WWE 2K22

[Gasoline Tank]

I hope this won't be a colossal failure. The last 6 or 7 games were just God awful. Buggy. Unplayable. Cut features.

Honestly - I preferred the games that THQ made, years before 2K obtained the license.

 

[Aurelius]

I hope so too. I was looking forward to 2K20 but we both know what happened to that one! 2K19 is alright by me... even if I exclusively spend my time in character creation and Exhibition, haha!

The THQ games were definitely more enjoyable. I do miss the days of No Mercy and WCW/nWo Revenge the most but thankfully I still own them. Very much looking forward to the AEW game coming to console though, especially since Yuke’s is onboard.

 

[Gasoline Tank]

They should also position the camera nearer to the wrestlers, as it's always positioned too far away.

 

[Morgan]

Has literally anything changed between this next game and the last few?
2K still owns them? THQ hasn't returned from the grave? Yuke's isn't on it? It's a yearly release to cash in on hype like all the other Sports2Ks?
It's probably going to be bad. It'll be slightly less bad than 2K20's infamous glitching and crashing, but that's a very low bar.

 

[Gasoline Tank]

Not really. I think they just change up the roster. Sometimes, you have a few new championships or match types, but WWE has way too championships by today.

The control system is your real enemy. Terrible quality gaming. There was so many users on the official 2K support forums, damning how bad they were.

 

[Morgan]

I don't even keep up with WWE. All Elite Wrestling is a better competitor show-wise; it has all the performers that used to be in WWE, and Jim Ross is a commentator there. So, yeah.

All AEW needs to do, since it already has big names and an existing fanbase tired of the "same old", is grow enough to license their own video game series and people tired of the 2Ks will gravitate towards it.

I'm looking it up right now: they're planning it. Kenny Omega wants it to do well and do "what others haven't been able to". He even cites older wrestling games for the feel he wants the AEW video game to have:

The most recent WWE offerings from 2K have gone with a more simulation feel. Omega wants this game to have more of a feel like an old wrestling arcade game or the WWF “No Mercy” and “WrestleMania 2000” games made by THQ for the Nintendo 64 in the early 2000s.

“I could plug in a quarter at an arcade and my friends that no longer watch wrestling or, maybe they never did, could get four players on a “[WWF] WrestleFest” arcade game and we could all have a lot of fun with it,” said Omega, who will face Jon Moxley at an exploding barbed wire deathmatch at the Revolution pay-per-view on Sunday.

 

[Gasoline Tank]

Well, they recently introduced a NXT Women's Tag Team Championship, which is kind of pointless. They already have the regular women's tag titles on the main roster, that had, for a time at least, been getting occasionally defended on NXT anyway. It's like, what are they thinking? And they also have the UK version as well, and other women's championships, and it's madness. Let's not even get started on the men's championships, because there's way too many to list.

The Undertaker retiring is a huge loss, but he was getting too old and not performing as well in the ring. But respect should be giving where respect is due, and all. He was quite the wrestler.

But honestly. Guys like Paul Wight aka "Big Show" and Sting need to hang up their boots now, for good.

 

[Carlos]

Well, they recently introduced a NXT Women's Tag Team Championship, which is kind of pointless. They already have the regular women's tag titles on the main roster, that had, for a time at least, been getting occasionally defended on NXT anyway. It's like, what are they thinking? And they also have the UK version as well, and other women's championships, and it's madness. Let's not even get started on the men's championships, because there's way too many to list.

The Undertaker retiring is a huge loss, but he was getting too old and not performing as well in the ring. But respect should be giving where respect is due, and all. He was quite the wrestler.

But honestly. Guys like Paul Wight aka "Big Show" and Sting need to hang up their boots now, for good.

Not happening. Sting and Paul Wright just debuted on AEW.

 

[Morgan]

Well, they recently introduced a NXT Women's Tag Team Championship, which is kind of pointless. They already have the regular women's tag titles on the main roster, that had, for a time at least, been getting occasionally defended on NXT anyway. It's like, what are they thinking? And they also have the UK version as well, and other women's championships, and it's madness. Let's not even get started on the men's championships, because there's way too many to list.

The Undertaker retiring is a huge loss, but he was getting too old and not performing as well in the ring. But respect should be giving where respect is due, and all. He was quite the wrestler.

But honestly. Guys like Paul Wight aka "Big Show" and Sting need to hang up their boots now, for good.

Honestly, everything about the way they handle women's wrestling is ridiculous. It took them so long to get rid of the term "divas", and they spent that same amount of time with gimmick cheesecake matches and being allergic to having the women actually wrestle like they're supposed to. They haven't redeemed themselves from how badly they (HHH and Stephanie specifically) failed Chyna. She made millions for them by posing for Playboy and everyone knows what type of magazine that is, but she couldn't get into the Hall of Fame because she went a slight step further than that. That's embarrassing. A posthumous inclusion in the Hall doesn't count.

On the note of championships, it reads like they're making so many redundant titles to inflate the superstars' achievement numbers. It's easier to be a "14-time champion" within less than a decade in the business when you hold the Smackdown championship five times, the Raw championship five times, and the NXT championship the remaining four times, or however that works. It helps even more when they book the same matches over and over, and a Pay-Per-View event can just get nullified the very next show with a rematch.

