WWE 2K24: Expert Reviews and Impressions From Around the Web
WWE 2K24 releases wide on Friday, with fans having the opportunity to get their hands on one of three different editions: Standard, Deluxe, or 40 Years of WrestleMania.
Touting a bevy of new features, the most expansive roster to date (with more to come via DLC packs), and upgrades to existing modes, there is plenty of to be excited about on paper.
Does the game stick the landing, though?
Reviewers have given their thoughts on WWE and 2K Games' latest presentation.
"As Close to Perfection as a Wrestling Game Has Ever Come"
The consensus to this point among the positive reviews appears to be that WWE and 2K Games have created a game that rivals the best in the pro wrestling genre.
The teams behind it may not have reinvented the wheel with this year's release, but they did shore things up to fix bugs, alter inconsistencies, and make sure the game provided the best mechanics to date.
Adam Carrier of Daily Star glowed about this year's release, referring to it as the "closest to perfection" in wrestling gaming history.
He touted the graphics, the expansive roster, and MyRISE career modes as strong points of the game in his 96/100 review.
Chris White of God Is A Geek wrote, "I can say without a shadow of a doubt that wrestling has never felt so good. The freedom to create your own iconic moments is there, with smooth transitioning between grappling and striking, pulling off impressive-looking combos, aerial attacks, and more."
He continued, writing. "WWE 2K24 is the best the series has ever been, with some major and minor additions to every mode, customization, and the most important factor, its gameplay," and assigned it a 9/10 grade.
Youssef ElKhedry of Keen Gamer said in his review, "Overall, WWE 2K24 is a step-up from the previous year, taking everything that made WWE 2K23 great and further adding to it." He scored the game an "8."
Mark Delaney of Gamespot also gave the game an overall rating of "8" cited the control scheme and improvements to existing modes such as MyRISE and MyGM, and Jarrett Green of IGN wrote, "WWE 2K24 is better in almost every way, touting small but smart additions to well-tested systems and modes as opposed to taking bigger risks," making it three straight "8" reviews.
The Flaws
Throughout even the most positive reviews, the game is not without its flaws.
James Davie of Impulse Gamer wrote, "2K Showcase modes have long been monotonous games of Simon Says, where the player is encouraged to complete objectives as listed on the screen in order to receive unlockable rewards for successfully complying with their commands. 2K24 is unfortunately no different..."
He continued, "Simply put, 2K Showcases are messy and they encourage players to follow a script. There's nothing thrilling about following orders to unlock old tat, and it's about time 2K gave us an innovative alternative to the run of the mill 2K Showcase because they're aging faster than Ric Flair's ability to obtain medical clearance to compete."
David Luff of VideoGamer.com, an admitted non-fan of professional wrestling, found the storylines in MyRISE to be less than enthralling and did not understand the appeal of the Universe mode.
Joseph Moorer of The Gaming Nexus took exception to the imagery of the game. "The visuals seem off-putting," he wrote. He continued:
"These faces during the entrances and the victory celebrations just don't look great for a game that usually knocks this out the park. I'll reiterate, this doesn't apply to every superstar, but for most of them, it's not pretty. It seems like something stinks in the arena, and they're all making the same stank face. The Fiend looks incredible. His lantern does not. What is wrong with the mouths? Why do they have so much teeth?"
All three come from reviews that are still primarily positive but do not shy away from what they believe to be issues with the release.
Consensus
WWE and 2K Games have continued the renaissance of the franchise, bringing it back from the abyss that was the 2K20 offering and earning mostly positive reviews.
Metacritic, collecting reviews from trusted sources around the internet, currently has the game scored at 82.
The enormous roster, improved gameplay mechanics, and depth of modes help the game excel and overcome the deficiencies that still exist.
Very few games are perfect and WWE 2K24 is not one of them. What it is, though, is an improvement over its two predecessors and proof that the companies involved are committed to producing the best product possible for fans and non-fans alike.
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