build that WWE All Stars game that came out a few years ago. Fair enough it wasn't an amazing game and obviously it was far from simulation (by design) but it shows that in theory a decent wrestling game could be made using Unreal if they chose to. 2K also have the Eco-Motion engine they could adapt since Visual Concepts used it in NBA 2K14.

Then again 2K could just repeat what THQ had been doing for years - keep paying Yukes to churn out a yearly release with a few new features and a new roster and call it a day.

[OD50]

All-Stars was developed by the same peeps that did the TNA game back in the day. It was the developed by (I believe) Midway San Diego which THQ purchased. Neither game was stellar but yeah, it definitely showed that a good wrestling game could be put together using Unreal 3.

I wonder if 2K got access to the modified UE3 engine when they bought the WWE license from THQ? THQ got it when they purchased Midway San Diego so maybe 2K got it from THQ. Not sure how these contracts/licenses shit works.

The AAA Lucha games used Unreal 3 as well.

[Donald]

Is WWE 13 worth buying? It's only $10 on amazon, and I've never played it.

[Jez]

The Attitude era mode is decent, and it's got a good roster so is probably worth the $10 yeah

[OD50]

I stopped buying these games in 2007-08 until I picked up WWE '12 pretty cheap, and I must say I have actually enjoyed playing 12-14. Far from great but entertaining enough.

[Donald]

Yeha, I got WWE 2k14 for Christmas and enjoyed it, but I think if I paid full price I would have been let down.

[OD50]

Yeah, maybe I'm rating WWE '12-'14 higher than I should, but after the last horrible one I bought (the one with Lashley on the cover) I was like "Wow, this is pretty decent'' when I first played WWE '12. And like I mentioned, I really dig the old school guys (MACHO MAN!) in '14, as well the faster and slightly smoother gameplay.

[Donald]

I love fucking with people's entrances. Just something hilarious about having Undertaker come out to AJ Lee's animation.

[Jez]

I put Cena and Cena in his old attire in a tag team called Pretty Mean Sisters, they came out to the Nitro/Melina entrance animation and AJ's entrance music. They were tag team champs in my Universe mode which was fantastic because my mate who plays it with me hates Cena.

[A_Gardner]

They need to make a story mode like back to the good ole days of the Smackdown franchise. Ahhh the memories.

[Bill Casey]

WWE '12 had a new game engine...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0j0zWJTmHo

[OD50]

No it didn't. They just added shit to the old one. Don't believe THQ chills.

/Of course I mean "shills", not chills.. Brrrr. :lol:

[The_Mike]

WWE '12 had a new game engine...

It was a 'revamped' engine, as the description says. They bolted yet another thing onto it to give them some more options with animations and the like, but the spine remains the engine from 1995. It's like sticking a spoiler on a sports car, the handling will feel different but it's still the same body.

[OD50]

I believe they integrated Havok™ with the game engine to help with the physics from WWE '12 and onwards. And I'm not sure but maybe something called "Torque'' as well.

[Jez]

Yeah the Havok thing actually made WWE '12 laughably buggy. I seem to recall ladders going all glitchy when leaned against ropes and the like, stuff like this:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gm3B3gpaxvs

[OD50]

I had some instances in WWE '13 when the wrestlers would go full on Mr Fantastic and stretch all over the screen. It was fairly uncommon though, was just kind of amusing when it happened.

I remember playing Legends of Wrestling 2 and being one elimination away from finally winning the goddamn gauntlet Battle Royal starting as entry #1. Then of course when I was about to eliminate the last guy (Nikolai Volkoff) the damn game spazzes out, that pissed me off. Winning that match was super hard in LOW2.

[Stocky]

Never really had problems with game glitches at least not with the WWE games. I've gotten almost everyone of them they came out for playstation,2 and 3 except for the last one i'm waiting for a drop in price. But i'd definitely get the next one for PS4 just to have a game I can put in and enjoy for 30 minutes or so.

[Bill Casey]

It was a 'revamped' engine, as the description says. They bolted yet another thing onto it to give them some more options with animations and the like, but the spine remains the engine from 1995. It's like sticking a spoiler on a sports car, the handling will feel different but it's still the same body.

They don't have the game engine from 1995...
A game engine is for software development and platform deployment...

You can import existing assets to a new game engine, which THQ have done several times now...
You keep talking about using a new game engine in a way that suggests you're talking about building a new game from the ground up, which is a completely different thing...

[The_Mike]

They don't have the game engine from 1995...

Yes they do.


A game engine is for software development and platform deployment...

You can import existing assets to a new game engine, which THQ have done several times now...
You keep talking about using a new game engine in a way that suggests you're talking about building a new game from the ground up, which is a completely different thing...

It's not just the assets, the backbone they are developing on has remained the same thing. The things like Havok and Predator are not engines in and of themselves, they are extensions to the old engine. I'm not saying they have to build a new game from the ground up, I'm saying I wish they weren't still building a game on foundations laid out down 1995.

[Bill Casey]

No they don't...
They have to import their game to a new engine when a new generation of consoles come out, for example...
Because the next gen won't support their engine...

This is what a game engine is...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBdpIDGXEPU

[The Rogerer]

A game engine isn't necessarily a singular thing. It can be a buzzword if you're not referring to a specific product like Unreal.

[Bill Casey]

It can be a buzzword if you don't know what you're fucking talking about...

[Jez]

No need for the snarky attitude mister, when people are referring to "engine" in this thread they more mean the foundation of the games - the same core animations, mechanics, gameplay, balancing, etc.

Gamespy are to shut their servers down next month - didn't the WWE games use them for their online services? Or was that just the games released under THQ?

[OD50]

Checked the box of the first ever WWE game playable online (Smackdwn vs. Raw from 2004), and it used Gamespy servers.

[The Rogerer]

The last thing I remember seeing Gamespy on was Borderlands 1, which was 5 years ago and that was a "Ha, gamespy still exists" moment.

[OD50]

I never played online back then, but I remember reading on forums that the Gamespy servers were really, really bad.

[Spedizzo]

Haven't read much in this thread, but has 2K acknowledged the amount of hacks/glitches in the game and how they can prevent it going forward?

Pertains to online play.

I've played several people recently who have hacked move sets and are kicking me from the ring when I am on the outside. There is also a few others, such as auto pin, etc.

[The Rogerer]

I'd like to know if there's the same Wrestlemania lockdown this year with adding new people to the roster - so we lose all the people who end up debuting over the next month. Hope they are able to go back to a viable market of feeding in current people via DLC this year, once the dust has settled.