More than the Undertaker retiring, he shouldn't have lost his streak to Brock Lesnar. It should've gone to an actual up-and-coming star, but Brock was already only doing part-time and frustrated with the demands of the job. Probably need to blame Vince for that.

I had to go look Big Show up, and coincidentally there's an article out about why he left WWE for AEW.

"It was a very quick decision that was made in a matter of 48 hours for me [...], it was creative frustration. I had gone back and forth with Paul Heyman, Bruce Prichard, and Vince. I had some medical issues a couple of years ago where I had problems with my hip real bad. You know how things are there. If you get out of the loop a little, it's hard for them to work you back into the ring, no matter how much talent you have or have to offer. It was frustrating for me because, yeah, I was making money and working once against Drew and did a couple of things like be partners with Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe, but I was like, 'I need more than this.' I've never been a sit on the bench guy. I'm not going to take my money, sit at home, and be happy like a little princess. I like to work for my money and earn it. I went 18 years in WWE without missing a tour. I love doing what I'm doing.

"That was the biggest letdown for me; not being able to get something going creatively. I've known Vince for a long time and when he gets focused and blinders on, it's hard to be the squeaky wheel that gets the grease. If you're not at TV and nobody is going, 'Paul Wight is still alive, he can work.' It got frustrating and I got frustrated trying to knock on the door. They were trying to use me for other things like relations. They were trying to do me a favor and put me in Shady Pines. I didn't want to be in Shady Pines," he continued. "I told them, 'Don't put me in Shady Pines.' I had the opportunity to do something else and I took it. I talked to Vince and Kevin Dunn. Nobody is mad, nobody is upset. The day I signed, Vince called me and wished me luck, saying I was a big asset for AEW and he was glad I signed. They did a lot of things for me. For me to try and bury WWE, it's not about that. It's just business."

He clearly still has a passion for wrestling and the physical aspect of it, but he should still take into account his issues and the impact on his performance. Maybe he can slowly transition into commentator or training younger wrestlers. No shame in that. More vaunted wrestlers have retired for less. WWE not accommodating for that sounds like they have injury cooties now ever since they overbooked Cena and he was getting a legitimate injury just about every year.

Yea, heard Sting came back. Then I forgot all about him again until like, right now. Pretty sure Goldberg came back too, with a part-time deal in WWE. WWE is at that mental crossroads where they're clearly discriminating against older, injured wrestlers and booking them as if they don't have more to offer (which is why older wrestlers are moving to AEW and Undertaker prematurely lost to Lesnar) but they can't stop pulling oldies up whenever they need a cheap pop from the fans who remember the glory days of WWE when it was still called WWF. It's sad.

Anyway this new game is probably gonna be bad.

 

[Carlos]

Honestly, everything about the way they handle women's wrestling is ridiculous. It took them so long to get rid of the term "divas", and they spent that same amount of time with gimmick cheesecake matches and being allergic to having the women actually wrestle like they're supposed to. They haven't redeemed themselves from how badly they (HHH and Stephanie specifically) failed Chyna. She made millions for them by posing for Playboy and everyone knows what type of magazine that is, but she couldn't get into the Hall of Fame because she went a slight step further than that. That's embarrassing. A posthumous inclusion in the Hall doesn't count.

Actually this is only Vince and his old guard. HHH is doing a fantastic job with NXT. He's actually trying to build up the next-generation WWE stars, but each time they get into the roster, they're buried. Ricochet is a perfect example of this. Vince doesn't like him because he's a high-flyer. The cruiserweight type. Ricochet could be the next big star because of his presentation, look, style, etc. Another example is Keith Lee. He's doing everything Vince wants. 3 move set, overpowering gimmick, and he has a different style of mic. This smooth talking, sweet chocolate asshole that can back it up. But Vince is benching him because what? Booking sucks? Fool that's YOUR fault! I mean I can name so many stars that has been unused, underutilized, and thrown away. Did you know Bo Dallas is still at WWE?

On the note of championships, it reads like they're making so many redundant titles to inflate the superstars' achievement numbers. It's easier to be a "14-time champion" within less than a decade in the business when you hold the Smackdown championship five times, the Raw championship five times, and the NXT championship the remaining four times, or however that works. It helps even more when they book the same matches over and over, and a Pay-Per-View event can just get nullified the very next show with a rematch.

I don't mind the "redundancy" of titles, as long as it's a story driver. Most of the time they're not defended... because Booking doesn't know what to do. Bruh. So many opportunities under your nose and you don't know? How about the USOs and retribution? Or Elias and Jaxson vs um ...Miz and Morrison? Or Braun Strowman against Bobby Lashley? Sheamus? Cmon man....

More than the Undertaker retiring, he shouldn't have lost his streak to Brock Lesnar. It should've gone to an actual up-and-coming star, but Brock was already only doing part-time and frustrated with the demands of the job. Probably need to blame Vince for that.

I had to go look Big Show up, and coincidentally there's an article out about why he left WWE for AEW.

