Opinion: Improvements I’d like to see made in WWE 2K18

While WWE 2K17’s gameplay remains the same as its predecessor (with a few improvements here and there), the removal of the Showcase mode was a biggy for me.  While some may prefer the Universe mode (which was also improved upon in 2K17), having a structured story to pull me in has always been my go-to feature of my most loved WWE videogames.

Strong Stories to Tell

So in the main feature I’d want to see return to this year’s WWE 2K18 is the return of a diverse story mode to grip me in.  It’s all down to personal preference as to whether you prefer a story with an original WWE Superstar or a created wrestler, so I believe it’s important to have improvements for both.

From what I played of My Career in WWE 2K17, it got a lot right, especially with Superstar and interview interactions.  But what really took me out of the experience was the lack of voice-acting.  By your CAW (Create-a-Wrestler) having a voice, it makes the experience more personal, especially when cutting a promo, rather than having to read a bunch of text on-screen (I know this wouldn’t really apply to Superstars in the Universe mode or story creator).  So not only having your CAW being given the gift of vocals, I’d also like to see a choice of accents, whether that be American, UK and some other countries from across the world. I know we can’t have them all, which would be an insane workload; but having the choice of 5-10 voices would be fantastic.  Finally with MyCareer, this one is a given and has a rightful place, let’s have a choice of both male and female CAW’s.

For those of you that my like something a little familiar, I believe that there is enough room in this yard for a fulfilling CAW and WWE Superstar campaign.  But what Superstars and events would I like to relive in its interactive digital form?  In previous games, we once had a choice to select a few handpicked Superstars, each with their own unique story campaign.  They were short, but certainly sweet and I’d love to see that feature return.

Relive those glory days once more and The Women’s Revolution

Again, I know we can’t have all the Superstars on the roster, but if we could even pick one or two Superstar campaigns to play, that would be awesome.  This year’s Hall of Fame 2017 headliner seems an obvious choice; I am of course talking about the Olympic Gold Medallist, Kurt Angle.  Despite having an immense amateur career, Kurt Angle wasn’t perhaps as well received as he would have liked when he debuted at Survivor Series in 1998.  But being the pro that he is, Kurt used that to his advantage; he even turned the “You Suck” chants later into his WWE career to a positive and went on to be one of the most decorated and much loved WWE Superstars of all-time.

So re-living Kurt’s debut, to his feuds with HHH, Shane McMahon, Brock Lesnar, his fight against the WCW Invasion, right up to his Hall of Fame induction.  There’s so much to explore, relive for veteran fans and to learn for those that missed his original days.  It’s true, it’s damn true.

But what other stories could we see?  Well, there’s simply too much history to mention.  But from a personal standpoint and along with Kurt Angle’s induction, I’d love to see two more very relevant stories to tell in WWE 2K18.  One being the Woman’s Revolution.  I touched upon this in an article in what I’d like to see in 2K17, but seeing as it never made it last year, I want to see it happen this year instead.  Playing through the Woman’s Revolution would not only has us reliving one of (if not the) most game changing events in recent WWE history.  Beginning with their Four Horsewoman days in NXT, we could follow the journey’s of Becky Lynch, Bayley, Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks into the main roster with each of these woman having iconic feuds, epic matches and title reigns on Monday Night Raw and Smackdown Live respectively.

The other storyline that I’d love to playout would be with the returning Goldberg, who will most likely be inducted into the 2018 Hall of Fame.  I know there’s a lot of ground to cover, but just imagine re-living the story of Goldberg’s victory against Hugh Morrus on Monday Nitro in 1997, which ultimately lead to that iconic undefeated streak.  Then of course you have his short and somewhat unforgettable debut run in WWE, which led to Goldberg feuding with HHH, Scott Steiner and The Rock (the less I say about his initial feud with Brock Lesnar, the better).  But then of course we can re-live his most recent and in my mind, his most enjoyable run in WWE and his exciting (though Squash match inspired) feud with Brock Lesnar, bowing out with Wrestlemania 33.

You Talk too Much!

Other improvements and additions that I would love to see in WWE 2K18 are simple, but I feel important changes, beginning with the commentary.  How often have we heard the same recycled commentary in just about every WWE videogame in existence?  I know it’s hard to record all the dialogue required, but imagine if we could just have the commentary team associated with each show, implemented in the videogame counterpart?  Byron Saxton, Cory Graves and Michael Cole on Raw, JBL, David Tonga (urgh) and (hopefully) Tom Phillips on Smackdown Live.  Then Nigel McGuiness, Showtime Percy Watson and (again) Tom Phillips on the NXT shows.

Not only having each official commentary team being dedicated to each show (whether it be an exhibition or campaign), you would not only not get tired of hearing the same voices repeat the same sentences over and over, but it would also be satisfying for those of us that like things to be up-to-date and official.  This is possibly my biggest ask, but if it’s possible, it would be so glorious!

My GAWD, someone please fix that hair!

Other snippets that I would like to see improved, are Achievements/Trophies being tied to any story related DLC.  I know Achievements/Trophies are not the be-all-and-end-all, but for us hunters out there, it means something and will bring some added value to paid DLC.  Finally, and this is a big one!  For crying out loud, please someone, fix those god damn awful hair mechanics, PLEASE, for the love of GAWD!  Anyone that has seen the split, flat, life of its own long hairdo for anyone with long waivery hair (male of female), will know exactly what I mean.  If only 2K could acquire the TressFX technology implanted in Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition and Rise of the Tomb Raider.

Right that puts an end to what I’d like to see improved upon in WWE 2K18.  This article is of course purely subjective, so I’d love to hear what you’d like to see implemented in this year’s instalment and beyond.  Let’s get talking in the comments section below.