[MMH]

All I want from one of these games is the option to port your CAWs over from the last game because all I do is create or fine tune existing creations and then when im finally finished a new game is out.

[Stocky]

I don't see why they can't keep updating as the year goes along until having a cut off date for later in the year for attires. Gimmicks don't change every week but if they can at least get to like Summer slam attire wise. Cut off included people at Extreme Rules and Attires at summer slam or something.

[Newf]

I've said before, why can't they basically have nude and bald Ken/Barbie doll models in the can and then add the attire and tweak the hair/facial hair later in development?

Cuz it seems to me they "have" to do everything at once, early on, making it harder to do tweaks down the road... and that just seems dumb.

[Stocky]

The first thing i noticed when playing 2k14 is how small Roman Reigns is compared to the rest of the shield...

http://downloads.2kgames.com/wwe/site/img/romanreigns_1016139345SFDG.jpg

[The Law]

So with Sting under contract, there's no longer anything stopping them from doing a WCW or Monday Night Wars mode. Almost all the big players have been in one of the last two games. The only potential complication is that Foley has apparently split with the company, and it would be tough to do Monday Night War without him. With them signing Sting and apparently wanting to do business with Goldberg, WCW mode would make a lot of sense. Also throw in that the WCW DVDs have been selling really well and that there's a big market of WCW fans who probably wouldn't normally buy a WWE game and it makes a lot of sense.

Proposed roster: Sting, Hogan, Goldberg, Nash, Hall, Piper, Scott Steiner, Rick Steiner, Jericho, Mysterio, Dean Malenko, Raven, Booker T, Giant, Curt Hennig, Ultimo Dragon, Stevie Ray, Lex Luger, DDP, Savage, Warrior, Arn Anderson, Flair, Eddie, Regal

[Newf]

Actually I saw a Smacktalks video on YouTube that said that Foley choosing not to resign his Legends deal doesn't necessarily exclude him from this coming game, depending on when the contract expires and how it relates to the roster cut-off.

[MikeHunt]

Yes please.

[Kdestiny]

That roster sounds wonderful.

[Newf]

Here's the video in question:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EouLxsT9k0E

[Bill Casey]

Foley in a WCW themed game means they could potentially tell the tale of Cactus Jack vs. Vader's death match at Halloween Havoc '93, and/or Cactus Jack vs. Sting's falls count anywhere match from Beach Blast '92...

[Donald]

New career mode sounds awesome. Starting in nxt, then onto championship glory. Would be cool if you had to get a certain match rating to move up the ladder.

[Bill Casey]

Including NXT means wrestlers who debuted after Wrestlemania, like Paige, Rusev, Adam Rose and Bo Dallas could be in the game...

[Kdestiny]

I also read that the release is being moved to March of next year

[lotjx]

I am wondering if CM Punk will be ousted. The career mode sounds same old same old. Was GM mode back in the last one?

[Kdestiny]

Career mode can't be same old because the past few years have been Road to Wrestlemania.

If it was like HCTP I'd be just fine with it. I think it could be great as long as it isn't linear.

[Donald]

March release date is perfect. Wrestlemania, lots of people watching, great time to market the game. Also, I can see Oct. Nov. release date being good too because of the holiday season. Hopefully they will use that extra time to perfect the game. I'd like a season similar to No Mercy, where decisions you make lead you down a differetn path. Go a heel route, vs. a face route would be cool. And each match you have to complete certain objectives in order to advance. Like if you go the heel route, you would have to cheat for example against a guy like the Undertaker.

[Peter Griffin]

Dunno if anyone has mentioned it but visual concepts are working on 2k15, I have no idea if that is in place of yukes or what.

[Kdestiny]

Amazon now has this available for pre-order and the release date is set in October

[Spedizzo]

Since 2008 no other game that I have played online has had the amount of glitches for online play than the WWE series.

Freeze glitches, hacks, getting into the fans, etc.

Will these EVER be addressed and rectified? I hoped with 2K taking over, these glitches would be gone.

2014 had auto-pin hacks that plagued online and was even worse.

[Donald]

Who will the new superstars in the game be? Wyatt family, Emma, Paige?

[Kdestiny]

Hopefully they include some NXT guys too like Zayn, Dallas, Neville, and many others

[Donald]

How does it work when they use legends? Do they have to pay the legend a certain amount of money to use them? But doesn't WWE own the rights to the characters?

[Kdestiny]

I assume that's one thing the legends contracts cover

[Donald]

I would love a game featuring every WWE superstar ever. And if a person had multiple gimmicks, you could choose which one you wanted to be at the select screen.

[Kdestiny]

I feel that is highly unlikely

[Newf]

Even WWE 2K's Facebook page is pushing the October release date.

Frankly I'd be more than fine with them pushing back the release date to Mania season if it meant a more polished, fresher, less-like-the-THQ-games product.

And if rising up through NXT in story mode means we'd get more NXT stars then I think this game's roster might be the best iteration yet.

We'll get the Wyatts, and updated Shield (I know it's petty, but Dean wearing full gloves in game when he mostly wore handwraps on TV last year bugged me (crossing my fingers they include the masks even though they don't wear them on TV)), Goldust HAS to be a lock this year, the Usos are surely a lock as well, plus everyone important from the last game.

The only thing that sucks is we probably won't get Punk and probably Jericho as well.

[Beer-Belly]

Is there a chance that Visual Concepts was working on a new engine last year while the old THQ/Yukes crew was focusing on WWE 2K14?

[Peter Griffin]

Possibly, I am interested to see some gameplay footage in a couple of months.

[Blindsidemonster]

I just want all Divas on roster to be in the game. I want the option in Universe mode to book a proper Divas division. Ontop of that it would be nice if they got all ACTIVE roster members from RAW as well as NXT this year. I am sorry but I just do not care about legends and believe that they chew up roster space from the current roster. IF they insist on legends they should be Legends who have played important roles over the past year. So basically 2k15 should feature Hogan and probably Shawn Michaels and that is it. The rest should be every wrestler under contract ...omitting people like JTG who doesn't seem to be active AT ALL or people like Riley and Tensai who are seemingly doing commentary now and of course people who are still in the performance center that have not made an NXT debut before the prior mania.

[Peter Griffin]

-WWE 2K15 will be released on October 28th for Playstation 4, Xbox One, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. You can pre-order the game now from Amazon.com.

According to a reliable source, WWE 2K15 will include an all new career mode that will be similar to NBA 2K14, where gamers can create a character (or use an existing Superstar/Diva) and rise up the ranks from rookie to legend. This will involve paying your dues and making a name for yourself in NXT before making your way up to the main roster.

