Three great WWE wrestling games
- 8 years ago
WWE 2K16
The 2K wrestling games have only been making their way to PC since 2015. This means that there are currently only two installments available, so if you are looking for some up to the moment wrestling action this year’s WWE 2K16 is probably the best place to start.
This year’s instalment boasts the biggest roster of muscle bound Superstars yet seen, allowing you to set up all kinds of bouts against legends and the current roster. The perfect way to pit Mankind against Ambrose.
The other bonus to this year’s game is that the single player story follows perhaps the most iconic character in wrestling. That right, while 2K15 followed the fall of Degeneration X and the Cena/CM Punk rivalry were fun, 2K16 lets you live through Stone-cold Steve Austin’s iconic attitude era matches. There is also a new career mode that lets you build your own Superstar by progressing through the NXT and onto the main roster.
Unfortunately, the combat feels quite dated and stiff. Despite having had a next gen visual overhaul, characters are wooden and often glide around the ring before entering animations rather than moving naturally.
But, until the developer gets enough time to completely remake the game engine, it looks these 2K wrestle games will be the only place to enjoy some real WWE style wrestling gameplay with your favorite stars.
WWE SuperCard
When WWE’s collectible card game WWE SuperCard was released I was sucked in deep, spending more money than I care to admit on booster packs to build out my deck.
It’s kind of embracing, because there really isn’t much to it. You collect cards, and from these select a hand of 5 to take into battle. Each card has its own Superstar on it, each with their own stats for Power, Speed, Toughness, and Charisma – all of which can be powered up by merging the cards you earn after each fight.
Once your hand is ready it is time to battle online. Bouts last 3 rounds during which the cards comically animate and wrestle. One round may focus on charisma, at which point you have to pick your most charismatic fighter – if your stat is higher, you win. But, just picking the highest stat is not always the best way to go as other rules and strategies come into play.
As you can’t play a card two times in a match, and you don’t know what future rounds hold, using a your best card in the first match could see you weak for rest. Equally, if there is a tag team round, then synergies between fighters could see you unexpectedly loosing, or a character unexpectedly using a special ability to boost their stats, can also result an upset.
Oh, an if you are interested, in my deck I had Alberto del Rio fully leveled, a supped up Vince Mahon, Danial Bryant, Rey Mysterio, and Paige – and I am currently resisting the urge to reinstall it…
WWE Immortals
Finally we have Immortals, the best WWE arcade fighting experience in years. This takes the simple fighting engine used by Injustice: Gods Among Us, but replaces Superman and Batman with John Cena and The Rock.
Not convinced that these Superstars can pull of this kind of fighting game combat? Well what if I told you that each wrestler was injected with mystical powers. That’s right, if you have ever wanted to see Kane as an actual demon, The Rock as a Stone Warrior, or Nikki Bella as a Pyromancer - then this is where you need to be.
Like WWE SuperCards you randomly unlock characters through play or purchase them with in-app currency before slowly leveling them up.
Each three-on-three tag team match has you lead your handpicked fighters into battle. The action is fast, as you tap and swipe screen to unleash light and strong attacks, or hold to block. Create a long enough combo, and Immortals prompts you to swipe the screen to unleash a devastating attack that plays into your fighters theme – such as Randy Orton’s Viper moves which allow him to spit venom at his rival.
Yes, early on you can just tap your way to victory - but in later stages you must be carefully pick when to move and when to block if you hope to compete against stronger opposition.
With character stamina restricting how much you can play without paying, you can find yourself limited on how much you can play in a day – but it is the perfect way to fill time between matches during WrestleMania 32.
The 2K wrestling games have only been making their way to PC since 2015. This means that there are currently only two installments available, so if you are looking for some up to the moment wrestling action this year’s WWE 2K16 is probably the best place to start.
This year’s instalment boasts the biggest roster of muscle bound Superstars yet seen, allowing you to set up all kinds of bouts against legends and the current roster. The perfect way to pit Mankind against Ambrose.
The other bonus to this year’s game is that the single player story follows perhaps the most iconic character in wrestling. That right, while 2K15 followed the fall of Degeneration X and the Cena/CM Punk rivalry were fun, 2K16 lets you live through Stone-cold Steve Austin’s iconic attitude era matches. There is also a new career mode that lets you build your own Superstar by progressing through the NXT and onto the main roster.
Unfortunately, the combat feels quite dated and stiff. Despite having had a next gen visual overhaul, characters are wooden and often glide around the ring before entering animations rather than moving naturally.
But, until the developer gets enough time to completely remake the game engine, it looks these 2K wrestle games will be the only place to enjoy some real WWE style wrestling gameplay with your favorite stars.
WWE SuperCard
When WWE’s collectible card game WWE SuperCard was released I was sucked in deep, spending more money than I care to admit on booster packs to build out my deck.
It’s kind of embracing, because there really isn’t much to it. You collect cards, and from these select a hand of 5 to take into battle. Each card has its own Superstar on it, each with their own stats for Power, Speed, Toughness, and Charisma – all of which can be powered up by merging the cards you earn after each fight.
Once your hand is ready it is time to battle online. Bouts last 3 rounds during which the cards comically animate and wrestle. One round may focus on charisma, at which point you have to pick your most charismatic fighter – if your stat is higher, you win. But, just picking the highest stat is not always the best way to go as other rules and strategies come into play.
As you can’t play a card two times in a match, and you don’t know what future rounds hold, using a your best card in the first match could see you weak for rest. Equally, if there is a tag team round, then synergies between fighters could see you unexpectedly loosing, or a character unexpectedly using a special ability to boost their stats, can also result an upset.
Oh, an if you are interested, in my deck I had Alberto del Rio fully leveled, a supped up Vince Mahon, Danial Bryant, Rey Mysterio, and Paige – and I am currently resisting the urge to reinstall it…
WWE Immortals
Finally we have Immortals, the best WWE arcade fighting experience in years. This takes the simple fighting engine used by Injustice: Gods Among Us, but replaces Superman and Batman with John Cena and The Rock.
Not convinced that these Superstars can pull of this kind of fighting game combat? Well what if I told you that each wrestler was injected with mystical powers. That’s right, if you have ever wanted to see Kane as an actual demon, The Rock as a Stone Warrior, or Nikki Bella as a Pyromancer - then this is where you need to be.
Like WWE SuperCards you randomly unlock characters through play or purchase them with in-app currency before slowly leveling them up.
Each three-on-three tag team match has you lead your handpicked fighters into battle. The action is fast, as you tap and swipe screen to unleash light and strong attacks, or hold to block. Create a long enough combo, and Immortals prompts you to swipe the screen to unleash a devastating attack that plays into your fighters theme – such as Randy Orton’s Viper moves which allow him to spit venom at his rival.
Yes, early on you can just tap your way to victory - but in later stages you must be carefully pick when to move and when to block if you hope to compete against stronger opposition.
With character stamina restricting how much you can play without paying, you can find yourself limited on how much you can play in a day – but it is the perfect way to fill time between matches during WrestleMania 32.