WWE 2K18

[The Law]

Just announced on ESPN that Seth Rollins will be on the cover. Really that's the only news we've gotten so far but I'm sure that will heat up in the next few weeks. Roster reveal is usually Summerslam weekend.

Kurt Angle's going to be back in a WWE game for the first time in ten years so I expect he'll be the pre-order bonus. Looking forward to the Hall of Fame DLC with the Rock N Roll Express (and hopefully the Midnight Express as their opponents) and DDP (vs. Randy Savage?).

Big question is if Hogan is in the game. Think it might be another year.

[Peter Griffin]

I hope they do a proper showcase this year, Based on what I dunno.

[Eddie Brock]

Did anyone else see the post on Facebook from WWE? It had The Undertaker's clothes folded up with his hat on top of it all... Any ideas?

It looks like it has caused confusion as to whether he's coming out of retirement and wrestling again or if it's something to do with the video game coming out.

My guess is it has something to do with 2K18.

[The Law]

Undertaker showcase would make a lot of sense. And be awesome. Really ought to get Hogan in if they're going to do that thought since two of his world title wins were against Hogan. Taker's had so many different incarnations and wrestled guys from so many different eras he's perfect for showcase mode.

[Eddie Brock]

I think Undertaker would be a good one. Give us all of his opponents. This is a no brainer. If they need to leave Snuka out so be it. I'd love for it to be Undertaker for numerous reasons. Main reason being he has always been my favorite superstar and would love to have some of his opponents like, I don't know maybe Sid...

[OD50]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwRUret15ds

Lots of discussion about the trailer online..

[OD50]

Did anyone else see the post on Facebook from WWE? It had The Undertaker's clothes folded up with his hat on top of it all... Any ideas?

It looks like it has caused confusion as to whether he's coming out of retirement and wrestling again or if it's something to do with the video game coming out.

My guess is it has something to do with 2K18.

The trailer explains all.

[OD50]

Legends and old school paraphernalia seen in the trailer, some of it getting demolished/torched by Rollins:

Jake the Snake cartoon figure on the monitor.
Ultimate Warrior statue.
Flair/HBK/Diesel/Savage/Bret/Rock/Sting outfits (Flair's gets torched).
WWF "Winged Eagle" belt 1988-1998
Austin's ATV.
Undertaker casket/robe/gloves/hat.
Cactus Jack barbed wire bat.
Sting black bat.
DX military helmet (WCW invasion).
Mankind mask/Mr Socko.
Million Dollar Belt.
Intercontinental title belt (yellow version, possible Warrior's WMVI belt).
Smoking Skull title belt.
WCW/nWo big gold World title belt.
WCW World title belt.
Papa Shango top hat.
HHH King of Kings helmet thingie.
Andre The Giant statue.
Dusty Rhodes boots.
Brutus Beefcake hedge-clippers.
Kurt Angle boots.
Painting with "DX" spray painted on it.
Tatanka head-dress.
JBL cowboy hat.
Box marked "Jeri-Tron".
Big Bossman shirt (1980's).
Box marked "WCW".

[The Law]

The trailer is amazingly well shot. 2K seems to hit a homerun with these every single time. The Sting one, the Goldberg bunker last year, the Austin one a couple years back.

It is a little weird for babyface Seth Rollins to be destroying all the memorabilia. Would probably make more sense if it was Bray. Doesn't really matter, they're just going for something cool looking that gets buzz and this did it.

[Bill Casey]

It'd make more sense if it was Randy Orton...
Because he loves to commit arson...

[The Law]

I've been thinking about an Undertaker showcase and it would be so damn awesome. Think of all the opponents and matches he's had in his career. Tons of fun gimmick matches they can do (Hell in a Cell, Buried Alive, Boiler Room Brawl, Inferno Match). He wrestled the big stars of the 1980s (Hogan, Warrior, Flair, Dusty, Piper) the 1990s (Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Steve Austin, Rock, Triple H) and the 2000s (Cena, Batista, CM Punk, Roman Reigns).

Basically the only hang up is some undesirable guys played a big role in his career. Jimmy Snuka was his first Wrestlemania opponent (could probably leave that out and it wouldn't be too big a loss) and he won the title from Hogan twice (hard to not have him in there). I don't know if they're ready to do business with Hogan again yet. But if they are maybe bringing him back in a non-featured role in the game would be a good first step.

[darkhorse]

I just realized this comes out the same day as The Fractured But Whole

I'm sure that'll keep me busy until 2K fixes the first round of bugs that always come with these games

[Nash Diesel]

I've been thinking about an Undertaker showcase and it would be so damn awesome. Think of all the opponents and matches he's had in his career. Tons of fun gimmick matches they can do (Hell in a Cell, Buried Alive, Boiler Room Brawl, Inferno Match). He wrestled the big stars of the 1980s (Hogan, Warrior, Flair, Dusty, Piper) the 1990s (Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Steve Austin, Rock, Triple H) and the 2000s (Cena, Batista, CM Punk, Roman Reigns).

Basically the only hang up is some undesirable guys played a big role in his career. Jimmy Snuka was his first Wrestlemania opponent (could probably leave that out and it wouldn't be too big a loss) and he won the title from Hogan twice (hard to not have him in there). I don't know if they're ready to do business with Hogan again yet. But if they are maybe bringing him back in a non-featured role in the game would be a good first step.

They literally just did this like 2-3 games ago.

[The Law]

No they didn't.

[Donald]

They had a Keep the Streak alive mode, but not a Showcase.

[The Law]

Angle is the pre-order. No surprise there.

[TimeSplitter]

If the improve the my career section, this'll be a must by.

[The Law]

So who are going to be the new additions to the roster? Angle's been announced, I expect they'll add in most or all of the Cruiserweights. A lot of guys who were DLC last year will be on the regular disc this year (Nakamura, Anderson and Gallows, Aries). Hardyz will hopefully make the cut but it wouldn't surprise me if they ended up being DLC. Authors of Pain should be in, same with Bobby Roode.

I'm sure they'll keep doing the Hall of Fame showcase, so we'll get Rock N Roll Express, Teddy Long, and Beth Phoenix. Rude and DDP have been in the last few games and Angle is already announced.

Any other new legends? I hope we get The Midnight Express and Cornette as DLC in the Hall of Fame pack.

What about alternate attires/personas? I want 90s Goldust.

[Nash Diesel]

No they didn't.


They had a Keep the Streak alive mode, but not a Showcase.

Which is pretty much the same thing. They did a "showcase" of his WM matches.

[Morrison]

Which is pretty much the same thing. They did a "showcase" of his WM matches.

no they didn't. the streak mode was a gauntlet mode, like the old slobberknocker mode, where you could play as the undertaker and run the gauntlet where they would throw every single character from the game at you.

[Kdestiny]

He must be mixing up both modes here because they also had a 30 years of Wrestlemania mode.

still wrong though.

[OD50]

Some new info has dropped today, the ones that interested me was new graphics engine, match creator and eight characters in the ring at once. Graves/Saxton/Cole is on commentary and JoJo the ring announcer. The roster is "by far" the biggest ever, or so they said.

[Peter Griffin]

Meh still should have separate commentary teams for Raw/SD :happysad:

[OD50]

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/wwe-2k18-devs-detail-revamped-story-upgraded-visua/1100-6451358/

[the_man_diva]

Return of mixed-gender wrestling... hell yeah! I'm sure that just means Mixed Tags, which I'm all for, doubt we'll ever get inter-gender single's matches back, but DAMN, that would be amazing if possible.

In any event, Eight-Man Matches, I'm excited! And also, I can definitely see this year having the biggest roster... pretty much everyone from last year will be in this game, including the NXT DLC. The only people who will, more than likely, omitted will be Eva Marie, Brie Bella, The Dudley Boyz, Alberto Del Rio, and Simon Gotch... even then, with Eva still under contract they may just keep her in for the numbers (same for Brie Bella). On top of everyone from last year, they'll more than likely be adding:

-Lana (DLC playable character, or playable right off the bat)
-Paul Ellering (manager)
-Authors of Pain
-DIY
-Peyton Royce
-Billie Kay
-All the members of Insanity (or at least just Eric Young & Nikki Cross)
-James Ellsworth
-Jinder Mahal
-The Singh Brothers
-The Brian Kendrick
-Jack Gallagher
-Tyler Bate
-Rich Swan
-TJP
-Mickie James
-The Hardy Boyz
-Maryse (manager more likely, would love if she was playable though)
-Rhyno

There are so many wrestlers to add this year.