The career mode is expected to include several NXT talents for the first time ever, so we could see playable characters like NXT Champion Adrian Neville, NXT Women's Champion Charlotte, Sami Zayn and Tyler Breeze.

Aside from the all-new career mode, it's expected that the 30 Years of WrestleMania mode will be returning.

Both Sting and Goldberg are rumored to be featured in the game as legends.

[The Rogerer]

I saw a rumour that they were going to move to a march release. Although that would be nice, October is probably the most practical to get all the christmas gift buys.

[Donald]

A divas season mode sounds great.

[Stocky]

Aside from the all-new career mode, it's expected that the 30 Years of WrestleMania mode will be returning.


So this time we will be playing the second best matches from each mania?

[OD50]

I'm pretty sure that rumor is bs.

[mr sabu]

adding nxt to this new one sounds like a grand idea

[Newf]

If it means we get guys like Neville, Zayn and Breeze before their main roster debut and guys like Rose or Rusev or even Paige who might've missed the cut-off on-disc (take Fandango and and Big E, for example, who had Mania matches but were "late" and had to be DLC last year) then I'm in favour.

Look, some of the legends were nice last year but most I barely used beyond the Mania mode. Even some of the DLC like the WCW Show or Steiner or friggin' Virgil I barely used.

Gimme some NXT people in those spots any day!

[Donald]

That's ridiculous. Steiner is greater than all of NXT combined.

[Kdestiny]

ha

[MMH]

Was thinking about this game today and have decided that what I want most of all is stupid things like generic commentators. Not to replace the WWE guys in WWE shows but it really feels wrong when I download a ton of CAWS and create my own federation or whatever and still have Cole and Lawler or whatever commentating. Even if they just had two random people doing the exact same lines as Cole and Lawler do. the little things in this game ruin the bigger picture. I absolutely hate the sound in these games. The crowds sound like there are five people in the arena.

[Peter Griffin]

So this time we will be playing the second best matches from each mania?

I haven't played 2k14 in a while but I seem to remember some significant matches missing, IF there is any truth to it.

[Kdestiny]

There was a decent amount missing. I'd honestly hope for an alternate universe type 30 Years mode, "what would happen if..."

That'd be worth buying.

[OD50]

First officially confirmed guys:

http://wrestleshare.com/?dm=Y7XK

[ApexEwok]

I got an announcement on my Facebook regarding WWE 2K15, it read *major announcement superstar revealed for WWE 2K15* I was intrigued I pressed the link with aggressive anticipation, the screen loads... loads... the writing appears, the image loads.... the image appears... the breaking news reveals that the confirmed superstar on the hit game WWE 2K15 will be... *drum roll* .... John Cena... :rolleyes:

"Well smash a brick and shove it up my ass"

[The Rogerer]

I saw an off handed mention that the development team would be changing but I don't even know if it was a joke or what. Anyone else hear this?

[Beer-Belly]

Visual Concepts is getting way more involved.


WWE 2K15 New-Gen First Details

Last year's WWE 2K14 was too far along when 2K Games took on the license from THQ for it to make many big changes, but now there's no holding back.

WWE 2K15 will be the new-gen debut of the series on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One (in addition to PS3 and 360). Developer Visual Concepts is taking on a much bigger role this time around alongside longtime developer Yukes. Visual Concepts is incorporating its impressive scanning tech made famous in its NBA 2K games. The team has hounded WWE's roster of wrestlers during their nonstop travel schedule and already has 90 percent of the in-game roster scanned in. Interestingly, I saw a photo of Hulk Hogan getting scanned. While a classic version of him is in the game (alongside announced wrestlers John Cena, Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns, and Cesaro), it's unclear what role today's older Hulk would serve. Maybe he shows up for a hosting role as he did for the recent Wrestlemania XXX.

This new tech is already showing impressive results. I saw side-by-side character models for wrestlers like John Cena, A.J. Lee, and Daniel Bryan, and they all looked leaps and bounds closer to their real-life counterparts. Hair, skin, faces, and ring gear are all majorly upgraded. VC is capturing a variety of facial expressions so that wrestlers will express more realistic emotions in the ring. A John Cena facial rig demo showed off lifelike expressions of pain, excitement, and exertion.

The ultimate goal of all this is to closer match WWE's TV presentation. I couldn't get any specifics on actual game mechanic changes, but Visual Concepts is working toward more realistic match pacing and flow. The key to all of this is a new mo-cap studio that contains an actual WWE ring set up by a real WWE ring technician. This will result in five times the number of animations than 2K14. A new months-later cutoff date for inclusion of the latest WWE content will help ensure that the game is that much closer to the latest roster and storylines.

Audio is getting a complete overhaul as well, with five times the sound of last year's game. For the very first time announcers Jerry "The King" Lawler and Michael Cole will be recorded in tandem, creating more natural conversation threads. I heard a sample clip of the two discussing Undertaker's Hell's Gate submission and it already sounds much improved. There will be a massive 30 to 35 hours of commentary per announcer to keep things fresh and prevent hearing constant repeats.

2K is not discussing what the overall theme of the game is this year (previous years included Wrestlemania and the Attitude Era), nor did it show the full game in action. All of the details I heard sound promising, but it's tough to fully accept without further along footage. WWE 2K15 is set to launch on October 28, which doesn't leave a whole lot of time for all of the ambitious advances the team is planning. Despite these reservations, I'm looking forward to the next 2K15 reveal to see how the total package comes together.

[Jez]

...

[ApexEwok]

I was under the impression that the release was going to be Autumn 2014, possibly early winter. Until I did read a few weeks back that the game as been pushed to post 2014 thus being scheduled for a early 2015 release, though the store I purchase some of my games from still claim October 2014 for the game to be released. I do see the logic for selling the game during "Mania season" next year that is a potential marketing push for the game, though there is also sense in bringing the game out prior to Christmas.

I have decided to get it for XBOX ONE, no doubt my son will want it for his XBOX 360 also. so it will give me perfect opportunity to geek out and compare to both side by side like I did with Assassins Creed IV.

[RuneEdge]

Sounds promising from the little we know. Can't wait. :hyper:

[Donald]

I'm hoping they'll allow Divas to battle the male Superstars again. I had a lot of fun trying to beat Andre The Giant with Stacy Kiebler.

[OD50]

Male vs. female won't happen.

