WWE 2K24 Review: Finishing The Story, One Annual Instalment At A Time

My special interests are Final Fantasy, gay media of all forms, and professional wrestling, so I haven’t missed a WWE game in well over a decade. This isn’t exactly a good thing, as most of them are mediocre and only in recent years has 2K taken ownership of the failing series and crafted something worthy of the world’s biggest wrestling brand.

For the past several years, a return to a simpler gameplay formula and focusing on a handful of satisfying game modes and mechanics has allowed the franchise to shine, getting back to a pick-up-and-play mentality that for years was lost under waves of simulation ideas that only complicated a game that should be all about sick finishing moves and the melodramatic theatre of professional wrestling.

It’s basically anime with badass athletes who get sweaty for our amusement, and the further the games stray away from this fantasy, the worse they get. Thankfully, WWE 2K24 leans into the absurdity of the craft, giving players an opportunity to put on their top dream matches while reliving decades of wrestling history. While it still falls short in certain ways, this is the closest 2K has come to greatness in some time.

What’s New In WWE 2K24?

On the surface, WWE 2K24 is an abundantly iterative entry in the series canon. Many of its menus and character models are identical to last year, as are some of the combos, special moves, and controls available across its extensive roster. If you played the past three titles, you can easily jump into 2K24 and feel right at home. Or feel aggrieved if you’ve spent $70 on a minor upgrade, depending on your outlook.

There are some new mechanics, such as sparring matches where you must exchange continuous blows with an opponent using a brief quick-time event, and throwing weapons which are so hilariously slapstick that I can’t help but applaud them. Sprinting to the other side of the arena and yeeting a kendo stick at your opponent’s face like it’s a bamboo homing missile is a stroke of genius, and exactly the sort of idiocy I want to see from games like this.

You’ve also got a handful of new game modes this time around. Casket and Ambulance matches make their return after years away, and essentially require you to beat someone until they are weak enough to haul onto your shoulders and be dumped into either of the aforementioned places.

While the theming is cool, it inevitably boils down to mashing buttons like you would to make someone tap out during a submission, so aside from the aesthetics and cool moves that can be performed by climbing atop the ambulance, these grow old fast. It’s nice to see a greater variety of matches to put on, however, with 2K gradually adding more and more each year until these games return to their PS2 glory days.

Special Guest Referee matches are my favourite new addition, transforming the dynamic entirely as you step into the shoes of a wrestler who, instead of dealing damage, must be present to oversee pins, submissions, and the behaviour of both athletes before them. It feels relatively barebones, with the commentary team either praising you one second and tearing you to pieces the next, all because you timed a pin count correctly or called out a spot of foul play. You can also choose to abandon your duties and beat everyone up just because you feel like it. Playing both sides, that’s how you come out on top in 2K24.

Showcase Mode Celebrates 40 Years Of WrestleMania

Instead of focusing entirely on John Cena’s career with playful elements of tongue-in-cheek subversion, this year’s Showcase Mode explores four decades of WrestleMania history. From Hulk Hogan vs Andre The Giant to Cody Rhodes vs Roman Reigns, 2K has clearly done its homework when it comes to not only recreating dozens of classic matches, but lining them up with archive footage and gameplay objectives that make you feel like a part of history.

It doesn’t sit right with me that problematic figures like Hulk Hogan and Brock Lesnar are still part of the picture, but their achievements are sadly pivotal to the company’s legacy, whether we like it or not. The developers also have nothing to do with unfolding scandals in the company right now, and were likely working up to the wire with no time to make changes.

You can win matches and progress to the next one in Showcase Mode by just pinning your opponent whenever you like, but rewards are unlocked by finishing objectives in sequence and allowing the match to play out like it did in reality. I loved listening to Corey Graves and his recollection of events, and the arenas and athletes are brilliantly presented in a way that effectively mimics the real thing, but the objectives are still overly reliant on specific moves and the enemy AI behaving properly that it can get frustrating.

There were several moments where I found myself locked into a loop of offensive moves outside the ring, and didn’t have time to get back inside before the referee counted me out, forcing me to restart. Matches in this mode don’t have checkpoints, so one screw-up, and you’ll need to do it all again. Or you can just pin your opponent straight away and avoid all the obnoxious pitfalls.

There is so much meat to Showcase this time around, and it’s worth chewing through the rough sinew to reach its high points, but I can’t help but wonder if, after almost a decade in the spotlight, 2K will need to soon overhaul this mode, or risk running out of matches and rivalries to draw from. I dive deep into it every year, but with each entry come the same complaints which 2K seemingly has no intention of addressing.

Finish Cody Rhodes’ Story, And Start Your Own

2K24 incorporates two new career modes in the form of Undisputed and Unleashed, which focus on male and female wrestlers respectively. One has you challenging the reign of Roman Reigns when he suddenly abdicates his title after thousands of days as champion, and the other focuses on your rise through the independent scene before finally taking on WWE, with all the controversy that comes with making the jump.

There is a weirdly surreal appeal to actual wrestlers appearing in this mode, complete with terrible voice acting, while having to gradually improve your stats or deal with squabbles on social media makes this story mode hokey, yet oddly endearing.

MyFaction and its focus on collecting trading cards and spending lots of money is back, as is MyGM where you can plan your own shows and turn the WWE into a well-oiled machine that not only makes bank, but tells compelling stories to boot. Both of these modes are solid, but remain largely familiar to what came before with the intention of getting their hooks in before they let go ahead of the next game coming around.

The annual nature of this franchise can make it hard to feel truly invested, so I always find it best to appreciate the new additions and look toward what the future might bring, instead of becoming obsessed over an experience which, by design, is inherently fleeting.

Every single year, I come to the same conclusion with this series. WWE 2K24 once again builds on the foundations of its predecessors and continues to add compelling features and ideas that will inevitably build into the ultimate package, but it is never quite enough. Nor is there enough time in each development cycle to address well-worn criticisms and ensuring new modes, superstars, and gameplay features are all up to snuff.

WWE 2K24 comes closer than ever to bucking this trend, which alone is a cause for celebration. It’s a good time, and now, for the first time in years, I can pull out a few controllers and step into the squared circle with friends without fear they’ll be lost amidst a sea of impenetrable nonsense.

WWE 2K24

Reviewed On PlayStation 5

WWE 2K24 continues the WWE 2K series with Cody Rhodes as its cover star. Also celebrating 40 years of WrestleMania, 2024’s installment reintroduces dormant match types to the fold, including casket and special guest referee bouts.

Pros

• Showcase Mode is a powerhouse of wrestling history
• Extensive roster and selection of modes to choose from
• Moment-to-moment wrestling is fun and easy to get into

Cons

• AI can still frustrate and ruin pivotal gameplay moments
• New additions aside, not much has changed