[RuneEdge]

8 men in the ring at once is going to be mental. Survivor Series matches will look cool. :yes:

Hopefully we can do something like four way tag TLC matches.

[Donald]

Return of mixed-gender wrestling... hell yeah! I'm sure that just means Mixed Tags, which I'm all for, doubt we'll ever get inter-gender single's matches back, but DAMN, that would be amazing if possible.

In any event, Eight-Man Matches, I'm excited! And also, I can definitely see this year having the biggest roster... pretty much everyone from last year will be in this game, including the NXT DLC. The only people who will, more than likely, omitted will be Eva Marie, Brie Bella, The Dudley Boyz, Alberto Del Rio, and Simon Gotch... even then, with Eva still under contract they may just keep her in for the numbers (same for Brie Bella). On top of everyone from last year, they'll more than likely be adding:

-Lana (DLC playable character, or playable right off the bat)
-Paul Ellering (manager)
-Authors of Pain
-DIY
-Peyton Royce
-Billie Kay
-All the members of Insanity (or at least just Eric Young & Nikki Cross)
-James Ellsworth
-Jinder Mahal
-The Singh Brothers
-The Brian Kendrick
-Jack Gallagher
-Tyler Bate
-Rich Swan
-TJP
-Mickie James
-The Hardy Boyz
-Maryse (manager more likely, would love if she was playable though)
-Rhyno

There are so many wrestlers to add this year.

Jack Swagger will be omitted too :( :( :( :(

[Peter Griffin]

And Starrrrrdusttttttttttt

[OD50]

8 men in the ring at once is going to be mental. Survivor Series matches will look cool. :yes:

Hopefully we can do something like four way tag TLC matches.
With Match Creator back hopefully we can put together custom matches just like that. I'd like to put together a 4 vs. 4 Hell in a Cell for example (pretty much War Games), if possible elimination style. Used to love playing tag team-team ladder matches in HCTP, those should definitely be possible this year.

One of of my other "wishes" for this year would be being able to play Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber matches in any arena. Won't happen, but maybe you can recreate the match-types in Match Creator and bypass the problem that way? Probably not though, WWE seems hell bent on RR and EC matches only being played in the current arena(s).

In the past you could at least have those matches in other venues in Universe Mode. For example if you had a WCW/NWA Battle Bowl, Bunkhouse Stampede or World War 3 PPV in Universe you could select the theme of the show to be "Royal Rumble" and the rumble would take place in whatever ring you were using for that show. Of course that was removed for 2K17.

[OD50]

As for the roster, since I don't watch the current main programming or have ever played as any SD or Raw characters (my first ever match in 2K17 was Samoa Joe vs. Ted Dibiase for some reason, Joe was possibly still in NXT at the time I though think. Managers were playable before the first patch) I'm just hoping that they add as many legends as possible and removing as few as possible from last year (same goes for the NWA/WCW/WWF arenas). Would love to have a non-manager Ted Dibiase this year. Looking forward to NXT guys like Bobby Roode, DIY, Roddy Strong and the AoP though.

*Oh, and I really hope Paul Ellering makes it. Would be nice to have him manage the AoP and edit him a bit and have him manage the LoD as well. There's excellent CAW's of Hawk and Animal every year thankfully.

As for new legends this year, I'm thinking that the ones involved in the concussion lawsuit are definitely out.

Full list of plaintiffs:
Road Warrior Animal, Jimmy Superfly Snuka, Paul Ordndorff, Chavo Guerrero, Jr., Chavo Guerrero, Sr., Adam Bomb, Ahmed Johnson, Kamala, Dave Hebner, Earl Hebner, King Kong Bundy, Ken Patera, Sabu, Barry Darsow, Bill Eadie, John Nord, Johnny The Bull, Henry Godwin, Princess Victoria, Judy Martin, Mark Jindrak, Axl Rotten's Estate, Marty Jannetty, Jon Heidenreich, The Warlord, The Barbarian, The Crippler Larry Oliver, Bobbi Billiard, Rex King, Tracy Smothers, Black Bart, Slick, One Man Gang, Jesse Barr, Butch Reed, Jazz, Sylvain Grenier, Omar Atlas, Don Leo Jonathan, Shane Douglas, Muhammad Hassan, James Brunzell, Susan Green, King Kong Mosca, Jim Powers, Mike Enos, Lou Marconi, Rod Price, Donald Driggers, Rodney Mack and Outlaw Ron Bass.
Kind of sad that guys like Kamala, Bundy, Demolition, Animal, OMG And Mr Wonderful are likely off-limits, would be great having them in the game. Wonder about Superfly Snuka since he is since deceased, I'm sure they would love to include him if (when) they do the Undertaker's streak showcase, being #1 on the list and all. Tamina being employed makes it easier I'm guessing.

[Peter Griffin]

Dave and Earl Hebner, Get tae fuck :lol:, Pretty sure Chavo Classic and Snuka aren't plaintiffs any more :shifty:

[Donald]

It would be like me suing my company for back problems from sitting in a chair all day.

[OD50]

Dave and Earl Hebner, Get tae fuck :lol:, Pretty sure Chavo Classic and Snuka aren't plaintiffs any more :shifty:
Outlaw Ron Bass as well.

[OD50]

Guys like Black Bart, Don Driggers and Omar Atlas on the list is quite baffling, full on jobbers who spent 99% of their careers outside of the WWF/E. Not even an old school aficionado like me know who some of them are, like Bobbi Billiard.

[TheWrestler]

They need to up their graphics game big time.

Case in point, from 2k17:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C-v8jpkXYAAwUNX.jpg:large

http://68.media.tumblr.com/6468e2742c6597b38db6a368cca557b8/tumblr_oe87ufyTdS1sj4xr4o1_500.gif

[Mr McGregor]

http://68.media.tumblr.com/6468e2742c6597b38db6a368cca557b8/tumblr_oe87ufyTdS1sj4xr4o1_500.gif

:lol: That's terrifying.

I read that they're aiming for NBA2K standards with the graphics, which is pretty good.

One of the things that stops me buying these games is seeing really old animations that should've been removed or redone years ago. I remember watching a review for last year's release and recognising a mocap from the 2007 game, that looked shit even then. To see it a decade later suggests that they don't really QC these very well, and the game is filled with all these random, horrible looking moves/cut-scenes. Yes, it's picky.

Fire Pro should be out in a few weeks :yes:

[OD50]

There's a brand new graphics engine (graphics engine though, not game engine) this year that 2K has been working on for the last 2-3 years apparently. According to those that have seen glimpses of 2K18 it looks amazing compared to 2K17. Their words not mine. The devs said they were aiming for NBA 2K standards but have surpassed it with the new engine.

[OD50]

I have 0 interest in basketball but I checked out some gameplay videos of NBA 2K17 and really liked the look of the arenas and the crowds, way better than the WWE versions. Commentary shouldn't even be compared.. :lol:

[mr sabu]

now that they have scrapped the 360/ps3 version they can update the graphics

[Tim]

I hope they fix how when someone with long hair moves it looks like their hair is some type of alien chasing them.

[OD50]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jny-xFx8-Ys

[OD50]

I'm guessing this concerns WWE 2K19 more than 2K18 but it's still pretty interesting:


AI SOFTWARE ENGINEER - WWE 2K

Who We Are:

A pioneer in video games across multiple generations and the creator of some of the top-rated video game franchises including 2K Sports and the NBA 2K series, Visual Concepts is widely regarded as one of the world's top studios. A subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (TTWO), Visual Concepts continues to innovate in gameplay, creativity and technology. With studios in Marin County, California, Shanghai, China and Seoul, South Korea, Visual Concepts is a culture of excellence and passion for building amazing products year after year, and offers top candidates the opportunity to learn and grow with some of the smartest and most creative minds in the industry.

What We Need:

We are seeking software engineers with experience in game-play systems including AI behavior trees and animation control logic.

Minimum Requirements:

3 years minimum of relevant experience
Bachelors or Masters Degree in Computer Science
High proficiency in C / C++
Deep understanding of object oriented programming
Able to diagnose and solve problems quickly and independently
Able to learn and master complicated code systems
Able to write clean, bug-free, well-documented and efficient code
Experience in console development as an engineer is a solid plus
Passion for videogames
Good team player
Unreal Engine experience is strongly preferred

I'm thinking that with ditching last gen and implementing a new graphics engine this year they are finally ready to discard the once so great game engine they are using now and replace it with UE4. TNA Impact used Unreal Engine 3 back in the day so it's clearly adaptable to wrestling games.