I would hope for it to be a little more forgiving though. I remember playing (WWE 2k14) as Big E managed by AJ and when I was outside the ring AJ tried to grapple whoever I was facing, but instead grappled me. I blocked the grapple by reflex and ended up elbowing AJ in the face, getting myself DQ'd for striking my own manager. That was kind of annoying.

/Not much, but here's the "trailer'' they have at E3:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48N3911BVqc

[RuneEdge]

Thats not the big reveal they have planned for tomorrow, is it?

[OD50]

The 2K rep said that the thing on Thursday was ''nothing major'', so who knows.

[Donald]

No Major Gunns then. :(

[OD50]

Nope, not even the Major Brothers were announced. :(

Some more peeps have been revealed in various media. Current roster is:

-Bray Wyatt
-Roman Reigns
-John Cena
-Hulk Hogan (classic and current)
-Cesaro
-AJ Lee
-Naomi
-Cameron
-Daniel Bryan

[Kdestiny]

So we are going to get a Hulk Hogan who won't be able to drop a leg without breaking a hip?

[Bill Casey]

http://www.polygon.com/2014/6/12/5802590/wwe-2k15-preview-e3-2014



Little says WWE 2K15 will feature at least five times the animations of any previous WWE title

Announcers Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler have now spent about 35 hours in the booth recording new lines — most of them together. I heard an introductory clip in which they bantered about The Undertaker and it sounded a lot more natural.

[OD50]

I'm quite excited for this game, if nothing else just to see what 2K will do differently with it. Can't wait to see some actual gameplay.

[Donald]

Sting is rumored to be the featured guy this year. That's pretty cool.

[Newf]

This roster is shaping up to be really, really good.

With 2K saying they've pushed the cut-off ahead a bit further (allowing for people like Paige and Rose and maybe even Bo) and with the possibility of a few NXT guys being on the roster as well, and with people left out of last years game (like the Usos, Goldust, Wyatts, etc.) all being featured prominently I can't think of anyone that should be in this game that will be left out.

It could suck not having Punk in the game, but I could see him sneaking in there somehow. They might even include guys like Drew and Jinder who I'm SURE had models made. It would be a waste to cut them.

[Donald]

Wasn't there an interview with some guy at 2K who said CM Punk was coming back at some point so he's in the game, or am I imagining this?

[OD50]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/t1.0-9/10429335_10152350856883355_1907983264926804240_n.j pg

I guess it's a given that the King of Swings move set will be pretty accurate.

[Stringer Bell]

On Stone Cold's most recent podcast, he and JR confirm that Sting is indeed in the game this year. Wasn't sure if it was actually confirmed in here or not.

[OD50]

I would love if there's a "surfer'' Sting version in there. Always liked that more than the Crow.

[Bill Casey]

I guess it's a given that the King of Swings move set will be pretty accurate.

Hopefully...


https://realworldchamp.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/cesaro-swing.gif
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vEBvBcOB8lI/Ud36-M2Ug0I/AAAAAAABsoo/gYwZKYfoAug/s1600/a.gif
http://i.imgur.com/yGBqd.gif
http://media.giphy.com/media/scH5QzZnxmL8k/giphy.gif
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bVZYMOovkcM/URpqq6JAPyI/AAAAAAAAM3o/p_uhHh9_wI8/s1600/mizdeath-2.gif
http://i.imgur.com/a8h7m.gif
http://abload.de/img/sd.2014.02.07.hdigow3.gif
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xw-WWz9kEnA/UbtaG2T-h7I/AAAAAAABjKU/Eu9G5pR1Q4I/s320/d.gif

[OD50]

The cover star for WWE 2K15 has been revealed, and in a momentous surprise, the wrestler in question is...

http://oyster.ignimgs.com/wordpress/stg.ign.com/2014/07/WWE.png
Not sure if this will be the actual cover image though.

[Kdestiny]

If there is actually going to be a Cena Career Mode I probably won't go anywhere near buying this game. Rental maybe, but having that would piss me off.

[Peter Griffin]

Who mentioned a Cena career mode?

[OD50]

Huh? Has that been rumored? It would be awful.

[Kdestiny]

Huh? Has that been rumored? It would be awful.

I've heard some murmurs with the connecting between the 15 reigns and the 2k15. I certainly hope that doesn't happen and it's just rumors is all.

[Donald]

I'd like a Super Cena mode, where you have to try to beat Cena in a variety of scenarios, that would be impossible for Cena to win in but he does anyway.

[OD50]

When I was in Krakow, Poland there was ''Super Cena'' signs hanging everywhere in the grocery stores, I kind of found that amusing. It means super price/super savings/super discount. Or something along those lines.

Just saying..

[Peter Griffin]

I've heard some murmurs with the connecting between the 15 reigns and the 2k15. I certainly hope that doesn't happen and it's just rumors is all.

I really, really think that is stretching it, I wouldnt panic.

[Kdestiny]

I am not panicking, but if it does happen it would really suck.

[TimeSplitter]

I'm intrigued by the career mode, if it does go,through the NXT route. Didn't one of the wrestlemania games have your created superstar started in development, then you joined evolution or the ministry?

[Kdestiny]

Yes, I think so

[OD50]

More mo-cap being done:
http://wrestleshare.com/?dm=F50P

Even managers doing doing their own mo-cap is quite promising.

[Big]

I'd like a Super Cena mode, where you have to try to beat Cena in a variety of scenarios, that would be impossible for Cena to win in but he does anyway.

Kind of like Beat the Streak mode, except you never win.

[Kdestiny]

See how long you can last before you are hit with the moves of doom

[OD50]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGyclMUXL_g


One of the most popular and revered competitors in WCW history, Sting will be featured in "WWE 2K15" through two unique playable characters: the mysterious, ghost-like persona with trademark black-and-white face paint who was the face of WCW during the “Monday Night War” era, as well as his earlier look, sporting bright colors and a blond, flattop hairstyle.

Looks like I'll get my surfer after all.

http://i58.tinypic.com/ib9ow1.jpg

[Donald]

Does anyone really buy these games because of the special pre-order character?

[The Doc]

Because of? I doubt it. I'm sure that it spurs a fair bunch of people who were already going to get the game into getting it sooner. If for example Arkham Knight's preorder comes with something similar to the the Catwoman pack from Arkham City I'll buy it. It's gonna save me the ten or twenty bucks in a month when I purchase the DLC. That's kinda why I hate the current trend of store exclusives. That whole BS where each store that sold video games had an exclusive Batman Costume was bullshit, harmless bullshit mind you but it wouldn't shock me in the future to see bonus maps or genuine characters. Robin, Catwoman and Nightwing (for Challenge maps) could have gone that way. That's way off subject though.

