We’ve been lucky enough to get hands-on with WWE 2K14 in the build up to it’s release and this week’s news of a DLC Season Pass promises even more awesome content for fans of this already jam-packed title.
WWE 2K14 is a true love letter to the world of wrestling entertainment and it’s fans and is clearly made by people who are passionate about the art of performance wrestling. With modes like ‘30 Years Of Wrestlemania‘ at it’s core, WWE 2K14 wants to celebrate it’s rich culture and heritage, giving fans an opportunity to re-live some of wrestling’s most iconic and franchise defining moments, including the Bret Hart v Yokozuna, Hulk Hogan v Andre The Giant and the more recent moving saga which saw Shawn Michaels retire one of his idols, The Nature Boy Ric Flair at Wrestlemania 24.
We spoke to WWE 2K14’s lead designer Bryan Williams about 30 Years Of Wrestlemania mode to find out what fans can look forward to when we finally get our hands on the full game after it’s UK release on November 1, here’s what he had to say:
“The previous WWE title focused on the Attitude Era, this time around we really wanted to delve into and showcase wrestling’s heritage and we figured that a great way to do that is through Wrestlemania. Wrestlemania was always the culmination of a season in WWE, if that’s how you want to think of it.
WWE 2K14 appears to be – by far – one of the most comprehensive sports titles ever created, end of.”
“In 30 Years mode, fans will get a chance to play up to 40 matches from Wrestlemania’s three decades and play out those iconic moments by meeting scenario specific, optional objectives, some of which are listed, whilst others are secret or have to be unlocked. You don’t have to do any of them, but if you do you’ll get additional unlockable content.”
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After following Bryan’s advice in trying the Ric Flair v HBK scenario and then faffing about with a couple of other legendary matchups, I must say, I really really enjoyed this mode. It features all of the greats and is bolstered by some fantastic additional video content, true-to-life in-fight animation sequences, and commentary from entertainment wrestling stalwarts Jerry “The King” Lawler and JR, all helping to that set the scene fantastically and place you right into the thick of Wrestlemania’s landmark feuds. Whether you enjoyed it all the first time round and grew-up calling it the WWF or are new to the WWE franchise, this mode will give you an education in entertainment wrestling’s rich history and does a superb job of capturing it’s glory and drama in electrifying fashion.
Another exciting mode we got try out was The Streak which will see you either take on The Undertaker or control him in an attempt to defeat or protect his outstanding 21 – 0 winning record. Bryan told us that this mode was added as an homage to “The Deadman” who’s incredible undefeated record is the longest in entertainment wrestling history and is unlikely to ever be beaten or even matched.
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Of the two options Defeat or Defend, Defeat The Streak is definitely what this mode is all about and takes on a sort of Boss Battle feel, with The Undertaker’s AI designed to be “relentlessly aggressive” as Bryan described. You can pick any wrestler from the game’s huge roster or use your custom superstar to try and take on this suped up version of The Undertaker, and after having our arses swiftly handed to us, I can confirm that it is ridiculously difficult, but provides bags of fun. If you fancy yourself at this game, this mode will definitely test your skills and you can share your progress and compete with friends to wrack up the highest score possible against The Undertaker. You will get points for aggression, damage taken, time and so on, this social element gives The Streak mode a welcome extra level of interactivity and longevity.
Fans will also be excited to learn that WWE 2K14 is the most customizable wrestling game ever made giving you a chance to comprehensively create a superstar or diva from scratch, edit existing superstar’s outfits to match real life updates if you so choose and use them as alternate costumes, you can create you’re own matchups, feuds, stables and even create you’re own championship belts to a highly significant level of detail. Giving fans near total control over their WWE in-game universe, making it near endlessly flexible.
Early impressions of WWE 2K14 are great, it has a polished look which will only be improved on NextGen consoles, it’s not too hard to get to grips with and gameplay is fluid and well-paced. But the biggest and most promising news is that WWE 2K14 appears to be – by far – one of the most comprehensive sports titles ever created, end of. It has a seemingly endless bank of content, provides limitless opportunities for fans to tweak and create the type of WWE universe they want to experience, and in terms of depth and value for money, we really can’t see how many other titles can compete.
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And if that wasn’t enough, the £15.99 WWE 2K14 Season Pass will give fans even more content featuring new WWE Superstars, Legends and Divas, like Jake The Snake, Scott Steiner, The Giant, Fandango, Big E Langston, “The Outsiders“, the nWo and The Bella Twins, the all-new Moves Pack and (somehow) even more Superstar customization and creation options!
You can check out the full DLC list at WWE.2K.com. Meanwhile, we’ll have to wait until October 29 in the US and November 1 in the UK to get it, but here at heDD – we can’t wait!!!
