Following a few years on the sidelines,WWE 2K22’s triumphant return to the ring brings with it a massive improvement over its poorly received predecessor. In fact, it’s difficult to find too many things about it that aren’t noticeably better thanWWE 2K20, though, giventhat game’s catastrophic launch, that probably won’t come as too much of a surprise to anyone.
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When all’s said and done though, most wrestling fans seem to be delighted with this year’s installment, as evidenced byWWE 2K22’s impressive User Scores on Metacritic. That’s not to say that it’s a game without problems, however, with one or two things tarnishing the overall experience just a little. As such, series fans will be hoping that the developers can fix these issues sooner rather than later.
Servers
When server issues struckthe game’s early access period, most players were fairly forgiving. After all, such issues are pretty common in this day and age, particularly in early access games. However, for these same issues to continue on beyond the game’s official release date is a little disappointing and something that the developers will hopefully be working on as a matter of urgency.
Whether due to being forced to repeatedly agree to the online user agreements or sporadically told that they’re no longer connected to the internet even when they are, many players are starting to feel a little frustrated. Given that theseserver issuesalso affect the incredibly lucrative MyFaction mode though, one suspects they’ll be addressed pretty hastily.
Loading Times
While the loading times inWWE 2K22aren’t nearly as bad as they are inpreviousWWEgames, they still feel incredibly sluggish for a next-gen title. It can take upwards of 30 seconds for a one v one match to load up after confirming superstars and options, which is longer than some open-world games take to boot up. Match load times are only a small part of the problem though, with other areas of the game suffering far more.
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Changing locations inMyRise modecan take up to 50 seconds, while even something as simple as altering attire or facial feature options while editing or creating a Superstar can result in a second or two of lag. This may not seem too bad at first, but, when cycling through hundreds of different options, those seconds can quickly add up. The PS5 and Xbox Series consoles allow for much better load times than this, which suggests that more optimization may be needed.
Superstar Selection
Though there areone or two notable omissions,WWE 2K22’s roster is actually pretty solid. With players able to select from more than 160 Superstars as well as download and create their own custom ones, they really are spoiled for choice. Unfortunately, however, this does create problems when it comes to setting up matches, as cycling through the monstrously large roster one at a time in list form can take an awfully long time.
To the developer’s credit, the ability to choose from different categories of Superstar using the shoulder buttons can speed up the process a little, although this isn’t too helpful if players don’t know the Superstar that they’re looking for’s weight class or just want to browse through everyone. What’s more, this problem is further compounded by the list’s inclusion ofSuperstars that are yet to be unlocked.
Afighting game-style character select screenwould definitely have made for a more eloquent solution. Even something as simple as allowing players to cycle through Superstars one page at a time with a horizontal flick of the analog stick would have made a huge difference though, as too would the option to remove locked Superstars from the list with a single push of one of the face buttons.
Custom Portraits
Custom portraits are a great way to make created Superstars feel more like a part of the game and the process for creating and uploading them is actually pretty good. That creators are unable to bundle together their custom portraits and created Superstars is a little frustrating though, as it adds a few extra unnecessary steps to the process of downloading new wrestlers.
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In addition to this,the process for applying custom portraits to alternate attiresis nowhere near as intuitive as it should be. Granted, it can be figured out with a little trial and error or the help of a guide, but the process could and should be easier for those unfamiliar with the creation suite. It’s a shame really, as, these issues and the poor loading times aside, it’s by far the best create a wrestler system that WWE fans have ever been treated to.
Showcase Mode
This year’sShowcase modecenters around Rey Mysterio and is definitely one of the standout game types inWWE 2K22. The seamless switching between gameplay and archive footage really allows players to feel as though they’re reliving some of Rey Mysterio’s very best matches. Unfortunately, however, the key word in that sentence is “some.”
Unlike the many missing Superstars, which can kind of be added back into the game as custom creations,the omission of one or two of Mysterio’s finest momentscan’t really be resolved by players. Sadly, the chances of the developers adding Rey’s iconic triple threat match from WrestleMania 22 or his 2006 Royal Rumble victory seem slimmer than he is, but that likely won’t stop fans of the Ultimate Underdog from hoping.
WWE 2K22is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