In short, I doubt it. But I'm sure it fills developers and retail stores hearts with glee to already have your money and anyway they can encourage you to commit as early as possible so they don't over or under order product is probably the primary driver.

[The Law]

You want people's money as soon as possible, because once you get it they can't get it back. It's better if people pre-order vs. wait a few months to buy it. So it makes sense to incentivize people to preorder.

[Atty]

Because of? I doubt it. I'm sure that it spurs a fair bunch of people who were already going to get the game into getting it sooner. If for example Arkham Knight's preorder comes with something similar to the the Catwoman pack from Arkham City I'll buy it. It's gonna save me the ten or twenty bucks in a month when I purchase the DLC. That's kinda why I hate the current trend of store exclusives. That whole BS where each store that sold video games had an exclusive Batman Costume was bullshit, harmless bullshit mind you but it wouldn't shock me in the future to see bonus maps or genuine characters. Robin, Catwoman and Nightwing (for Challenge maps) could have gone that way. That's way off subject though.

In short, I doubt it. But I'm sure it fills developers and retail stores hearts with glee to already have your money and anyway they can encourage you to commit as early as possible so they don't over or under order product is probably the primary driver.

To be fair, Catwoman in Arkham wasn't a pre-order, the download code just came with it when you bought the game new.

[Donald]

Xavier woods is in this

[Kdestiny]

Well that was my first worry.

[Donald]

Who wouldn't worry

[Kdestiny]

I'd rather the spot used by Xavier to be used by several others. I can't really say since we don't know the full roster yet, but if he is in without having some of the NXT guys who are actually good, then I will be a bit disappointed.

[Donald]

If Sting's in the game, I hope we get some WCW guys, like Luger, Nikita Koloff, and DDP.

[The Law]

I'd love to see either WCW or Monday Night Wars mode. Either one would be spectacular. WCW might be better since they already covered most the WWF Monday Night War stuff in 2K13.

I'm thinking a roster of:


Sting
Surfer Sting
Hulk Hogan
Hollywood Hogan
Savage
NWO Savage
Piper
Luger
Nash
Hall
Mysterio
Jericho
Malenko
Arn Anderson
Flair
Ultimo Dragon
Goldberg
Kidman
DDP
Hennig
Bret
Warrior
Stevie Ray
Booker
Regal
Finlay
Giant
Syxx
Scott Steiner
Rick Steiner
Juventud Guerrera
Psicosis


I might have missed a few guys, but that's probably 90% of what they need and most of those guys are already under contract.

[Bill Casey]

Via Twitter...

Goldberg is not in the game (as far as he knows)
https://twitter.com/Goldberg/status/483691972608413697

Jim Ross is not in the game
https://twitter.com/JRsBBQ/status/481847380946731009

RVD is in the game
https://twitter.com/TherealRVD/status/489488624711634944

[Bill Casey]

I'd like a Super Cena mode, where you have to try to beat Cena in a variety of scenarios, that would be impossible for Cena to win in but he does anyway.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5y8w_QX3Sw

[The Doc]

Monday Night Wars could make for a very interesting twist on Manager Mode.

I'm downloading Super Cena if I get this. That guy is awesome!

[OD50]

Goldberg denied being in 2k14 as well, so who knows.

[OD50]

I would really like if there was some sort of WCW mode actually, something similar to the Attitude Era™ mode in 2k13. Wasn't there some sort of mini WCW stuff in the WWE'12 story mode? I remember something about Vader and Arn Anderson, and that the Nitro, Clash of the Champions and Starrcade arenas were in that game.

I guess most people would like a WCW mode based around the MNW's, but personally I would enjoy something similar to last years 30-years of WrestleMania mode but instead reliving big JCP/WCW (Starrcade?) matches. Flair vs. Harley, Flair vs. Dusty, LOD vs. Horsemen, Vader vs. Flair, Sting/Dusty vs. LOD, Flair vs. Luger, Nash vs. Goldberg, Piper vs. Hogan, Eddie vs. Rey Jr, Sting vs. Hogan and so on. Plenty of great matches to "relive''.

/I think they should take a cue from the Legends of WrestleMania game and allowing you to "Relive'' or "Rewrite'' the match you are playing, as in getting to choose controlling the real life winner or loser. I remember people being bummed they had to play as the actual winner in WWE 2k14. That would mean twice as much work for the development team of course..

[Beer-Belly]

I'd really like to see WWE vs. WCW mode at some point, but that would require a lot of new voice work and some solid writing.

[The Law]

12 was kind of a mini WCW tribute. They had quite a few former WCW legends in the game (Steamboat, Road Warriors, Nash, Arn Anderson, Booker T), and one of the storylines from Road to Wrestlemania involved WCW coming back and taking over WWE.

[MikeHunt]

I'd love to see either WCW or Monday Night Wars mode. Either one would be spectacular. WCW might be better since they already covered most the WWF Monday Night War stuff in 2K13.

I'm thinking a roster of:


Sting
Surfer Sting
Hulk Hogan
Hollywood Hogan
Savage
NWO Savage
Piper
Luger
Nash
Hall
Mysterio
Jericho
Malenko
Arn Anderson
Flair
Ultimo Dragon
Goldberg
Kidman
DDP
Hennig
Bret
Warrior
Stevie Ray
Booker
Regal
Finlay
Giant
Syxx
Scott Steiner
Rick Steiner
Juventud Guerrera
Psicosis


I might have missed a few guys, but that's probably 90% of what they need and most of those guys are already under contract.

eh?! SID

[The Rogerer]

Hey kids, line up to play all these matches in a company full of cheque collecting hasbeens that collapsed before you were born.

NXT mode please

[MikeHunt]

war games please.

[The Rogerer]

Kids getting the new WWE game for christmas can't wait to play through a season of people they've not heard of, while your dad sits on the sofa happily reminiscing about the time he had a wank over the Nitro Girls.

[OD50]

Pretty obvious that they want to lure older gamers/wrestling fans (such as myself) in with stuff like legends, WCW, Attitude Era mode and 30 YOWM. Kids will complain about legends stuff as usual but (have mommy) buy the game regardless.

[The Rogerer]

At the same time, I'm left with a game that doesn't actually have a relevant narrative to modern wrestling. Universe Mode is a confusing, abstract mess that I don't really understand how I'm meant to play. 30 years of wrestlemania mode was quite alienating in itself because it's just a series of matches with no logical connection.

I understand that people aren't a fan of the current product, etc, but I think there needs to be line drawn over nostalgia, not only in the WWE itself but the games are just swimming in it. Offer something that is relevant to today, otherwise it's really just this strange byproduct for people who want to make CAWs.

