WWE 2K18: Latest News and Buzz for Week of August 14

WWE 2K15 was a wash. WWE 2K16 was a course correction. WWE 2K17 was a further refinement of that course correction. And now, WWE 2K18 seeks to refine that refinement even further.

Annual game franchises must reach an ever-extending bar of quality. One might imagine that it gets increasingly difficult to do so, year after year. But this year, it seems that 2K Games is staking out new thematic ground.

The appeal of most prior WWE games was to play as a WWE Superstar and take them on their WrestleMania showcase journey. This game's slogan, "Be Like No One," runs contrary to that sentiment. It's no coincidence that a younger wrestler, Seth Rollins, is on the cover instead of a legend.

Here's the latest news about WWE 2K18.

Oh Wow, Look at The Stairs

Credit: 2K Games

The screenshots that 2K has released thus far look impressive—the developers redid the ring and improved their lighting and shading mechanics. The wrestlers now look more integrated, rather than transplanted, into their environments.

But to single out one particularly impressive visual: Have you seen these steel steps? The scuff marks on its left side? The uneven lighting across its surface? That looks about as realistic as one can get digital stairs to look. It'll to be fun to crack those over someone's head. And the deeper the noise, the better.

First Moving Footage

WWE 2K creative director Lynell Jinks released a new YouTube video, which shows moving footage of the game for the first time. The video does a nice split screen between WWE 2K17 and WWE 2K18 to show how far the graphics have come in a year.

It's not gameplay footage, per se—it's a pre-rendered Randy Orton entrance. But there's no doubt that it looks impressive.

The real visual test will be seeing which mo-cap animations the developers remade, and which ones they've continued to recycle.

SummerSlam 2K Event on August 18

Credit: WWE.com

Multiple bloggers have confirmed that they will be attending a WWE 2K18 SummerSlam Kickoff event this Friday, August 18.

Last year's event featured an A-list of Superstars (Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks and more), and the press had the opportunity to play the game for the first time.

So in all likelihood, we won't have to wait much longer to hear details about the gameplay mechanics themselves. Are there any updates to the reversal system? What's the status on stamina or chain grappling? What are the numerical ratings for these Superstars? The answers are coming.

The WWE 2K18 Roster So Far

And lastly, ElementGames updated their ongoing roster reveal for the game, which you can view above. It's based on developer interviews, along with signs and easter eggs in the released footage and screenshots.

2K Games will release WWE 2K18 worldwide for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and XBox One on Oct. 17. Visit the official website to learn more.