Yukes has been making the WWF/E video games since 1999 and their Win/Loss record is not the best. The series started off strong with an arcade-y style of gameplay and has gone from arcade to sim, to a hybrid of the two and recently an option between the two. Last year’s installment was not good at all and had the bad timing to release near to around the same time as Fire Pro World on PC and PlayStation 4. With FPW there were better customization options than 2k18 and to some extent 2k19. Yukes/2K may have more things to customize but I cite the classic phrase “quality over quantity”. In WWE 2k19 you can further customize wrestlers, Money in The Bank briefcases, and the same rigmarole as last year.
“People have said to me, ‘It must be nice to prove so many people wrong,’ but I’ve never really cared about proving anything to anybody else.” – Daniel Bryan
There is a breath of fresh air in the returning Showcase mode and MyCareer for WWE 2k19 in the influence of the “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson or as he’s known today: Daniel Bryan. In the showcase mode, you play through instrumental matches in Danielson’s WWE career. Eleven matches are available including his 2003 match against John Cena on Velocity and his first official match as Daniel Bryan in WWE against Chris Jericho on NXT (Nope, wrong one the original NXT that led to the formation of The Nexus). The difference between this Showcase Mode and the rest is simply that this year’s version is presented as a documentary as Danielson gives you information you’d only know by reading info written by Dave Meltzer. He gives background on each match and it is very entertaining, especially the fact that during season 1 of NXT he was supposed to partake in a hot dog eating contest but when he said that he was vegan it was changed to a soda chugging contest which meant you had Danielson, who had quit drinking soda taking slow chugs and it made things pretty boring to watch if you had to pay to see that.
“If your goal isn’t to be on top, then you don’t deserve to be here” -Big E Langston
MyCareer mode in WWE 2k19 throws you through some loops and hits you with some swerves as you like Bryan Danielson start out as “Buzz” which is the nickname you get after some unfortunate things occur when you try out for a spot for WWE and the main antagonist of the game is none other than “The Game” Triple H. Also, quick side note: Cole Quinn is one of the best-written characters in MyCareer mode’s entire history. The big difference in this year’s game is that there are certain wrestlers who voice themselves such as Triple H, Matt Bloom, Daniel Bryan, and Kurt Angle. There are still things that can be improved upon in my eyes such as the transition from pre-WWE to NXT or the main roster itself. From 2k15 to 2k18 you were simply a new addition to the performance center and it was extremely bland. Whoever did write the story for this year’s MyCareer deserves a pat on the back and a pay raise as there are tons of fan service whether its references to WCW’s horrendous triple cage or a random ECW reference, or my favorite one invading NXT as either Degeneration-X, Scott Hall & Kevin Nash, or 80’s Stars.
“To be the man, you gotta beat the man.” – “Nature Boy” Ric Flair
Universe Mode finally has Raw, Smackdown, NXT, and 205 Live and just like previous games you can create shows or download them off WWE Community Creations. But unfortunately, with Monday-Thursday booked and with no ability to have multiple shows on the same night like Wednesday’s with 205 Live and NXT it hinders any chance of having more shows aside from either Velocity or Saturday Night’s Main Event. Even then, the rosters are terrible as NXT has twenty wrestlers and 205 Live has eleven. This is where Community Creations comes into play as you can simply download the wrestlers you need for shows like NXT (NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa) and 205 Live.
“WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOUR FACE!?!?!” – Mr. Plinkett
As usual with WWE Games for the past decade, the character models look atrocious and the lower models from Fire Pro World look much better. Or to go back even further, TNA iMPACT despite having the roster being ex-WWE performers. Randy Orton specifically had some harsh words after seeing his character model that looks learning disabled. “WOW, #wwe2k19 f@ck you too!”
“Then. Now. Forever?”
There are good things in this game, mainly American Dragon… but other than that I wouldn’t recommend this for everyone. Mainly wrestling fans who can’t get into the Total Extreme Wrestling series.
Score: 3 out of 5.
Pros
- Showcase Mode Makes A Solid Return
- Wrestlers Voice Themselves
- MyCareer Mode
- CQ
Cons
- Lack of Creativity
- Character Models
- Sick of Legends
- Universe Mode Is Starting To Get Stale
Los Harrow 