[OD50]

Yeah, I guess their thinking is that Universe Mode is for fans of the current product while they throw in stuff like 30YoWM for the older peeps, to ''satisfy'' everybody and maximize buyers. But, bottom line is that lots of younger/current product fans is probably not happy with all the legends stuff, but they will buy the game regardless. Many older fans will probably not buy a game that is 100% current day stuff.

In a perfect wrestling game world we would have one annual game (WWE 2k series) solely focused on todays product, and another "Legends of Wrestling/WrestleMania'' style game only focusing on legends.

[Blindsidemonster]

I would love 'Greatest of All Time Mode' where you play through the careers of Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Michaels/Hart, Stone Cold, The Rock, and John Cena. It would be awesome to play Flair throughout his NWA days to WCW to being apart of Evolution highlighting his greatest feuds and matches. The same goes with Hogan beginning in AWA to his last major WWE run. And Michaels and Hart would feature the best moments of their rivalry starting their with tag feud. And so on.

Yeah, I know, it is unlikely due to the AWA and NWA stuff because that would stuff the roster full of legends (some of which might be TOO obscure for a WWE game ...but I would geek out for Magnum T.A in the game) ...but I still think it would be a fun idea for a future game.

[Peter Griffin]

http://www.ringsidecollectibles.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/wyaqOGUj5EJrfnX.jpg

I hope this Surfer Sting costume is in the game, was always my fave for some reason.

[Brady]

Pre-ordered my copy.. just for Sting. I use to stay up late watching Nitro and the PPVs just for Sting. I still have an old bruised up Sting figure from '98. Good times and looking forward to the nostalgia!

[OD50]

Really hope there will be some more JCP/WCW elements other than Sting. Ric Flair, Vader, Nitro arena, Starrcade arena.. That sort of stuff. A Stunning Steve alternate attire for Stone Cold would be really cool.

[Donald]

Would be cool if you created a guy, and since he has never wrestled before, you need to train first. Like in order to acquire a body slam into your arsenal, you need to practice it 5 times in the Performance Center. And like after winning certain matches, you get to unlock more moves to add to your arsenal.

[Newf]

Really hope there will be some more JCP/WCW elements other than Sting. Ric Flair, Vader, Nitro arena, Starrcade arena.. That sort of stuff. A Stunning Steve alternate attire for Stone Cold would be really cool.

I want Double A back in a game proper. In '12 I took him through the 40-man Royal Rumble and eliminated EVERY guy (after hitting them with a Spinebuster) except one... John Cena. Now, in hindsight, I think Kofi eliminated him but at the time I was sure he threw himself over the top to escape the wrath of the Enforcer.

To sum up, if they're doing WCW I want Arn back!

[The Doc]

Would be cool if you created a guy, and since he has never wrestled before, you need to train first. Like in order to acquire a body slam into your arsenal, you need to practice it 5 times in the Performance Center. And like after winning certain matches, you get to unlock more moves to add to your arsenal.

No, that sounds positively dreadful. It would be cute the first time through the game I'm sure but it would lose it's charm as soon as you were trying to create all the people you want in your game that didn't make the cut for whatever reason.

[mth]

That really does sound awful, particularly having to 'practice' a move to earn it. You'd be doing twenty moves half a dozen times apiece. Bleh. Don't mind the idea of winning matches and earning moves and stats and all but only if that's just in a Career mode you can also make CAWs and just assign attributes right off the bat, too.

[Donald]

Yeah what a shitty idea.

[Bill Casey]

Five year CAW career mode where you do everything there is to do in WWE as a single created character...
Every angle, every storyline, face turns, heel turns, tag teams, factions, managers, MITB win, holding the belt while someone else has MITB, NXT, Superstars, RAW, PPV debut, undefeated streak, injuries, wwe champ as a face, wwe champ as a heel, etc...

[RuneEdge]

There's something I've never quite understood about wrestling games in the last few years. Are we supposed to be playing it like a straight up sport/action game without it breaking kayfabe? or are we supposed to be in on the work and playing it like we're the booker, agent, etc?

I mean, I know you're supposed to compete in each match to win, but is it beyond the realms of the game to add modes where you deal with TV ratings, match quality, card booking, etc? One of the Fire Pro Wrestling games on the GBA has a mode where you run a company, and have to generate income from sales, hire/fire wrestlers, book the card, sell merch, etc. Is something like that ever going to be possible in a WWE game?

[Bill Casey]

That really does sound awful, particularly having to 'practice' a move to earn it. You'd be doing twenty moves half a dozen times apiece. Bleh. Don't mind the idea of winning matches and earning moves and stats and all but only if that's just in a Career mode you can also make CAWs and just assign attributes right off the bat, too.

Okay...
I'm going to try to rework this idea...

Optional tutorial with William Regal in an empty NXT arena...
The tutorial level is entirely skippable, and different parts can be accessed at any time. Regal and an NXT superstar shows you all of the ropes. Instead of hitting moves six times, you learn the basic mechanics of the game, everything from performing a leapfrog to catch finishers to using a ladder and spearing someone through the barricade. Regal tells you what you need to do and congratulates you when you succeed...

Think flight school in GTA V for the format...

And there's an achievement/trophy for completing the optional tutorial...

[The Law]

There's something I've never quite understood about wrestling games in the last few years. Are we supposed to be playing it like a straight up sport/action game without it breaking kayfabe? or are we supposed to be in on the work and playing it like we're the booker, agent, etc?

I mean, I know you're supposed to compete in each match to win, but is it beyond the realms of the game to add modes where you deal with TV ratings, match quality, card booking, etc? One of the Fire Pro Wrestling games on the GBA has a mode where you run a company, and have to generate income from sales, hire/fire wrestlers, book the card, sell merch, etc. Is something like that ever going to be possible in a WWE game?

I've always wanted them to do a Monday Night War themed game where Universe mode got an overhaul and you were in charge of either WCW or WWE. You would have to worry about talent jumping ship, TV ratings, ticket sales, issues with the network.

Even more awesome would be a territory mode where you ran a territory, traded talent, got your talent raided, and could expand to cover new areas.

[OD50]

Okay...
I'm going to try to rework this idea...

Optional tutorial with William Regal in an empty NXT arena...
The tutorial level is entirely skippable, and different parts can be accessed at any time. Regal and an NXT superstar shows you all of the ropes. Instead of hitting moves six times, you learn the basic mechanics of the game, everything from performing a leapfrog to catch finishers to using a ladder and spearing someone through the barricade. Regal tells you what you need to do and congratulates you when you succeed...