[The Law]

Yeah, I've wondered for a couple years if the previous generation wasn't holding them back from making big changes.

[OD50]

Probably. From what I have read they basically had to develop two different games simultaneously, one for PS3/360 and one for PS4/XBO. Ditching last gen frees up some hands at least.

[Mr McGregor]

For a measly £129.99 you can grab yourself the WWE 2K18 Cena Nuff Edition (https://www.amazon.co.uk/WWE-2K18-Cena-Nuff-Xbox/dp/B0748RG1NF/ref=sr_1_3?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1501143097&sr=1-3&keywords=wwe+2k18+cena) which includes some additional plastic and two DLC chaps:


Exclusive Mattel John Cena "Cena (Nuff)" Action Figure.
Limited Edition Piece of the Ring Mat and Autographed Photo from John Cena.
WWE 2K18 Deluxe Edition - Inc. WWE 2K18 Season Pass.
2 Playable Versions of John Cena (ECW One Night Stand - 2006 & Wrestlemania 26 - 2010).
Playable WWE Legends Batista and Rob Van Dam.
Kurt Angle Pack: 2 Playable Versions of Kurt Angle.
Bonus Supercard Content: Limited Edition Cards of John Cena, Batista and RVD.


(Cover spoilered for size...)
https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/images/wwe2k18/wwe-2k18-collectors-edition-cena-nuff-playstation4-cover.jpg

No in-game images or footage or anything just yet though.

[lotjx]

That's a lot of dough for a vanity Cena project.

[Tim]

2 playable versions of Cena from One night stand and WM26? WTF is the difference? Camo shorts and a lime green shirt instead of a Orange shirt and denim shorts? Both of which you could probably just create on your own by editing his attire.

[Honey_Badger]

Sounds like something a ton of parents who have children between the ages of 6 and 14 will be paying for, right.

Just remember, you're not the target audience.

[Tim]

I buy the game every year, I better be the damn target audience.

[BBF]

You aren't.

[Donald]

But I am. Just pre-ordered this and can't wait!

[RuneEdge]

Its called the "Cena Nuff Edition". Even 2K know the majority aren't the target audience.

[Bill Casey]

2 playable versions of Cena from One night stand and WM26? WTF is the difference? Camo shorts and a lime green shirt instead of a Orange shirt and denim shorts? Both of which you could probably just create on your own by editing his attire.
For reference...

https://uproxx.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/cena-one-night-stand.png
https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/enhanced/webdr01/2013/5/15/20/enhanced-buzz-28320-1368665122-2.jpg



The One Night Stand Cena would be worth it if it came with "If Cena Wins; We Riot" signs and "You Can't Wrestle", "Overrated", etc, Chants...

[OD50]

http://i.imgur.com/q3bD6Uj.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/zpuoHhn.jpg

[Tim]

That's a nice improvement.

[OD50]

Looking forward to see it in action.

[Donald]

Can't wait to see more. May not get this until the new year, but looking forward to it nonetheless.

[RuneEdge]

I need to see some pics of the 8 man carnage we could expect from this game. Visually it looks great, but I think we're at a stage where it doesn't need to look any better than it does. I'm OK with the game not improving visually for another few years, if it means other aspects of the game get an upgrade.

[Nash Diesel]

I need to see some pics of the 8 man carnage we could expect from this game. Visually it looks great, but I think we're at a stage where it doesn't need to look any better than it does. I'm OK with the game not improving visually for another few years, if it means other aspects of the game get an upgrade.

I agree. I'm sick of the other aspects of the game that are watered down or eliminated just so we can get better eyebrows on Titus O'Neil

[The Law]

Should be starting to get roster announcements soon, right? Don't they usually roll the roster out around Summerslam?

[Donald]

I agree. I'm sick of the other aspects of the game that are watered down or eliminated just so we can get better eyebrows on Titus O'Neil

We all know xenomorphs don't have eyebrows

[Atty]

They should have Trump as a playable character.

[Donald]

Trump's great, I'd have him hold every title, only for Braun to destroy him

[Matthew]

But I am. Just pre-ordered this and can't wait!

Can't wait to see more. May not get this until the new year, but looking forward to it nonetheless.
why do you lie about such weird shit?

[mr sabu]

the fact they don't have to worry about old tech is great.. should allow them to have more freedom this year

[Donald]

why do you lie about such weird shit?

Why not?

[Kdestiny]

Why not?

It's pointless.

I had wondered the same thing and realized it wasn't worth my time.

First images look great, but I still don't think it'll be much of a change. I remember the first images from the last one being great but it still looking a bit shit. Would be happy to be proven wrong though.

[darkhorse]

We'll probably see a little more improvement than usual (now that they don't have to waste time on the bare minimum updates for WWE 13 Part 6 on the older systems), but I'm not expecting to be blown away.

[Donald]

It's pointless.

I had wondered the same thing and realized it wasn't worth my time.

First images look great, but I still don't think it'll be much of a change. I remember the first images from the last one being great but it still looking a bit shit. Would be happy to be proven wrong though.

To be fair I had pre-ordered but cancelled to save money.

[Matthew]

Why not?
because, like previously stated, it is pointless and not even humorous (if that is what was intended, which i doubt).

unless you enjoy looking like a mental dipshit, then more power to ya.

like usual, i will probably rent this bad boy. if it is good and/or we get a good rajah online community for this, then it'll be a purchase.

i want to see actual gameplay, though.

anybody know when they usually start showing some of the finish product?

[darkhorse]

I think it's usually two weeks or so before release

[The Law]

anybody know when they usually start showing some of the finish product?

Feel like we usually get a lot of info Summerslam weekend. Roster announcements, footage, ect.

So who's going to be new this year? We know we've got Kurt Angle as the pre-order. Hardyz should make it in as DLC as Wrestlemania debuts usually do. Bobby Roode will be in. Not sure about Drew McIntyre.

Assuming they do the Hall of Fame showcase again that would give us Rock N Roll Express, another version (or two) of Angle, Teddy Long, another Rick Rude, Beth Phoenix, and another DDP.

There aren't a ton of legends that jump out at me as likely additions. Feels like they've already got most of the people they're willing to work with right now. Hope they put guys like Piper, DiBiase, Slaughter who came out last year back in. And I'd love to see proper Iron Shiek, not Col. Mustafa.

[darkhorse]

Perhaps they include either Doom or Johnny B. Badd with Teddy Long?

[The Law]

Doom would be cool. They might also just do Teddy Long's match against Eric Bischoff, that was the only time I can remember him wrestling.

[Matthew]

teddy long, rodney mack and sgt. craig pittman 3pack

[darkhorse]

Better yet, fantasy warfare showcase with Teddy & Sgt. Pit Bull Pittman vs. Hardwork Bobby Walker

[darkhorse]

New in-game footage:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbcSJ7FEPfw

[Spedizzo]

there are probably a total of 6 people on earth who would want to play as Rodney Mack in 2018

[mth]

I'd be one of them.

[OD50]

Maybe it's because my current computer is an old piece of shit or because I'm watching on a television set from 2007 but I don't really see all that much difference in the 2K17/2K18 comparison clip. I actually like the face of Orton's 2K17 model better.

[Tim]

I need pics of Taker's model asap.

[RuneEdge]

http://assets1.ignimgs.com/2017/08/15/sanity-1-1502795486351_1280w.jpg

Looks cool. :yes:

[The Law]

First 47 characters revealed:

* Bray Wyatt
* Dolph Ziggler
* Sami Zayn
* Dean Ambrose
* Baron Corbin
* Kalisto
* Akira Tozawa
* Sin Cara
* Hideo Itami
* Eric Young
* Jinder Mahal
* Bushwacker Butch
* Bushwacker Luke
* Konnor
* Viktor
* Cesaro
* Sheamus
* Karl Anderson
* Luke Gallows
* Nikki Cross
* Alundra Blayze
* Emma
* Lita
* Summer Rae
* Paige
* Brie Bella
* Nikki Bella
* British Bulldog
* Buddy Roberts
* Diamond Dallas Page
* Big Boss Man
* Mark Henry
* Bam Bam Bigelow
* Bret Hart
* Dusty Rhodes
* The Undertaker
* Big Show
* Andre the Giant
* Kane
* Diesel (and Kevin Nash)
* Luke Harper
* Erick Rowan
* Sawyer Fulton
* Alexander Wolfe
* Killian Dain
* Braun Strowman
* Goldust

No big surprises there. But a number of new additions.

