After the disastrous launch of WWE 2K20, there was a lot of pressure on the developers at Visual Concepts to renew fans' faith in the series. Thankfully, after spending time with WWE 2K22, the experience is a mostly positive one with fans and critics. The team has created a new experience for players and laid the foundations for the series to improve with every new entry going forward.
There are a lot of changes in WWE 2K22's gameplay that will take some getting used to for series veterans. However, these changes are worth the investment of time in adjusting to the new mechanics. This list will take a look at some of the most notable improvements that have been since WWE 2K20.
8 The Graphics
Even though the character models still looked always looked decent in past WWE 2K titles, the graphics were definitely behind the NBA 2K series in terms of realism. That has all changed with WWE 2K22 as it easily takes the top spot as the best-looking wrestling game ever made.
This is never more evident than in the wrestler introductions with the character models like The Rock, John Cena, Rey Mysterio, and The Undertaker looking amazing. Even the female wrestlers look great in this entry as it always seemed the women got the short end of the straw, but not anymore – they look just as good as the rest in this entry. Moreover, the Legends look better than ever with a real effort made to look exactly like their real-life counterparts.
7 The Commentary
The commentary in the WWE games has always been one of the worst aspects of the series. Even some of the more recent entries like WWE 2K19 and WWE 2K20 barely sound any better than the Smackdown series.
Thankfully, the commentary in WWE 2K22 has seen a major upgrade. The team sounds like they are watching the same wrestling match that you are playing, and it's no longer a collection of buzzwords. There are some minor hiccups here and there where they'll call out the wrong move, but this will probably get solved in a patch.
6 Responsive Controls
There were many fans calling for a return to the Smackdown: Here Comes The Pain arcade-like experience and WWE 2K22 delivers on this. The responsive controls and combinations that work almost seamlessly with the grappling system offer a solid experience.
The action is fast-paced and easy to pick making WWE 2K22 a great starting point for newcomers to the series. Pulling of reversals feels more accurate, and the addition of a duck/avoid mechanic can make cruiserweight matches more action-packed and fluid.
5 Improved Hit Detection
Another feature that gets a big upgrade in WWE 2K22 is the hit detection. It's a lot easier to connect with attacks and feel impactful as a result. The ropes react in a more realistic way and there are fewer instances of clipping.
The improvements to hit detection transfer to the weapons too. Tables break and collapse in a more realistic manner. Chairs dent and bend before they break after multiple hits, and even some guard railings are breakable in the backstage area.
4 The Inclusion Of A General Manager Mode
There have been warranted complaints that the WWE 2K22's General Manager mode aka the MyGM mode is a little bare-bones compared to past titles. It's true that there are some unnecessary restrictions with what one can do in the mode, but it's certainly a step in the right direction for the series going forward.
There's a possibility that the developers may add more content to this mode with patches and updates. However, it's likely that the feature will be more fleshed out in the inevitable WWE 2K23. Still, it's a step in the right direction for the series, however, and the foundations are there to build something great with the series.
3 The Blood Effects
In addition to the obvious visual improvements in WWE 2K22, players that head to the game's settings and turn the blood effects on in the menu will be pleased to know that it's so much better than WWE 2K20. Instead of getting one little cut to the head, wrestlers can receive multiple lacerations on their heads as the match wears on.
The wrestlers also bleed with more frequency in WWE 2K22 making Extreme Rules matches and the variety of cage matches feel more satisfying. Now almost all head attacks will eventually result in a cut forming on a wrestler's forehead.
2 Royal Rumble Matches
The Royal Rumbles matches in the WWE 2K series have often unnecessarily fiddly. Hit detection was all over the place and actually throwing an opponent out of the ring was far too difficult to execute.
In WWE 2K22 the mechanics are vastly improved and winning a match feels fair this time around. In addition, the experience is much smoother with no slowdown, and targeting various wrestlers is easier to execute too. There are the occasional bugs with collision when things get a little too chaotic but nothing that's game-breaking.
1 Create A Wrestler
The create a superstar feature in the WWE 2K series has always been very robust. Talented community creators have always come up with great custom characters that can either resemble wrestlers from other promotions, missing legends, or non-wrestling-related characters from movies, cartoons, and more.
Thanks to the advancement in the game's graphics engine, these created wrestlers look even more detailed and convincing than ever before. You can adjust and align every aspect of a character's face to finely change every little detail about a character's face. Furthermore, there are preset entrances for legends that aren't included in the game like Mr. Perfect, Rick Rude, and more.
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