They should rehire the wrestling coach from WWF War Zone for that mode. Dude never got the push he deserved.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLXNvUhd60Y

[The Rogerer]

Kick, punch, it's all in the mind

[OD50]

IGN will start coverage of this game on Monday.

[OD50]

First screen shot:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BuM1vYRCUAAee_J.jpg

First bit of news:
http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/08/04/wwe-2k15-story-career-modes-and-more-revealed-ign-first


Last year, WWE 2K14 electrified with its sprawling campaign mode, 30 Years of Wrestlemania. 2K15 is looking to tell a more focused, up-close-and-personal story than the broad historic view offered in 2K14. 2K Showcase will be broken up into two episodes, each one focusing in tightly on an epic rivalry from the WWE’s past. Think of them as mini-documentaries of a sort.

So, am I reading it correctly that there will be two different historic feuds showcased? Maybe something like Andre/Hogan and Austin/Rock perhaps?

Undertaker/Kane or Bret Hart/HBK could be possible as well.

[Morrison]

First screen shot:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BuM1vYRCUAAee_J.jpg

First bit of news:
http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/08/04/wwe-2k15-story-career-modes-and-more-revealed-ign-first



So, am I reading it correctly that there will be two different historic feuds showcased? Maybe something like Andre/Hogan and Austin/Rock perhaps?

that screen shot is ridiculous.

i would imagine those would be two of the lead candidates for the feuds. shawn/bret could sneak in too, given how much there is to work with. they may opt to try and use a more recent feud, though, for newer fans. cena/edge? cena/orton? cena/rock? they could also do undertaker/kane and it could play well across both older and newer generations.

then there's also the mycareer mode for created characters, which is listed from the NBA games, which is one of more popular modes in those games. i hear they basically turned that mode into a mini-soap opera with cut scenes like talking to your agent or disrespecting veteran players, to your player on draft night, etc. which sounds like it'll be waaaaay more fitting for a WWE game, and unlike the NBA games, they can actually get all the superstars to lend their voices to the game. i suspect this first year of the mode won't shine like gold, but in time it could really turn out to be something.

[OD50]

Man, when I read ''epic rivalry" I immediately thought about stuff like Hogan/Andre or Austin/Rock, didn't even think that it very well could be something like Cena/Orton or Cena/Rock. :\

The MyCareer mode will only be on PS4/XBO apparently.

[Morrison]

Man, when I read ''epic rivalry" I immediately thought about stuff like Hogan/Andre or Austin/Rock, didn't even think that it very well could be something like Cena/Orton or Cena/Rock. :\

The MyCareer mode will only be on PS4/XBO apparently.
ah yes, that is true. with that being the case, i wonder if it's going to get a big focus during production or if it's just kind of an add-on as almost a preview for what is coming in the future. could really go either way.

[Donald]

drats you need a PS4?

[OD50]

The My Career mode is exclusive to PS4/XBO, the new face/body scanning technology as well.

[The Rogerer]

Stop living in the past people. We've had the last two years of 'Dad Edition', can we not have something set in the present?

PS: I know Cena vs Orton is a terrible 'feud'

[OD50]

Dang, where can I pre-order the WWE 2k15 "Dad Edition''? :lol:

I guess the most diplomatic thing is to do what Morrison mentioned, one of the rivalries being something like Bret/HBK or Taker/Kane and the other being something like Cena/Orton or Cena/Rock. Sucks for me though, I only played up til WM21 or 22 in 2K14 as I have no real interest in "modern day'' wrestling.

Also, the "My Career'' mode will probably be 100% set in the the present..

[The Rogerer]

I'm always confused by Universe mode, it feels far too open ended and it's how to know the right way to play it, which seems to be play through every single match but who wants that? I'd really like them to revamp that.

The previous eras have been thoroughly stripe mined in the last couple of games - although the existence of the Network would be a good reason to go back to old stuff - the last few games were treading water and going back to old eras was an escape for them from doing the same stuff over again.

It's always been a little funny when I think about the WWE games, really, how devoted they are to let you really push the WWE aspect out of the game and completely run with your own creations. From a 'franchise' point of view it's a strange priority, if you think about it.

[Bill Casey]

Rock and Cena have only fought twice...
I'm under the impression the mode will be between two guys who had a shit load of matches together...

Like Orton and Cena, Triple H and The Rock, or Austin and Undertaker...

[The Rogerer]

They don't even have the excuse that it's been an unremarkable year. In a timeline which is not the darkest timeline, people are looking forward to this game because they'd get to play out a Daniel Bryan storyline. Instead we're busy talking about matches from decades ago again.

[OD50]

https://33.media.tumblr.com/0c07ad7ece3d4d46f4a778b87a8c1fbe/tumblr_n9sdm4vKDy1s5t0cfo1_500.jpg

Quite the difference when you see them side by side. Some 2K guy confirmed the 2k15 is from actual game play and not a cut scene.

[The Rogerer]

I'm glad they're using the scan stuff. Looking at quite a few people, even in 2K14, they just look like a description of the person. Even in their primitive blocky form, the people in Smackdown 1 looked like the people they were supposed to. I think they used actual scans then. I wouldn't have missed Foley in the last couple of games because he just looked like a CAW anyway.

[Beer-Belly]

They don't even have the excuse that it's been an unremarkable year. In a timeline which is not the darkest timeline, people are looking forward to this game because they'd get to play out a Daniel Bryan storyline. Instead we're busy talking about matches from decades ago again.

Granted a Daniel Bryan centric story mode would have been the bee's knees, but the game was probably already really deep in development by the time he got his WrestleMania moment. No one was sure what Bryan was doing at Mania until around March or so. It's nearly impossible for 2K to predict where WWE's storylines will end up when even WWE doesn't know half the time.

Depending on how the game play looks, a "classic feuds" mode could potentially be fun.

[The Law]

I was thinking of Sting/Hogan, but they really only had two matches in WCW (Starrcade 1997 and SuperBrawl 1998) and then their match in TNA that best goes unmentioned. Undertaker career mode? But if Foley's not in the game that doesn't work. I don't think they're going to do all the WCW stuff for a Sting career mode, and he's preorder exclusive anyway.

[OD50]

What about something along the lines of WCW vs. nWo or the WWF vs. The Alliance? Definitely would open up the mode a bit, with more wrestlers and matches available. Seems like it can get very redundant if it's just wrestler A vs. wrestler B sprinkled with video footage of their feud(s). Would even the biggest Cena marks enjoy playing 15 different big John/Randy Orton matches from the past ten years or so? :dunno:

/But, based on the past ten years and the first in-game pic, I do feel one of the two ''epic feuds'' will indeed be Cena/Orton.