[Donald]

Good to see Akira included.

[The Law]

Even if they don't add many legends this roster is going to be enormous. They had like 120 people last year, and they've signed like 50 more people since then. All the cruiserweights, tons of people in NXT. I hope without PS3 and 360 versions they can just go wild with a massive 200 person roster. Last year's roster plus all the new hires plus even more legends.

[Tim]

Im surprised they included Paige, I figured shes done regardless of her contract.

[the_man_diva]

Summer Rae, who has been gone all this time, still made the game... all bets are off, lol.

I'm hoping Jacqueline and Ivory return, Trish is a foregone conclusion, and I'm hoping all of them, along with Lita and Alundra, have different outfits than last year. Seriously, that's going to drive me fucking mental if we don't have new attires for at least Trish/Lita/Alundra. I really hope Paul Bearer, Sherri, Elizabeth, and Mr. Fuji return as managers as well.

[Peter Griffin]

Im surprised they included Paige, I figured shes done regardless of her contract.

You might want to keep up with the latest news bro ;)

[Tim]

You might want to keep up with the latest news bro ;)

You know it, WOO WOO WOO?

[OD50]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzS-8yr_eDw

[Tim]

https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianmazique/2017/08/20/wwe-2k18-hands-on-impression-the-good-the-bad-and-the-bottom-line/#373cf90f7d4a

[OD50]

Framerate issues in six man matches is troublesome, how will the new eight man matches run in that case? There's also the fact that they are playing with six in-game models and there's still frame rate issues, I play mostly with CAW's in 2K17 and there's major lag in four and six man matches whenever a model goes outside the ring, it's like the game shifts to slo-mo mode and you're wrestling in quicksand. Hopefully that gets at least improved before release, with this being an early build they're using.

I see absolutely no way that this game with its old ass 1995 engine can handle eight CAW's on screen at once without going to Lag City though.


In addition to slower action, the visual quality drops a great deal in six-person matches. Compared to the way the Superstars look in one-on-one matches, the characters looked grainy. If the action was better, this might have been more acceptable.
This made me remember an old interview with Cory Ledesma where he said that they could possibly have eight models on screen at once if they created alternate versions of each model with a much lower polygon count. I'm thinking this is what 2K has done this year.

[OD50]

As for the roster, I'm really happy that guys like the Bushwhackers and Buddy Roberts are still in, should mean of course that Jimmy Garvin and Michael Hayes returns, and maybe the Von Erich's as well. Think my biggest wish legends wise is a playable Ted DiBiase and the Honky Tonk Man. Always nice seeing regulars like Bossman, Dusty and Bam Bam of course. Since Rude is likely for a HOF DLC i'm interested in seeing if they have invested in a new model for him, the old one is "ok" but nothing more. Would like a short haired and poofy mullet version.

[Donald]

Framerate issues in six man matches is troublesome, how will the new eight man matches run in that case? There's also the fact that they are playing with six in-game models and there's still frame rate issues, I play mostly with CAW's in 2K17 and there's major lag in four and six man matches whenever a model goes outside the ring, it's like the game shifts to slo-mo mode and you're wrestling in quicksand. Hopefully that gets at least improved before release, with this being an early build they're using.

I see absolutely no way that this game with its old ass 1995 engine can handle eight CAW's on screen at once without going to Lag City though.


This made me remember an old interview with Cory Ledesma where he said that they could possibly have eight models on screen at once if they created alternate versions of each model with a much lower polygon count. I'm thinking this is what 2K has done this year.

Weren't they playing a beta version? Maybe in the final version these issues will have been fixed.

[RuneEdge]

With the PS4 Pro and now the Xbox One X, it might even be possible to retain some of the visual quality with so many models on screen. Having said that (and as I've said already earlier), the models almost look "too good" at this stage. They don't really need to look this good if its going to hold back the game in other areas.

Looking at the gameplay video, it seems like they still haven't evolved past the rigid transition between animations and it makes everything look weird when in motion. When you play a game like NBA2k or FIFA, they have hundreds of animations for various things and everything moves so realistically and lifelike. I know for a fact in FIFA's case, the game engine is able to dynamically alter animations on the fly, so that it takes into context the player model's previous position before triggering the new animation (eg. what angle was he standing at, what foot he was standing on, the momentum he was moving at). So if you try to pass the ball, the animation is almost created on the fly based on what the player was doing right before it, so that everything flows together smoothly.

In WWE games, we still have a situation where if you're Undertaker and you press the strike button, the strike itself will look exactly the same every time. The animation will just trigger and look like it unnaturally interrupted whatever you were previously doing. They tried to change it up a little many years ago when they added in multiple selling animations for the same move, to add a bit more variation. But the execution of the move itself is exactly the same every damn time.
This desperately needs to evolve.

[OD50]

Next roster batch:

Goldberg
Earthquake
Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart
Larry Zbyszko
Brutus Beefcake
Greg Valentine
Edge
The Godfather
Eddie Guerrero
Daniel Bryan
Maryse (New)
Naomi
Sasha Banks
Bayley
Ivory
Natalya
Mickie James (New)
Becky Lynch
Tamina
Ember Moon (New)
Kerry Von Erich
Kevin Von Erich
Jey Uso
Jimmy Uso
Mojo Rawley
Zack Ryder
Shinsuke Nakamura
AJ Styles
Bobby Roode (New)
The Miz
Roman Reigns
The Rock
Randy Orton
Triple H
Kurt Angle
Brock Lesnar
John Cena

[OD50]

http://i.imgur.com/NamRK1y.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/7yLUOrJ.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Ir5szm6.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/K6NgWuA.jpg

[OD50]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAF0dVkTrBc


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


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQF780tK5XY

[RuneEdge]

http://i.imgur.com/7yLUOrJ.jpg

This version of Kurt Angle looks good. But the classic one, literally looks like the older one in a bad wig. :no:


EDIT
http://i.imgur.com/QersVOZ.jpg

Looks like they reused the exact same head model and added in the hair. Instead of creating a younger looking face.

[Honey_Badger]

Laziness.

[Donald]

I hope PETE DUNN makes it in

[OD50]

Dunn would be awesome..

http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/pictures/w/welldunn/01.jpg

Well Dunn that is..

[Tim]

This version of Kurt Angle looks good. But the classic one, literally looks like the older one in a bad wig. :no:


EDIT
http://i.imgur.com/QersVOZ.jpg

Looks like they reused the exact same head model and added in the hair. Instead of creating a younger looking face.

They did the same thing last year with Taker. Present Taker had the same face as ABA Taker and Ministry Taker just with longer hair.

[RuneEdge]

Having another look at it, it seems like the whole body has been reused judging by the veins on his arms. I don't mind taking shortcuts if it still gets the job done, but that old school Kurt Angle doesn't look right.

[The Law]

Glad we're getting both versions of Angle but the one with hair looks like shit. Looks like the exact same body and face just with hair.

No real surprises from the roster so far. Wondering what new legends we'll get other than Rock N Roll Express and Beth Phoenix in the Hall of Fame DLC. RVD and Batista are returning, so that's kind of cool.

[darkhorse]

More names:

Kevin Owens
Samoa Joe
Big Cass
Rusev
Finn Bálor
Chris Jericho
Rick Martel (NEW)
Mick Foley
Ricky The Dragon Steamboat
Miss Jacqueline
Rikishi
Macho Man Randy Savage
Mr. Perfect
Lex Luger
Razor Ramon
Rick Rude
Vader
Ric Flair
Chad Gable
Alexa Bliss
Nia Jax
Tye Dillinger
Apollo Crews
Carmella
Dana Brooke
Neville
Shane Thorne (NEW)
Akam (NEW)
Rezar (NEW)
Michael P.S. Hayes
Jimmy Garvin
Tommaso Ciampa (NEW)
Cedric Alexander (NEW)
Asuka
TJP (NEW)
Roderick Strong (NEW)
Johnny Gargano (NEW)
Jason Jordan
Nick Miller (NEW)
Dash Wilder
Scott Dawson

[RuneEdge]

Surprised that Shane Thorne and Nick Miller made it. Decent selection of legends too.
Really liking this roster so far. :yes:

[Donald]

I wonder if Paul ellering will be in

[RuneEdge]

His model is used for the AOP entrances (video's on IGN).