Actually, Vince probably has an idea for Brock Lesnar as the replacement for Undertaker. The thing is, Brock is STUPID. I'm sorry, but the wrestling business is far different from the MMA business.

Brock wants millions, but he makes millions per match! He is LUCKY he even makes that money at his level. He's only a draw, nothing more. Most WWE superstars are paid around $100k per year or per contract. I'm not sure. So, if Vince is ****ing telling you to do "x" suck up your pride and work your contract!

Vince probably has a long term vision for how he wants Brock to be "storylined."

I give The Miz credit - he listened to every Vince suggestion. Utilizing it to the best of his ability. The Miz used Vince like a sponge. Brock doesn't, and it's why he has this "downward" spiral. It's his own doing.

He clearly still has a passion for wrestling and the physical aspect of it, but he should still take into account his issues and the impact on his performance. Maybe he can slowly transition into commentator or training younger wrestlers. No shame in that. More vaunted wrestlers have retired for less. WWE not accommodating for that sounds like they have injury cooties now ever since they overbooked Cena and he was getting a legitimate injury just about every year.

Yea, heard Sting came back. Then I forgot all about him again until like, right now. Pretty sure Goldberg came back too, with a part-time deal in WWE. WWE is at that mental crossroads where they're clearly discriminating against older, injured wrestlers and booking them as if they don't have more to offer (which is why older wrestlers are moving to AEW and Undertaker prematurely lost to Lesnar) but they can't stop pulling oldies up whenever they need a cheap pop from the fans who remember the glory days of WWE when it was still called WWF. It's sad.

Anyway this new game is probably gonna be bad.

I'll come back if I think of more here

 

[Gasoline Tank]

The old games were better in general, as you could use custom soundtracks and so much more. It was so much fun. Basically, you could create yourself.

I honestly don't know how 2K will rebound.

 

[Morgan]

They'll rebound when they get competition. Right now they don't need to, as their yearly Sports 2Ks are currently making bank by luring people with addictive personalities in and making that segment of their player base pay more money on top of the $60+ they paid to get the game. Even though it's not directly in the WWE 2k games, they have it in their NBA 2Ks, which is no different than EA having it in their FIFA games.

 

[Gasoline Tank]

I am sure the next one will have...

Unmasked Kane.
Corporate Kane.
The dentist Kane (not his actual name).
1998 Kane.

They love to do that a lot with the Superstars.

 

[Morgan]

Plus five Undertakers, six Charlotee Flairs, five Daniel Bryans and Bryan Danielson, three Rocks but only one Stone Cold, and Andre the Giant, Kevin Nash, Bret Hart, etc are part of the "WWE Legends" DLC pack.

 

[Carlos]

They'll rebound when they get competition. Right now they don't need to, as their yearly Sports 2Ks are currently making bank by luring people with addictive personalities in and making that segment of their player base pay more money on top of the $60+ they paid to get the game. Even though it's not directly in the WWE 2k games, they have it in their NBA 2Ks, which is no different than EA having it in their FIFA games.

It's not just competition. The WWE/wrestling business is bigger than its ever been. I wish I was a developer/publisher for WWE. Because WWE games could sell as well as... any Madden game.

It's why every year, WWE makes it a storyline to advertise the cover athlete of that game. The problem is, the developers don't have the incentive to get better at programming/designing the game.

I don't think they realize how much money they could be making just making WWE games. It's Madden money, seriously.

That is, on top of WWE paying to get it done. What I'm saying is the game franchise is the money maker.

 

[Gasoline Tank]

All they did was show off Rey Mysterio last night during WrestleMania. Although I was tired and had fallen asleep.

 

[Morgan]

All they did was show off Rey Mysterio last night during WrestleMania. Although I was tired and had fallen asleep.

My first thought: Didn't he retire a while ago?
My second thought: No, he just went back to independent wrestling for a bit.
Third thought: So they advertised his appearance in the new WWE game in the middle of a wrestling event that should be more important and not a glorified Super Bowl (only tuning in for commercials)..... Jesus I'm glad I stopped watching this stuff.

 

[Gasoline Tank]

He left WWE, but resigned. He and his son Dominik are actually a tag team. His son was featured in a storyline in 2005, months before Eddie Guerrero passed away. It was said that Eddie was his "father" and there was this crazy feud, basically, where they had a ladder match with custody papers suspended above the ring. It made no sense. Luckily, Eddie became a face just before his death. But they did fondly talk about Eddie Guerrero in a video recently.

 

[Morgan]

At first I was going to say I had no memory of that match ever happening, but I figured out why: I was thinking of Dominik as older than he actually was since you mentioned he's in a tag team now. The feud still happened 16 years ago, and now I feel old.

 

[Carlos]

At first I was going to say I had no memory of that match ever happening, but I figured out why: I was thinking of Dominik as older than he actually was since you mentioned he's in a tag team now. The feud still happened 16 years ago, and now I feel old.

When the storyline happened, Dominik was already a grown teenager. Well, close, but still a kid that understood what was going on. At least, he was aware. It's like when Brodie Lee passed away, his kid was at his tribute show...

Pay attention to the kid. Has no idea what's going on.