Previous Gen Versions (Xbox 360/PS3)
These versions have been left relatively unchanged from 2K14, with a few little tweaks to the character models and the commentary. 2K15 also marks the first appearance of the NXT brand which is a show I really like and it's really cool to see it implemented here along with some of the higher profile talent such as Adrian Neville and Sami Zayn.
NXT is also the prominent brand in the single player mode "Who Got NXT?" which is set up the same way as the Attitude Era mode was set up from the previous game. You recreate a series of matches in the sort of way it was done in the real WWE, completing objectives along the way. This mode, however, sucks. Much like the Attitude Era style mode sucked before. Why? Some of these objectives are locked...ok...so how am I supposed to strive towards these objectives, when I don't know what the objective even is? Are you trusting me to remember these matches and try to painstakingly recreate it? Even though I am a WWE Network subscriber and pay (say it with me) $9.99 a month, I don't remember all the details to these matches. What's more, you are playing as Sami Zayn against Cesaro and one of the objectives is "Kick out of Cesaro's finisher", that means you have to sit there and let Cesaro beat the crap out of you, let him hit you with his finisher AND hope the planets align and you can get the kick-out mini-game right. As the WWE crowd would say... "BOR-ING, BOR-ING, BOR-ING".
The other mode being touted in the game is the "2K Showcase" which is basically the same thing as "Who Got NXT?" but features a series of matches with Triple H vs Shawn Michaels and John Cena Vs CM Punk. This mode seems useless and I really don't know why it's in here. They want you to play these modes to unlock things like different attires and arenas, but it says something when there is an option to purchase an "Accelerator" for $1.99 and unlock everything in the game, which I have done for the past few games since I really don't want to play these modes. Perhaps the developers know this too, which may be why the option exists.
WWE Universe mode is back and untouched, which is fine since it s fine the way it is, and of course online returns. This basically feels like 2K14 with some MINOR upgrades.
Though I have to get into my biggest problem with the game (this will be a rant so please just bear with me). The main reason as to why I buy this game is to download a bunch of created content off the community server and use WWE Universe to have my own fantasy federation, even going so far as to bring back WCW with Nitro, Thunder, and all the WCW Pay Per Views. 2K14 made me very happy when they upped the created wrestler count from 50 to 100, which carried over to 2K15, which is great and smart, and I was ready to sit there yesterday and fill out my roster, get all my arenas, logos, and enjoy a new year of fantasy wrestling. I then found the dumbest thing to happen in a video game. There is a 24 hour download clock on the community creations screen, I took that to mean the download count for creations would reset so people can see how many downloads they get in a day....ok that makes sense...NO, you can only download 10 things in a 24 hour time period!!!! This is inexcusable! You want a thriving, content-creating community and you limit them to this degree? The first time I saw that notice pop up I actually laughed out loud at how dumb that decision was. Also, for all you who like creating and uploading your content, you are also screwed. Everyone starts at the "Bronze" level, which means you can only upload 5 pieces of content, you level up based on how many people download your content which opens up more slots. I'm guessing this is to keep the servers from catching fire, but 2K14 had unlimited downloads and uploads and was stable (at least in my experience) but these decisions are really good ways to torpedo your community which was already getting enough reasons to be bored with the products they were getting. I hope the backlash to this causes some change but until then, I am going to stick to 2K14.
Bottom line, the PS3/Xbox 360 versions of WWE 2K15 are familiar to series' veterans, but still unremarkable and full of problems.
We all know though that the emphasis was on the new gen versions, so it has to be better right?
Current Gen Versions (PS4/Xbox One)
This is the version I initially purchased. I got the "Hulkamania" PS4 Versions which does have some neat swag: A Vinyl figure of "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan (which would be my preferred version of Hogan), an autographed Hulk Hogan card, and a framed piece of the canvas from Hogan's appearance on RAW in Memphis, TN on March 10th, 2014 (side note: I was in Memphis a few weeks ago, lovely city, amazing food, will travel to again someday).. Enough stuff to make a wrestling nerd a little giddy. Unfortunately, it also comes with a copy of WWE
First, yes the game looks a hell of a lot better and the first match I booted up was Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan and when the Wyatt family came down the ramp, with the lantern and the lights from the crowd, it looked so damn cool. Then Bryan comes out, the crowd goes nuts, fingers up chanting YES! YES! YES! Really felt like I was watching an episode of RAW.
Then the match started and it went to hell. The development team wanted the new version to have a slower pace to it to emulate an actual WWE match. This amounts to your first couple of grapples being a game of rock, paper, scissors, depending on which face button you hit, then transitioning to a "move the right stick until you find the sweet spot and fill up the circle", then another right stick game....just to throw a punch. This is slow, boring, and downright sucks, leaving me to really not want to grapple at all. Once you get past that and actually do wrestling moves, the game flows pretty well and the expressions on the wrestlers faces look really good. Also, I thew together a created wrestler and it looks like he could be a stock wrestler, so graphics on this have taken a turn for the much better.
MyCareer mode is the main point of emphasis with these versions and dare I say, this has potential. You can import a created wrestler already saved or slap together a new one. I already had one created so I used him. Here was my problem, my wrestler came in just fine, his stat rankings were reset (as I figured they would be, no problem there), his ring entrance came over, BUT none of his moves did, so if you already have a created wrestler and spent a long time fine-tuning his moves, you have to do it ALL OVER AGAIN in MyCareer mode since some moves get locked out based on skills. By the way, none of this gets told to you, so you have to figure that out on your own. As stated, potential is there, you start at the WWE Performance Center for a few trial matches against other aspiring talent, guided (or more accurately, yelled at) by Bill DeMott (who I still refer to as Hugh Morris). That's another problem, I'm getting yelled at by DeMott, basically telling me I suck, and then the after match ranking is 4/5 stars, WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT BILL/HUGH?
You do get to add points to your wrestler's attributes and get them to NXT and so on for a 15-year career. Again, this has a lot of potential and hopefully something they can build on, because this is the best thing about WWE 2K15...
...and it's not even close. The 2K Showcase is also here and I still don't understand why, maybe they just needed SOMETHING besides MyCareer.
Remember that whole online download/upload issue? It's here as well, but it's worse, since you CAN NOT create arenas, also the created character limit is.....25. As much as I hate the term "facepalm" I can say I did that when I saw all these limitations. I won't go into a rant, but I will say this: I picked up my PS4 copy at 11PM CST Monday night, and traded it back in by 7PM the next day, I was so bummed by what I had just bought.
Bottom line: The MyCareer mode seems really cool and has lots of potential, but that can not make up the fact that this is the worst game in the WWE series, even going back when it was the Smackdown series. The current gen versions are great looking, however they are hollow, light on content, clunky, and overall just not fun to play.
So, to wrap things up: WWE 2K15 (on any platform) is a bad wrestling game. There are things here that point to better things in the future, but it's all weighed down by clunky controls, lack of content, and bonehead decisions to limit their community. What seemed like a Michaels vs Razor Ladder Match type of video game, we actually got the Roberts vs Martel Blindfold Match....yikes.
Believe me, as a wrestling fan and as a video game aficionado, it was hard to write some of these sentences since I buy these games every year and, as stated earlier, subscribe to the Network, we just want a good wrestling game again.
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