[Honey_Badger]

Can't wait to put the World Title on Johnny Wrestling as soon as I buy this.

[OD50]

Nice to see The Model, probably his first appearance since one of those old Mega Drive/SNES WWF games. :yes:

/AoP, TM61, DIY and Roddy Strong are cool additions as well.

[OD50]

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

[Mr McGregor]

Has there been any option to turn off the camera vibrations in these games? Just curious. Kind of struggling with a camera at the top and back of the arena shaking on impact of every move. Everything else looks so beauteous.

[Peter Griffin]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DJDF3uCWsAMWfqO.jpg:large

[Donald]

One hell of a roster, gosh. Gran Metalik is in!

[OD50]

Aiden English
Alicia Fox
Big E
Billie Kay
Bo Dallas
Booker T
The Brian Kendrick
Charlotte
Christian
Curt Hawkins
Curtis Axel
Darren Young
Enzo Amore
Epico
Fandango
Goldust
Gran Metalik
Heath Slater
Kassius Ohno
Jack Gallagher
Jake “The Snake” Roberts
JBL
Kofi Kingston
Noam Dar
No Way Jose
Peyton Royce
Primo
R-Truth
Rich Swann
Rhyno
Shane McMahon
Shawn Michaels
Sting
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Stephanie McMahon
Sycho Sid
Tatanka
Tatsumi Fujinami
Titus O’Neil
Trish Stratus
Tyler Breeze
Typhoon
Tyson Kidd
Ultimate Warrior
Xavier Woods

[OD50]

Bummed that they removed Arn Anderson and Brian Pillman and was hoping they would put some guys like Sgt Slaughter, Honky Tonk Man, Roddy Piper and Ted DiBiase back in. There will probably be a legends DLC pack but I doubt that they will put guys that has already been in the game just 1-2 years ago behind a paywall.

For whatever reasons there are some wrestlers the CAW makers never manage to get right, Honky and Arn are two of them. On the other hand there are always one or two amazing Iron Sheik CAW's.

/Then again, they did have Eddie Guerrero as DLC last year despite him having been in the series on disc many, many times previous.

[OD50]

Vince McMahon, Papa Shango and Albert has been revealed by 2K to still be in the game. Hoping for AA and Pillman to still be in as well.

And the first pic of Gran Metalik:

http://i63.tinypic.com/23iv6u1.jpg

[Big]

I miss the Road to Wrestlemania storylines. Is there anything similar or is just Universe mode still?

[OD50]

Universe and My Career, they took out showcase mode last year and there won't be one this year.

Full (non DLC) roster all in one place for convenience:


Male

Aiden English
AJ Styles
Akam
Akira Tozawa
Albert
Alexander Wolfe
Andre The Giant
Apollo Crews
Bam Bam Bigelow
Baron Corbin
Big Boss Man '91
Big Boss Man '99
Big Cass
Big E
Big Show
Big Show '00
Bo Dallas
Bobby Roode
Booker T
Braun Strowman
Bray Wyatt
Bret "Hitman" Hart '97
Bret "Hitman" Hart '98
The Brian Kendrick
British Bulldog
Brock Lesnar
Brutus Beefcake
Buddy Roberts
Butch
Cactus Jack '92
Cactus Jack '98
Cedric Alexander
Cesaro
Chad Gable
Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho '00
Christian
Curt Hawkins
Curtis Axel
Daniel Bryan
Darren Young
Dash Wilder
DDP '92
DDP '98
Dean Ambrose
Diesel
Dolph Ziggler
Dude Love
Dusty Rhodes
Earthquake
Eddie Guerrero
Edge
Enzo Amore
Epico Colon
Eric Young
Erick Rowan
Fandango
Finn Balor
Finn Balor Demon
The Godfather
Goldberg '98 / Goldberg '04
Goldust
Gran Metalik
Greg Valentine
Heath Slater
Hideo Itami
Jack Gallagher
Jake Roberts '91 / Jake Roberts '96
Jason Jordan
JBL
Jey Uso
Jim Neidhart
Jimmy "Jam" Garvin
Jimmy Uso
Jinder Mahal
John Cena
Johnny Gargano
Kalisto
Kane / Kane (Corporate)
Kane '98
Karl Anderson
Kassius Ohno
Kerry Von Erich
Kevin Nash
Kevin Owens
Kevin Von Erich
Killian Dain
Kofi Kingston
Konnor
Larry Zbyszko
Lex Luger
Luke
Luke Gallows
Luke Harper
Mankind
Mark Henry
Michael "PS" Hayes '86 / '92
The Miz
Mojo Rawley
Mr.McMahon
Mr.Perfect
Neville
Nick Miller
No Way Jose
Noam Dar
Papa Shango
Primo Colon
R-Truth
Randy Orton
Randy Savage
"Ravishing" Rick Rude
Razor Ramon
Rezar
Rhyno
Ric Flair '88
Ric Flair '91
Rich Swann
Rick Martel
Ricky Steamboat '91
Ricky Steamboat '94
Rikishi
The Rock
The Rock '01
Roderick Strong
Roman Reigns
Rusev
Sami Zayn
Samoa Joe
Sawyer Fulton
Scott Dawson
Scott Hall
Seth Rollins
Shane McMahon
Shane Thorne
Shawn Michaels '97
Shawn Michaels '98
Sheamus
Shinsuke Nakamura
Sin Cara
Steve Austin '97
Sting
Sting '88
Sting '91
Sting '98
Sting '99
"Stunning" Steve Austin
Sycho Sid
Tatanka
Tatsumi Fujinami
Titus O'neil
TJP
Tommaso Ciampa
Triple H
Triple H '01
Triple H '98
Tye Dillinger
Tyler Breeze
Typhoon
Tyson Kidd
Ultimate Warrior
Undertaker '91 / Undertaker '98 / Undertaker '99 (Ministry of Darkness)
The Undertaker
Undertaker '00
Vader
Viktor
Xavier Woods
Zack Ryder



Female

Alexa Bliss
Alicia Fox
Alundra Blayze
Asuka
Bayley
Becky Lynch
Billie Kay
Brie Bella
Carmella
Charlotte
Dana Brooke
Ember Moon
Emma
Ivory
Jacqueline
Lita
Maryse
Mickie James
Naomi
Natalya
Nia Jax
Nikki Bella
Nikki Cross
Paige
Peyton Royce
Sasha Banks
Stephanie McMahon
Summer Rae
Tamina
Trish Stratus




Manager Only

Bobby Heenan
Lana
Paul Ellering
Paul Heyman
Ted Dibiase




Additional Content

Batista '10
John Cena '06
John Cena '10
Kurt Angle '01
Kurt Angle '06
Rob Van Dam '06

[OD50]

Manager only Ted DiBiase makes me kind of.. :(:rant:

[Big]

Is mycareer storyline based? Or random exhibition matches with a CAW?

[OD50]

Never played it. I think there's some sort of story though.

[OD50]

First "gameplay" trailer:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgCFz8L1774

[OD50]

Most interesting parts for me were the new Andre The Giant model (really surprised by that, but it was needed..), Royal Rumble '91 USA attire for the Warrior, 8-man matches, can't tell what attire Macho Man is wearing. My guess would be the green one from his 1988 SNME match against Andre.

Some of the models look pretty amazing honestly, ECW Kurt Angle and Asuka for example.

[darkhorse]

Has DLC been announced yet?

[OD50]

Nah. Last year it was announced on September 22, so probably any day now.

[Tim]

Will they try and replicate the WM33 entrance ramp? Or just do a normal sized one?

[Kdestiny]

It looked normal size from what I could tell

[OD50]

Definitely looked generic sized to me as well. I think one problem is that all arenas, from NXT to WrestleMania must have the same sized ramp because of the canned entrance animations. They would probably have to mo-cap three different entrances (one for Full-Sail/NXT style venues, a second for the average sized venues and a third for stadium/dome sized WM venues) for each wrestler to make it work. There's probably other ways around it, like adding in some generic walking animation for the WM sized entrance ramp, but they might not have that high on the priority list, which is kind of understandable.

