WWE 2K15: Highlighting 2K Showcase Mode and Latest Roster Updates

"The Best in the World" might be a moniker that applies to CM Punk, but it might be delegated to WWE 2K15 before long if all of the hype comes to fruition.

By now, fans know all about perhaps the biggest selling point of all—the My Career mode. That mode has helped make 2K Sports what it is today, especially in the NBA realm, yet it is better fit for the world of WWE and all of its larger-than-life personalities.

Fans also happen to know that the game looks downright amazing on next-generation consoles, as one can glean from a screenshot mashup provided by Operation Sports:

But the breadth of the game far from ends with the above details. 2K Sports, along with the wrestlers themselves, continues to let new details trickle out to the general public.

Below, let's take a look at a major game-mode reveal and some new roster info that gives fans a better idea of who will be playable upon release.

2K Showcase Mode

Jim R. Bounds/Associated Press

First things first—CM Punk is in the game despite his rocky relationship with the company that may or may not even be a thing at this point.

WWE 2K broke the news on Twitter: 

It only makes sense that Punk is in the game, though, as his feud with John Cena is arguably the best the modern era has to offer. Fans will get to relive the feud in detail thanks to 2K Showcase Mode, which more than likely means the fabled Punk vs. Cena at Money in the Bank 2011 will be involved.

Of course, there is a less recent feud to revisit, too—Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels from 2002 to 2004.

2K marketing vice president Chris Snyder broke down in a press release, via Bleacher Report's Donald Wood, why the feud was chosen for this year's game:

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The moment Triple H ended his longtime friendship with ‘The Heartbreak Kid’ by slamming him with a Pedigree was a defining moment in WWE history. No fan can deny the fierce competition marking the notorious battles waged between Cena and Punk. These two rivalries are firmly etched in WWE history, and 2K Showcase enables fans to take part in those memorable experiences.

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The mode spans more than 30 matches with unlockables, so fans who have any interest at all in the two historic rivalries will surely feel justified in the purchase. 

Now would probably be a good time to mention that 2K Sports has finally had the chance to rework some of the critical gameplay elements just in time for such a great game mode. IGN.com's Vince Ingenito explains that the tweaks create a more life-like experience for players:

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But the balance, pacing, and weight of everything has been tuned to fall more in line with the actual performances you see on Monday nights. Some of this comes down to little things, like the height of the ropes (which has never been accurate, by the way). But there are also a good deal of big things – new systems and mechanics that drastically change the way you play wrestling games.

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Fans who want to relive two of the best rivalries in history will get to do so in what sounds like a pure simulation this time around. Nostalgia is a powerful tool, and 2K Sports has plenty of history to draw from, but the developers could not have picked better feuds to begin what will surely be a yearly installment in the series.

Latest Roster Happenings

Jonathan Bachman/Associated Press

So the details about Punk are officially known, but 2K Sports is waiting to unveil the full roster during a special event:

Great, but wrestlers themselves have let slip secrets about their virtual selves, and who can blame them?

First, the names we already do know, sans the ones mentioned above in the new game mode—Bray Wyatt, Cesaro, Hulk Hogan, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Sting, Sting (Retro). Nothing too unpredictable, outside of the whole Sting thing.

Go ahead and add Bad News Barrett to the list, as he gave the good news (boom) to IGN's Greg Miller that he will be in a WWE video game for the first time with this year's offering.

Walt Hoenisch of PWInsider.com writes that, during a Q&A session after a screening of NWO: The Revolution, one Kevin Nash confirmed he will be in the game as his character, Diesel.

The roster only continues to grow, and it is a great sign that several of the faces set to enter the virtual ring have already been huge surprises. Given the wealth of history the company touts, the developers could bring any number of legendary current and past wrestlers to life, so set aside time for that roster reveal.