WWE 2K19

WWE 2K19 is still rough around the edges and some game modes are still in desperate need of an update, but it's the best game from 2K yet and features a lot of upgrades and fun game modes to keep you playing all the way through until WWE 2K20.

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All things considered, WWE 2K19 is a decent entry in the long-running series. Boasting more game modes and customisation options than you can shake a Kendo stick at. What holds it back, however, is the core mechanics. A breath of fresh air in last year’s game, they lack any additional refinement, leaving them feeling overly complex and finicky. Which ultimately serves as a reminder that, as enjoyable as WWE 2K19 can be, if the series is ever to recapture the ineffable brilliance of No Mercy and other such classics, it desperately needs a rather large dose of innovation.

Lather on the body oil, let's get down to business.

Overall, this year’s game is one of the better ones that I have played in years. With the inclusion of voice acting for your main character in career mode, to the showcase mode taking one of my favorite wrestlers, Daniel Bryan, and walking through his career, it makes for a really fun and good time. They really worked on making a lot of different modes for people to have a lot of fun with, and it seems to be working, for me at least.

WWE 2K19, like other WWE 2K games before it, is still held back by a number of longstanding issues. But with the much improved MyCareer mode, and the sheer amount of content available thanks to the return of Showcase Mode and the addition of 2K Towers, it stops the downward spiral the series had been heading towards and puts it back on track. If 2K20 can fix the awful character progression in its main story mode, clean up the bugs, and work on the commentary issues, this might finally be the blueprint for a championship contender again.

This puts me in a weird spot. For better or worse, I really think WWE 2K19 really captures the current WWE product very well while also commending those who have made their way to the squared circle in years past. It presents some solid ideas that are really needed to make this series worthwhile. Unfortunately, like almost every iteration before this, those ideas are not executed well. This is primarily due to gameplay. While there are some great implementations like the payback and overcharge abilities, it is still the same ol’ gameplay you know from the series. Yet again, if you are into the...

Thanks to key improvements and additions, WWE 2K19 is perhaps the most impressive game in the series in years. There are still issues that need sorting out, mostly on the technical side, while somewhat ageing mechanics and the loot box model also need to be given a bit more thought, but after years of stumbling around, 2K Sports at least have a very solid base to work with now.

Each year, WWE 2K seems to be gradually getting better and better, and in WWE 2K19, the series appears to be making moves towards reestablishing itself as the enjoyable grappling game it once was. We live in hope that even bigger changes will be introduced for WWE 2K20, because WWE 2K19 is certainly a step in the right direction.

WWE 2K19 struggles to meet expectations. It's a mid-card talent with potential, but is too set in its ways to leave any lasting impact.

It’s that time of year where the seasonal sporting games start to roll around again like Brock Lesnar repeatedly suplexing John Cena, and amongst those is the WWE 2K franchise with their latest offering WWE 2K19.