I've always wanted a properly scaled WrestleMania III/Silverdome arena with the entrance way being half a football field or so though. :o

[Tim]

Taker better be fat in this years game, it urks me that everyone looks like a body builder.

[OD50]

No Mercy preview, Strowman vs. Lesnar:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2DvKdD0K38

/Wow, that was a straight squash wasn't it.. :lol:

[mr sabu]

brocks face is rubbing me the wrong way

[OD50]

New video of the create modes. Really like the high school gym and Hammerstein Ballroom venues. Really happy to see old blue bars returning. :hyper:

https://i.imgur.com/889sxS3.jpg


https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=422&v=y-CUN6GEYLE

All new moves are shown as well. There's a new Banzai Drop in there I see.. :chin:

[The Law]

Hardy Boyz announced as DLC.

[OD50]

Elias Samson is DLC.

[Peter Griffin]

YUSSSSS

[OD50]

Ruby Riot is next.

[OD50]

Drew McIntyre.

[Donald]

Will they allow men vs. women in this game? I had great fun trying to beat Andre the Giant with Stacy Keibler a few years ago.

[OD50]

Nah.

[OD50]

Lars Sullivan.

Slight shocker.

[darkhorse]

If Lars Sullivan's in the game, Aleister Black had better be as well.

[OD50]

If there are no contractual chicanery both Almas and Black should be in.

I'm a fan of Sullivan, it's cool that he somehow made it in.

[The Law]

What's the deal with Almas not being in?

[OD50]

There was some rumors that someone on the roster refused to be put in the game, many believed for some reason that it was Almas. We'll know pretty soon though.

[The Law]

Wonder why that would be. Not wanting to do the scanning and motion capture? Otherwise it's just a little extra money in your paycheck.

[OD50]

Rock n' Roll Express.

[the_man_diva]

The wrestler who was refused to be put in the game HAS TO BE Ellsworth... he and a playable Lana are the only big omissions I see this year. Well, actually, Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate not being in is a goddamn crime. I'm so mad about that.

[OD50]

Man, being a legends fan this DLC was absolute horse shit. Didn't expect anything amazing but at least something similar to the last couple of years 5-6 Legends DLC Pack. Rock n' Roll Express and Beth Phoenix.. Yay?

[Donald]

I'd just want the Hardys.

[The Law]

Yeah, as someone who plays these games exclusively for nostalgia this year was a bit of a letdown. No Showcase mode, not many new legends. I'll get the game because it will be my first one on XBox One and I'm looking forward to seeing what people do in Community Creations.

[Morrison]

up up down down has an exclusive gameplay video. a match between aj and hbk 98.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6SFGAMdeAY

gameplay looks solid. the commentary is absolutely fucking horrendous.

[OD50]

I read that Cole, Saxton and Graves will record new commentary every month down at the WWE PC, so it might at least improve slightly with each update.

Right now it isn't too far off the Tazz/Cole commentary in JBI though..

[The Law]

I was going to say, in Madden now you get new pieces of commentary with each roster update and they should be able to do that for the WWE games. Good for them, but still feels like the commentary is way behind where it should be.

[RuneEdge]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOxudPiU0jA
This looks so good. :yes:

[OD50]

One thing I've noticed in some entrances (Maryse and the two Aussie girls from NXT) is that the announcer only says, for example "From Montreal" or "From Sydney", not Canada or Australia. Don't think it was like that when Lilian did the announcing. Wonder why, sounds kind of strange. Does she do the same on WWE television?

[MMH]

I was going to say, in Madden now you get new pieces of commentary with each roster update and they should be able to do that for the WWE games. Good for them, but still feels like the commentary is way behind where it should be.

Its awful. It sounds nothing like the real thing. The main problem is they try and "call the action" in the game so it just sounds stilted and awkward. Madden etc have proper conversations with each other that sound like something real humans would say.

Why does the crowd still sound shit too? Its 2017!

[Matthew]

the crowds are shit in real life in 2017 so that part is realistic

[Matthew]

hey im gonna go out for a bit after work, when you lookin to play brah? you are probably sleeping or taking your kid for ice cream or some shit right now so just let me know whenevs, alright? peace out bro xoxo

[mr sabu]

saddned none of the uk guys are dlc... however black being dlc is a good thing

[Tim]

https://youtu.be/W6XB39mDAhc

The straps coming down is a cool little feature

[RuneEdge]

Its a neat idea to put in, but should've looked better in this day and age. The straps shouldn't be disappearing like a cheap PS2 era effect.

[Tim]

Its a neat idea to put in, but should've looked better in this day and age. The straps shouldn't be disappearing like a cheap PS2 era effect.

For some reason they were able to get it right for Angle, skip to the 4 min mark.

https://youtu.be/CrZifbLlJuU

[The Law]

Being able to toggle day and night for outdoor arenas is a nice addition if that's in there.

[Donald]

Being able to toggle day and night for outdoor arenas is a nice addition if that's in there.

Definitely. How about a feature where you can create a card, and as the card progresses, it gets darker?

[RuneEdge]

For some reason they were able to get it right for Angle, skip to the 4 min mark.

https://youtu.be/CrZifbLlJuU
:yes:
That looks really cool.

[The Law]

Definitely. How about a feature where you can create a card, and as the card progresses, it gets darker?

Going all the way back to Wrestlemania 2000 on the N64 you could create a pay-per-view, but not in the modern games for some reason. I mean, there's Universe Mode but that's a much bigger thing.

Dropped a pre-order on this the other day. Not that fired up for it, but it's going to be my first WWE game since I got my XBox One so I wanted to get it with the launch DLC.

[OD50]

I really wish you could toggle day/night for domed indoor arenas as well, WrestleMania III and VIII says hello. To get the daylight effect in 2K17 I had to make my WMIII arena outdoors, using the WMXXXI template.

Definitely agree that having a PPV gradually shifting from day, to evening, to night would be cool. Just like WMIII and VIII did.

[The Law]

Yeah, when I'm doing an outdoor PPV I just switch stadium templates to go from night to day. Would be really cool if you could just change it in the match settings option.

Looking forward to going roster crazy with this one. Thinking a Golden Age (pre-Hogan) roster, a Hulkamania era (1984-1992), a New Generation/Monday Night Wars roster (1993-2001). And maybe a post-Monday Night Wars roster too.

[the_man_diva]

I love that I really don't have to create a whole lot of people that are not in the game that I am a fan of... I mean, I always create or search for created versions of Chyna and Sable, but male-wise I think the only wrestlers I'll need/want to make/download from CC are Owen Hart, Tyler Bate, CM Punk, Ken Shamrock, and D'Lo Brown (to complete my Nation of Domination stable). Female-wise, other than the aforementioned Divas, probably just a hacked version of a playable Lana and created versions of Melina, Victoria, Luna, Molly, and Miss Elizabeth.

[the_man_diva]

I do really, really wish that "I Quit" Matches, Mixed Tag Matches, and Inferno/Ring of Fire Matches were back in this game from '13. Is Special Guest Referee back in as well?

I love the free-roaming aspect of backstage... but I feel like there were a lot of opportunities to do some other really crazy shit backstage with weapons/interactions that were missed.

-Seamstress' area, someone could use the mannequin or the iron as an interactive spot/weapon.
-Catering, I wish they actually showed food being thrown or used instead of empty catering dishes (I think they had that in the first SD Vs. RAW).
-No running on treadmills... :(
-Using the ice machine in the parking lot would have been great.
-Some sort of interaction with the ambulance in the parking lot would have been cool (like when in a previous game you interacted with the hearse and Boogeyman made a cameo).
-A concession stand/merch area would have been cool.
-Tossing someone through a window backstage.
-Opening a car door to bash someone's face in, or slam the door closed on their head or arm.
-A bathroom where you can give someone a swirlie or crack a mirror over their head.

It also would have been cool to sprinkle some nostalgic weapons just for fun... Pierre the Moose Head, Moppy, a crowbar, a pair of brass knuckles. I'm so happy they listened to fans but it seems like the backstage area is devoid of the charm and character that was present in earlier games from a decade ago (I don't expect exploding cars or chokeslamming people while riding a harley or doing dives off of a helicopter in Times Square again, my God... the memories; but they could have added a lot of fun interactive things).

[Tim]

Naomi’s entrance is kinda shit, I guess they couldnt figure out how to do the glow in the dark thing yet.

