Knocked out!
By Gagan Gupta
Being the first WWE wrestling game for next gen devices, we were a bit excited about the kind of improvements we'd get to see on the franchise.But much like The Undertaker's performance in this year's WrestleMania, our anticipation was rewarded with much disappointment.
But before we get on that, here are a few things that the game does get right. The clipping is down to a bare minimum, so you won't see much of hands and legs going inside your opponent's bodies when you clothesline or dropkick them.
That may add more the overall realism, but the frantic runand-smack kind of players will suffer the most, as their opponents will get more time to react, and pull reversals.
Now, where the game majorly suffers is its lack of content. The comprehensive Create a Superstar mode was undoubtedly one of the best aspects of WWE games, but here it seems tremendously nerfed. The options are limited, you can only create a male Superstar and not a Diva, and you can't even create Finishers anymore.Even the story mode that follows after creating a superstar feels quite grindy, and takes a while to reach an interesting level.
The 2K Showcase mode is very enjoyable, reliving the legendary rivalry between Triple H and Shawn Michaels, and more recently, the one between CM Punk and John Cena.
It's a bit underdeveloped, since there are many more rivalries that could have been recreated here, but it seems like those will have to wait for a DLC or till next year's iteration of the game.
Going back to when we spoke about 'many' superstars looking real in the game, the unfortunate flipside to that is that there are many others who have not received that same special treatment. Shawn Michaels, who seemed to look fine in the previous iterations looks freakishly weird, especially during the entrance sequence. Even John Cena looks like a cheap figurine of the actual superstar at times.
One of our biggest pet peeves however, is the atrocious loading that takes place from screen to screen. It was fine in the PS2 era, it was acceptable in PS3, but now waiting for every new screen to load up and the wait between the entrance and the actual match is just showing a lack of refinement.
Though there are a number of notable changes, WWE 2K15 is not the newgen experience we were hoping for. The 1080p, 60 fps looks good, and the matches are still enjoyable, but this one has a problem that we haven't felt with the WWE franchise in a very long time lack of content.
WWE 2K15
Rating: **1/2 Developer: Yuke’s Media Creations Available on: PS3, X360 Price: Rs 2,499
Being the first WWE wrestling game for next gen devices, we were a bit excited about the kind of improvements we'd get to see on the franchise.But much like The Undertaker's performance in this year's WrestleMania, our anticipation was rewarded with much disappointment.
But before we get on that, here are a few things that the game does get right. The clipping is down to a bare minimum, so you won't see much of hands and legs going inside your opponent's bodies when you clothesline or dropkick them.
Moreover, many of the wrestlers have been photo-realistically captured, right from their body movements to their expressions. Then the overall pace has been toned down to feel more realistic, and with the health and stamina bars, matches pretty much play out as they do in the actual squared circle.
That may add more the overall realism, but the frantic runand-smack kind of players will suffer the most, as their opponents will get more time to react, and pull reversals.
Now, where the game majorly suffers is its lack of content. The comprehensive Create a Superstar mode was undoubtedly one of the best aspects of WWE games, but here it seems tremendously nerfed. The options are limited, you can only create a male Superstar and not a Diva, and you can't even create Finishers anymore.Even the story mode that follows after creating a superstar feels quite grindy, and takes a while to reach an interesting level.
The 2K Showcase mode is very enjoyable, reliving the legendary rivalry between Triple H and Shawn Michaels, and more recently, the one between CM Punk and John Cena.
It's a bit underdeveloped, since there are many more rivalries that could have been recreated here, but it seems like those will have to wait for a DLC or till next year's iteration of the game.
Going back to when we spoke about 'many' superstars looking real in the game, the unfortunate flipside to that is that there are many others who have not received that same special treatment. Shawn Michaels, who seemed to look fine in the previous iterations looks freakishly weird, especially during the entrance sequence. Even John Cena looks like a cheap figurine of the actual superstar at times.
One of our biggest pet peeves however, is the atrocious loading that takes place from screen to screen. It was fine in the PS2 era, it was acceptable in PS3, but now waiting for every new screen to load up and the wait between the entrance and the actual match is just showing a lack of refinement.
Though there are a number of notable changes, WWE 2K15 is not the newgen experience we were hoping for. The 1080p, 60 fps looks good, and the matches are still enjoyable, but this one has a problem that we haven't felt with the WWE franchise in a very long time lack of content.
WWE 2K15
Rating: **1/2 Developer: Yuke’s Media Creations Available on: PS3, X360 Price: Rs 2,499
