WWE 2K17: Review of DLC Season Pass and Expanded Creation Suite

WWE 2K17 finally became available to the public on Tuesday, and while many have already immersed themselves in WWE's latest video game offering, the DLC and Creation Suite give it more depth than perhaps any other wrestling game in history.

While there is plenty to keep gamers occupied for the foreseeable future, the upcoming DLC is already generating a ton of excitement due to the availability of new characters, matches, moves and more, while the Creation Suite allows players to add Superstars, belts and arenas to a game that is already jam-packed with them.

Here is a closer look at two of the features that promise to keep WWE 2K17's popularity up not only in the coming weeks and months but over the course of an entire year.

DLC Season Pass

WWE 2K seemingly continues to up the ante with its downloadable content with each passing year, and WWE 2K17 is no exception.

As seen in this tweet from WWE 2K17 featuring all of the available DLC, hardcore WWE fans will have a ton of incentive to purchase the season pass:

According to WWE.2K.com, the season pass will provide gamers access to every piece of available DLC, including the Accelerator, the Future Stars Pack, the Hall of Fame Showcase, the Legends Pack and the New Moves Pack.

The Accelerator is valuable since it saves time by unlocking all unlockable content on the disc without having to get through any of the achievements.

That doesn't include the additional DLC available as part of the season pass, however.

Perhaps the biggest draw when it comes to the season pass is the fact that it will allow gamers to utilize several current and legendary Superstars whom those without the DLC won't be able to use.

The Future Stars Pack represents the WWE video game debuts of Austin Aries, Tye Dillinger, Mojo Rawley and Karl Anderson, as well as the return of Luke Gallows. That pack is significant since Gallows and Anderson are a big part of current WWE programming, while Aries is among the top stars in NXT.

Aries has long been among the best all-around wrestlers in the world, and his inclusion is arguably the biggest reason for buying the season pass, as there are tons of possible dream matches involving him that can be played out.

The same can be said for the Legends Pack, which includes Eddie Guerrero, Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake, Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, Sycho Sid and Tatanka.

Beefcake, Valentine, Sid and Tatanka are all making their WWE video game debuts, and while Guerrero has been part of many offerings in the past, his inclusion is huge due to his status as one of the best to ever step foot in the squared circle.

Many Superstars have taken to using Guerrero's signature Frog Splash, such as Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens, and playing out a match between Latino Heat and either of them is reason enough to consider the season pass.

The Hall of Fame Showcase unlocks matches involving several inductees into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2016, including The Fabulous Freebirds, Jacqueline, Sting, The Godfather and Big Boss Man.

Along with playing out those matches, gamers will be able to use those characters in other scenarios, such as Universe Mode.

Finally, the New Moves Pack is of great significance to hardcore WWE fans since it adds even more realism to a game that is more realistic than any wrestling game that has come before it.

Superstars are constantly adding moves to their arsenal and evolving, and the New Moves Pack will allow players to keep up with that in the virtual realm.

Those who are interested in bits and pieces of the DLC can buy certain packs rather than the entire season pass, but buying everything at once does provide better value, and all five pieces of the season pass will prove useful, especially for those who crave huge rosters and endless dream-match possibilities.

Creation Suite

WWE 2K17 has a larger roster than ever before, as well as more options for championship belts and arenas than any of WWE 2K's previous editions, but that is only the tip of the iceberg thanks to the deep and addictive Creation Suite.

The ability to create and customize has long been one of the best parts of WWE's video games, but WWE 2K17 has taken that to another level, as seen in the following Creation Suite video:

According to WWE.2K.com, Create-a-Superstar took yet another step with increased options in terms of body and facial hair, skin and teeth. Players have managed to make Superstars who look nearly as good as those actually in the game over the past few years, but the added attention to detail makes that even easier in WWE 2K17.

The ability to access Community Creations is a huge help to those who aren't as skilled at creating in their own right, since they can access anything uploaded by gamers across the world and use it within their Universe Mode.

That includes not only Superstars but also belts, which have additional options such as the texturing of the strap.

Improvements to Create-a-Championship are key since WWE recently introduced three new titles in the form of the Universal Championship, SmackDown Women's Championship and SmackDown Tag Team Championships.

None of those belts could be added to the game in time, but fantastic renderings can be made thanks to the Creation Suite.

One of the most interesting additions is part of the Create-a-Show mode, as it allows gamers to add visual effects such as sepia, black-and-white or even "bad VHS" to best capture the era of the created show, as seen in this video from WWE2KDev:

Highlight Reel is more effective than ever as well, since gamers can now pause a match at any time to capture and save clips for use in other aspects of the game.

It is especially useful for creating custom Titantron videos for created wrestlers or Superstars who are already in the game.

The Creation Suite essentially allows players to create a game that is entirely their own in addition to what is already a great video game in terms of the roster, gameplay, features and game modes.

Customization is something that keeps gamers coming back for more, especially when it comes to a game representing professional wrestling.

Things are always changing in WWE, from Superstars coming and going to new pay-per-views and championship titles entering the fold. Thanks to the additions to the Creation Suite, WWE 2K17 makes it easy to keep up with the ever-changing landscape.

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