I havent played much yet but it seems like the rivalries in Universe mode include more cut scenes/interactions than last year.

[Jarrod1983]

Just got home. Work and errands. Holy fuck I can't wait to break this baby open! I have 2 solid hours before kids get home and take this shit over like Hall and Nash.

[Morrison]

im finding reversing the AI incredibly difficult. constant 'too late' prompts. dont know of its my reaction time or the fact the reverse button is on a trigger and im not pressing it in far enough, but it's aggravating as all hell and makes the game really tedious and unfun. i set up an iron man hiac with a downloaded 97 rated kenny omega against an 84 rated baron corbin and after a half hour quit out because it was 10-1 in corbin's favor. he'd reverse shit constantly and always seemed to regenerate his reversals quick as hell, multiple times he would go on a tear against me where no reversal prompts would appear for me during the set ups to his strikes and moves, so I'm just wildly mashing the button. so, so, so many times i would swear i got the reversal in, but the move would be completed, especially on moves that have minor and major reversals. id think i nailed it on the green minor, it wouldn't give me an early or late prompt so i think i got it, then the move continues, the yellow major reversal prompt pops up and im not ready at all for it cause i thought i did it the first time, and the move completes. i don't know how i didn't accidentally reverse some shit. i gotta mess with the sliders on it a bit.

[The Law]

First time playing on XBox One and adapting to the submission and kick out system is taking some time. Basically at this point if I get covered or put in a submission I'm done.

[The Law]

Eight man matches are a lot of fun. If only to see the entrances.

[Jarrod1983]

I like that I can do 6 man battle royals with pin and submission instead of having to be over the top elimination like it has been the last few years. Add having a 8 man elimination match is even better.

[The Law]

Royal Rumbles are going to be more fun too with eight guys on the screen at once. Haven't had a problem with the frame rate yet either.

I'll definitely do some Survivor Series matches.

[the_man_diva]

Some takeaway notes I have from playing the game all day yesterday:

-Graphics are amazing.

-Videos on the ramp have been added, which adds a lot to the entrances.

-ABSOLUTELY LOVE the new clothing materials added such as glitter, it really makes even the most basic of attires standout.

-I wish they had smoothed out Retro Kurt's face, he has his age lines and it is just really throwing me off because back then he was still really babyfaced, LOL.

-Eight-Man Tag Team Matches are fucking insane, and I experienced some lag playing them, HOWEVER, Eight-Man Battle Royals don't seem to have this issue and are really challenging in a fun way.

-I made a customized Eight-Man Tag Team Elimination Match, played with Jackie, Ivory, Trish, & Lita against Billie, Charlotte, Naomi, & Becky... was cleaning house hardcore until it was just Naomi and Billie, then, for some reason, the referee would not count my pins. He would refuse to count after I hit a finisher or if someone was knocked down on the outside, it was SO ANNOYING. Insanely fun but frustrating due to the lag and the referee.

-JoJo's mouth doesn't move when she does intros.

-Over-the-Top-Rope Battle Royals and Rumbles are way more difficult this year due to the the new carry system being implemented and I was merely clotheslined over the top and eliminated because I had a negative buff. Makes it imperative to avoid as much damage, conserve stamina, and eliminate people when you can.

-Submission System seems to be fixed... it was much easier for me to get out of submissions as opposed to last year with that damn wheel... they also added an alternative method where you can press button combinations, thank God.

-You can not extract your MyPlayer into Exhibition/Universe, meaning you have to recreate the character from scratch. That's pretty annoying, and was a feature we had last year or the year before, I can't remember... don't know why it was taken out.

-MyPlayer is very limited in regards to options for moves and gear until you buy loot cases *eyeroll*.

-I love roaming backstage and talking to people; it also helps because I'm not too familiar with a lot of the people in NXT these days... I kept confusing Sawyer Fulton with Shane Thorne, LOL. So this is helping me become acquainted with people. I really love the callback to continuity where Barron Blade is back in the game from last year or the year before and instead of being an NXT wrestler, he is know the production guy. I still hate him though, lol.

-Asuka talking about food backstage really makes me laugh my ass off.

-I love all the levels you can unlock in MyPlayer which will help you gain managers, gear, and perks to creating your own matches and titles.

-Loading screens are a bitch and I wish they were something like fast facts or wrestler bios so I had something to read while passing the time.

-Playing with Customized Matches makes me miss Mixed Tag Matches, Inferno Matches, I Quit, and Special Ref Matches all the more, this is why I keep all my old games.

-I wish there were more managers, makes me sad there is no Sherri or Liz to go with Savage; also, no Paul Bearer, Mr. Fuji, or Jimmy Hart.

-The Carry System is fun and I'm glad there is a way to get out of it too.

-Targeting is MUCH BETTER. Praise Jesus. Also, collision detection seems improved.

-WTF... DLC Wrestlers (Batista, 2 John Cenas, Kurt, and RVD) are not playable in Royal Rumble Matches. How the fuck did that get past the testers?

-Promos seem better and easier to nail.

-Some amazing work on Community Creations this year, as always... downloaded a great CM Punk, Michelle McCool, alternate attires for Lita and Mickie, and saw some amazing CAS for the Young Bucks, Omega, Liv Morgan, Eva Marie, and Chris Benoit.

-Oh man, if you play MyCareer, make your MyPlayer and then go in and re-edit him to fix the face, change the hair color, and alter the attire to make it less basic... even with the limited options you can still make something great until you unlock better gear. The game mentions you can unlock corporate attire for those in WWE Corporate and specifically mentions William Regal, I have yet to see him.... so I'm wondering when he'll pop up.

[Tim]

Anyone know how to pull the straps down on ps4?

[Jarrod1983]

-I made a customized Eight-Man Tag Team Elimination Match, played with Jackie, Ivory, Trish, & Lita against Billie, Charlotte, Naomi, & Becky... was cleaning house hardcore until it was just Naomi and Billie, then, for some reason, the referee would not count my pins. He would refuse to count after I hit a finisher or if someone was knocked down on the outside, it was SO ANNOYING. Insanely fun but frustrating due to the lag and the referee.

This has been happening to me alot. Happens when I do a 8 man battle royal but turn on pin/submission. I find if the ref is stuck just run at him and bump him down. Might take a couple trys but after the ref wakes up he seems to reset and makes the count. Hopefully they fix it soon. My 9 year old son was P-I-S-S-E-D PISSED that it happened. He had a battle royal locked up and it happened then he lost to my 10 year old daughter. She doesn't win a lot and was stoked to beat him.

[OD50]

Anyone know how to pull the straps down on ps4?
R1 + Down on the D-Pad I think.

[OD50]

Can't wait to get this tomorrow and DL The Sheik!

https://i.imgur.com/FoevQrC.jpg

[The Law]

Only having two attires instead of four is a drag. And if I understand right, does it use a CAW spot to give a guy who is in the game a new attire? Like if I make Taker's gloves purple instead of grey that uses a CAW spot?

[darkhorse]

That's how it was through 2K17. Have yet to try it with 2K18

[OD50]

Haven't got the game yet but I'm 99.99% sure it's the exact same unfortunately. Upside is that two attires (four including entrance attires) only takes up one CAW slot.

[The Law]

I wish they'd give us more attires for guys in the game. This year Vader is WCW Vader, no WWF attire. Savage only has one attire, no Macho King long tights or his 1992 look with the shirt. Only one Warrior costume, only one Rick Rude outfit. Guys like that were so defined by their look and gear you're really not getting the full package with only one outfit in the game.

Lex Luger this year is 1980s mullet Lex Luger, would love to have that look as well as Lex Express and Late 90s WCW Luger.

[Alf]

Is there a proper career mode yet?

[OD50]

There's something similar to last year where you start in NXT and work your way up. No idea if it was good though, don't use those kind of modes.

[OD50]

So, I'm playing 4 vs. 4 (no CAW's/created content) and there's some noticeable slowdown, not horrible but I'd say it looks like you are playing at 75-80% speed. I've heard people saying there's no lag/slowdown in 8-man matches so I'm starting to think there's something up with my PS4. Not sure what though.

Any opinions on the 8-man matches? Are they running smoothly for you guys?

[RuneEdge]

So, I'm playing 4 vs. 4 (no CAW's/created content) and there's some noticeable slowdown, not horrible but I'd say it looks like you are playing at 75-80% speed. I've heard people saying there's no lag/slowdown in 8-man matches so I'm starting to think there's something up with my PS4. Not sure what though.