Anyone remember this intro from 2004?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nt2NJUX_Tj0

[OD50]

I was thinking of Sting/Hogan, but they really only had two matches in WCW (Starrcade 1997 and SuperBrawl 1998) and then their match in TNA that best goes unmentioned. Undertaker career mode? But if Foley's not in the game that doesn't work. I don't think they're going to do all the WCW stuff for a Sting career mode, and he's preorder exclusive anyway.

They wrestled each other on Nitro in 1995 and had a rematch the night after Starrcade as well. But yeah, hard to build a mode with just 4 matches. Would be cool if it had been something like Sting beating various nWo members (with escalating difficulty) and lastly getting to fight Hogan at Starrcade, in kind of a boss fight. Problem is that Sting pretty much just hung around in the rafters for a year or so before Starrcade, only occasionally attacking nWo (and WCW) wrestlers.

[Bill Casey]

First screen shot:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BuM1vYRCUAAee_J.jpg

There's no way the CAWs will look that good...:\
They still have CAWs, right?

[Atty]

VIGO'S IN THIS GAME?!

[OD50]

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y259/TroubleBruin/Vigo-Cena.jpg

[OD50]

There's no way the CAWs will look that good...:\
They still have CAWs, right?

I'm guessing the CAW's will look good but the customization options being way more limited. Less morphing and more like Mr Potato Head or LEGO.

[The Rogerer]

They never satisfactorily got past painted on t-shirts in all their years. The alternative was stuff like Edge coming out in his Michelin Man coat.

[TimeSplitter]

I'm intrigued by the career mode for next gen. Loved the 2k baseball career mode. If it is anything like that, they'll get my $$$.

[OD50]

From what I understand it's very similar to the NBA 2k14 career mode Morrison mentioned. I have no clue how that one is though, basketball (and basketball games) isn't really my thing..

[Mr McGregor]

Anyone old enough to remember IGN's annual SmackDown Countdown? Gripping stuff.

For this game, I'm really hoping they pay a bit more attention to the presentation. The inauthentic camera angles have always bothered me, particularly when you see the efforts made to get the TV logos and graphics on the screen and then they have the camera inexplicably spin around above the wrestlers' heads :wtf: There are literally four cameras used during matches on WWE television shows (one either side of the ring, two at the front) at varying zooms. It can't be that difficult. I don't think any WWF/E game has got it right so far.

Also, I'd like to see them remove the pauses when the match concludes, such as when someone is pinned and then everything in the ring stops while the graphic shows the decision, the screen then blacks/loads for a moment and then the win animation plays (with wrong fukken camera angles). Obviously I get the purpose of this but it needs smoothing out. It should go straight into an animation based on the match winning conditions (a surprise or cheat victory will have the winner quickly roll out and back away, a hard-fought clean win will have a tired in-ring celebration etc etc). Stuff that happens.

Small trivial touches maybe, but the semi-attentive efforts to simulate the presentation have always kind of irked me and these just seem so very obvious.

[OD50]

I remember downloading a 5 second clip of WWF War Zone from IGN, took me like 45 minutes on a 56k modem. It was something like Goldust Irish Whipping Mankind, and that was all.. The patience we used to have back in the day.. :eek:

[Donald]

Aye, I remember picking which videos I wanted to watch very carefully because of the time it took for them to load.

[OD50]

Yeah, I downloaded that clip at work because how expensive it would have been downloading for 45 minutes straight at home, with the running cost thing at the time. Crazy how things have changed, thankfully.

/As for 2k15.. I really want to see some gameplay now, tired of waiting!

[OD50]

http://wrestleshare.com/?di=V5K7

[Kdestiny]

that looks awesome

[Newf]

Smacktalks on YouTube is postulating that them being shown in the first screenshots in the same match along with the announcement of the rivalry Showcase (and I'll admit this is reaching on his part) could mean that their rivalry will be one of the 2 focused on in that mode.

I kind of hope not. That would bore me to tears. :\

I feel like Regina George: "Stop trying to make fetch Cena/Orton happen!"

[Mark Hammer]

Aye, I remember picking which videos I wanted to watch very carefully because of the time it took for them to load.
It really forced us to keep our wrestling video viewing priorities in check.

[Bill Casey]

Smacktalks on YouTube is postulating that them being shown in the first screenshots in the same match along with the announcement of the rivalry Showcase (and I'll admit this is reaching on his part) could mean that their rivalry will be one of the 2 focused on in that mode.

I kind of hope not. That would bore me to tears. :\

I feel like Regina George: "Stop trying to make fetch Cena/Orton happen!"

Cena/Orton blatantly is one of the rivalries...
I hope there's a mode where Cena and Orton have to struggle to keep the crowd's interest, and if you fail it turns into their Royal Rumble match...

[The_Mike]

It's always been a little funny when I think about the WWE games, really, how devoted they are to let you really push the WWE aspect out of the game and completely run with your own creations. From a 'franchise' point of view it's a strange priority, if you think about it.

This is one of the few things I like about the series by this point, and I think it's come about by wrestling fans being a very dedicated and nosy bunch who have been clamouring for ways to basically run their own feds for at least fifteen years. There's been a whole genre of such games out there, made by amateur and indy developers, so there was always fan demand for something with polish and pretty graphics that gave you similar freedom. Wrestling's heyday was when there were multiple federations competing, so I suppose it's a way to sort of recapture that magic by imagining you building your own empire and seeing how it does. And with all the competition basically dead, WWE as a franchise doesn't really have to worry about people using their game to play around in a competitor's world, so I suppose it wasn't a big hurdle for Yukes to convince them to have such a mode.

It's become kind of a staple of wrestling games now to offer some way to run your own thing. Way back in the day Attitude had Create-a-PPV mode which really just let you string a few matches together and change the lights and apron colours, but it was one way to capture players' imaginations just by giving some form of 'control' and cohesion to your own created show. And even the last couple of Fire Pro games have had match-booking modes.

[Kimura Kid]

http://oyster.ignimgs.com/wordpress/stg.ign.com/2014/08/Orton_2-720x405.jpg

[mr sabu]

has more personality in that pic then he normally shows

[Jez]

This is unexpected: CM Punk is not only in the game but is included in the 2K Showcase as the two featured feuds are Punk vs. Cena and Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels.

http://t.co/mAsl9sYRg0