Any opinions on the 8-man matches? Are they running smoothly for you guys?
There's definitely slowdown on the gameplay videos I've seen. Some don't have it, but they could be running on a PS4 Pro. Then again, I think it seems like the slowdowns happen when there's full blown 8 man carnage and the camera has to zoom out to capture all the action. When its a 4 vs 4 tag and 6 guys are just standing on the aprons with the default camera zoom, it looks like it runs fine in those cases.

[Nash Diesel]

I miss the older PS2 games where you could leave the arena, go fight in the streets, Club WWE or whatever it was called. There's the one where you can climb up the helicopter ladder and do a move. Gotta be Here Comes The Pain or Shut Your Mouth, I can't remember but that element is so fun. Or the backstage brawls in past games, they had some much diversity.

[RuneEdge]

There was some crazy stuff in that, like climbing up on top of the Smackdown fist. :lol:

[Jarrod1983]

So, I'm playing 4 vs. 4 (no CAW's/created content) and there's some noticeable slowdown, not horrible but I'd say it looks like you are playing at 75-80% speed. I've heard people saying there's no lag/slowdown in 8-man matches so I'm starting to think there's something up with my PS4. Not sure what though.

Any opinions on the 8-man matches? Are they running smoothly for you guys?

Sorta slow. I noticed the ref not counting in matches more and more. Started like once a night now it's like 3 or 4 times a match.

[Psycho666Soldier]

I'm assuming from the lack of posts in here that people either haven't bought the game yet or it's not that good.

[TimeSplitter]

I red-boxed it for a weekend. My Career is clunky.

[Stocky]

Myplayer is so slow to start off. now at least im getting matches every second week and won a title but it took a few hours of running from the car park to the match board to find out they either had nothing for me or a promo. The loot box system makes it slow to put cool moves on my wrestler so im stuck with boring moves. Stupid shirt system is still there. Last year i couldn't stop playing now im struggling to want to play it. I understand the loot system for pvp but not to play the base game.

[Mr McGregor]

Noticed the price dropped by almost a third today (Argos/Amazon, UK) so I'm going to give this a bash later. First WWE game in 6 years, and on current gen, so I'm curious if it's really as bad of a game or whether it just hasn't progressed sufficiently with each instalment.

[Psycho666Soldier]

Noticed the price dropped by almost a third today (Argos/Amazon, UK) so I'm going to give this a bash later. First WWE game in 6 years, and on current gen, so I'm curious if it's really as bad of a game or whether it just hasn't progressed sufficiently with each instalment.

Unless you're a stickler for some old features that don't exist anymore, you'll probably get a lot of enjoyment out of it. Usually, these games impress when you haven't played one in a while. Like you said, it's the fact the progress is so little between each iteration, and considering they have the habit of fixing one thing and breaking/taking away another, it loses its luster on successive years.

But if you haven't played one in a few years, even having not played this one yet, I would recommend it.

[Donald]

Waiting for a price drop here in the US, still $60 on Amazon.

[Mr McGregor]

Unless you're a stickler for some old features that don't exist anymore, you'll probably get a lot of enjoyment out of it. Usually, these games impress when you haven't played one in a while. Like you said, it's the fact the progress is so little between each iteration, and considering they have the habit of fixing one thing and breaking/taking away another, it loses its luster on successive years.

But if you haven't played one in a few years, even having not played this one yet, I would recommend it.

Cool, I'll keep an open-mind :yes: TBH I'm tempted by something versatile I can either go pretty deep with OR just play casually with a spare 30 minutes. At the very least I intend to play a match at least once with each character, so I figured with 200 or so to get through, that's not terrible value.

PSN is MonsieurMcGregor if anyone wants to form a tag team? (no idea if that's a thing)

[BBF]

I'm enjoying it enough to warrant buying it but its not superb. 8 man matches were basically unplayable, not online just playing a multiman match with my stepson. Career mode needs to be a little quicker, I'm starting to get bored of running down that corridor.

[Big]

I'm out til Road to Wrestlemania returns lol.... is MyCareer similar? Is there any storyline or is it the turd sandwich that it used to be of random exhibition matches with no incentive to keep playing?

[Mr McGregor]

Spent a couple of days with this game now and the best way I can describe it is that it's consistently inconsistent. It's odd, every aspect of it is both impressive and disappointing. Graphically, there's a strange mix of textures at differing definitions, but it all looks great from a distance, and the lighting is the most realistic I've seen. There's a noticeable difference between framerates - normal gameplay at 60ish, dropping during every camera change/cut-scene, then jumping back. I don't care if a game reaches 60fps or not, but the difference hopping between the two during normal play is distracting. I didn't get the reported slow-down with 8-man matches, though I'm using a PS4Pro.

Some animations/mo-caps look decent, others look dreadful, and I've recognised a couple from earlier games (last one I played was '12). Many of the characters look amazing, which makes it all the more baffling why there are still plenty of shit ones. Just overall it's apparent that the team behind it is of very mixed abilities, in every department, not working to the same standard. It feels like half-a-job, and I only half-want to keep playing.

[RuneEdge]

The amount of attention to the character models has always varied, with the top stars usually looking a whole lot better than the rest. Its usually these guys who get featured in the first few trailers, gameplay videos, etc. And its the same with moves too. The top guys get their finishers reanimated to get a fresh new look while others get the old recycled animations.
Yuke's have been doing this for years.

[Donald]

Is it the same as other sports games, are those just the same game churned out with an updated roster?

[The Law]

Basically. That's been the fan complaint about Madden for years. I only buy Madden every couple years because there's so little progression of the gameplay from year to year.

[RuneEdge]

The only other sports game I play is FIFA, where its pretty much the same deal. Updated roster, with little tweaks here and there. But with FIFA, there's usually a ton of new face scans done each year and the quality is usually very consistent. Its not really a case of where some of the top guys look realistic while others look shit. Pretty much everyone looks good.

[Nash Diesel]

My oldest son just bought this game. I'm diggin everything about it except 1 thing: This bullshit when 3 of us try to use our CAW's and they have this "parental control" bullshit message constantly popping up. I'm sure it's been addressed considering I've read it's some weird glitch so we'll be working to get this shit fixed. I'm not really a graphics type person as I am gameplay and I have to say, I'm not really a fan of the gameplay of the last couple games but it's still a blast.

[The Law]

I'd say if you bought 2K16 or 2K17 this one doesn't really have much that those didn't have. New guys on the roster and that's about it. So unless you're dying to play as Rick Martel, Cedric Alexander, or something like that there's not a ton of reason to get this one. And if you're cheap you can just buy 2K17 instead for a much lower price.

[Beer-Belly]

I'm waiting for Fire Pro Wrestling World to hit PS4. That'll probably take a while, but everyone that's played it on Steam loves it.

[Peter Griffin]

Games still fucked anyway, Collision detection is fucking hideous and when Irish whipping instead of being able to hit a rebound slam etc they just run into eachother add commentary repeating itself every ten seconds, Enzo comimg out to save Enzo from a beating and various other basic qc issues it's clear they don't give a fuck and makes me glad I use a rental service :)

[Beer-Belly]

Games still fucked anyway, Collision detection is fucking hideous and when Irish whipping instead of being able to hit a rebound slam etc they just run into eachother add commentary repeating itself every ten seconds, Enzo comimg out to save Enzo from a beating and various other basic qc issues it's clear they don't give a fuck and makes me glad I use a rental service :)

Damn, that's pretty bad.

WWE 2K18 is out on the Switch on Wednesday.

[Peter Griffin]

That was in universe after the 2nd patch mind you, I think they have another patch out so they may have sorted it but wouldn't bank on it.

[Tim]

Anyone know when the Hardys DLC will be available?

[Donald]

I'm really enjoying this game. I picked it up a month or two ago. I've been doing the Universe mode, and at the first PPV the title match was Tozawa vs. Lesnar which I played as Tozawa and now he's Universal champ :lol:

[Donald]

Did a Royal Rumble and put myself at random entry, and John Cena and Curt Hawkins drew 1 and 2, and Curt Hawkins eliminated everyone who came out up until # 9 when Heath Slater eliminated him wtf

[Donald]

Checked my records and I'm 151-0-1 with Braun Strowman :lol: