It's already that time again? It's time to "become immortal" as you hop into the newest game featuring the Superstars and Divas of wrestling's past and present of World Wrestling Entertainment as the folks at 2K Sports presents WWE 2K14.

THQ managed to survive bankruptcy as 2K Sports is now spearheading the WWE Games' from here on out. Given the amount of praise that 2K Sports has received on their other sports endeavors, wrestling fans shouldn't have anything to be concerned about right? Right? Let's find out in this review.

PRESENTATION:

Graphically, this is the same game you played last year in WWE '13, just with a new menu starring The Rock himself and a bit more polish on some of the character models. This year's in-game Divas definitely look better than the ones provided in WWE '13 by default, but some of the Legends aren't given the same level of detail as a lot of their character models look like they were plucked directly from Legends of WrestleMania. Yeah, I'm looking right at Ultimate Warrior, Shawn Michaels (retro), Andre the Giant, and Hulk Hogan. It's so painfully obvious on their character models. Well, at least some of the character models here don't look as bad as Booker T did in the last two games... (Shudders). 

Right off the bat, players will be pleased to know that they can fully customize the tracks that play in the background of the in-game menus, thanks to the new WWE Jukebox feature in the Options menu. That was a welcome addition as that was the #1 reason I couldn't sit down and enjoy Creation Suite in WWE '13 as every other track would loop right back to David Otunga's entrance theme. Players can add custom tracks to the WWE Jukebox as well.

CONTROLS: 

The game still controls the same way that it has from WWE '13. General movement is controlled to the left analog stick, while various strategic positioning can be done with the right analog stick. Left trigger/L2 breaks your Superstar/Diva into a sprint. Right trigger/R2 reverses all attacks when timed perfectly to the onscreen prompts. Holding RB/R1 activates the Predator Limb Targeting System. LB/L1 picks up weapons or allows your Superstar/Diva to interact with environmental objects. The various taunts are mapped to the directional pad. The face buttons on the controller allow for strikes, initiating grapples, and performing Irish whips, signature moves, and finishers.

GAMEPLAY: 

Note: This is a simple demonstration of how to execute the new and improved Catapult Finishers.

Many of the gameplay features from WWE '13 have been updated or completely revamped. These include the navigation system, allowing for more fluid walking, running and dragging motions. Characters also move faster than before. Before running, characters display "starting up" animations, to prevent players from spamming running attacks. An added adrenaline meter quickly drains down if your character sprints around the ring for a long duration. New motions, such as adjusting wristbands or motioning for opponents to get up, were added. Striking attacks are quicker and harder to reverse. All reversals now result in offensive attacks that actually deal damage to your opponent, to make for quicker matches by avoiding continuous reversal stalemates. Catapult finishers can now be used offensively. Some characters can launch an opponent into the air and catch them for a catch finisher. Seven new OMG moments have been added, allowing certain finishers to be done on two opponents, and allowing players to interact with the arena environment. The near-fall system too has been improved, with more two counts to give the match a more dramatic feel. Few new matches have been added, though a Slobberknocker Mode, adapted from The Streak season mode, had been added as a gauntlet match.

I. 30 Years of WrestleMania Mode

WWE 2K14 features a new single player campaign called "The 30 Years of WrestleMania", a nostalgic gameplay mode that recreates nearly three decades of WWE history, including more than 45 matches, classic WWE footage and many legendary characters. Like Legends of Wrestlemania and WWE '13, the campaign revolves around historical stories rather than original ones. The mode features a distinct roster of wrestlers and alternate gimmicks, who wrestled at WrestleMania.
In Wrestlemania mode, matches have primary objectives, required to beat the game, and bonus historical objectives, which result in recreated WrestleMania moments. Sometimes the player must follow a guided sequence of inputs, rather than freely control the character.
In 46 primary matches, the player competes through storylines of various lengths, switching predetermined characters as they are completed. Each chapter has its own title and focus; "Hulkamania Runs Wild" focuses on Hulk Hogan and early WrestleManias, while "The New Generation" showcases the rise of Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels in the mid-1990s. The "Attitude Era" chapter brings back some matches from WWE '13's "Attitude Era" mode, as well as some not covered before. The "Ruthless Aggression" chapter focuses on the departure of The Rock, lessened focus on Triple H and rise of Randy Orton and Edge. The final "Universe Era" chapter focuses on the rise of John Cena and the returns of The Rock and Brock Lesnar.
I absolutely loved that 2K14 captures this moment perfectly.
This is the mode that single-handedly warrants me to suggest that players that are fans of wrestling, young or old, to play this game. 2K did a great job with this mode, especially with the first 10 WrestleManias, truly capturing that nostalgic feel for those events. The game even provides a grainy television graphical filter to recreate these events just as we saw them on our old television sets back in the day. It's the small details to stuff, such as the fans throwing trash at Andre the Giant during his entrance and Ric Flair breaking down in tears after Shawn Michaels forced him into retirement, that really make old school fans truly appreciate this mode. I even found myself getting emotional at how accurately they portrayed "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth together in the mix. Sue me... I dare you to find me a better wrestling love story than that with enough emotional impact behind it. Sadly, I felt the mode lost its luster after roughly WrestleMania 13, when it was obvious that this mode just simply transformed into series of WWE and World Heavyweight Championship title matches - and an occasional wildcard match here and there with The Undertaker's few Streak opponents - with little to no story elements behind them, unlike the ones that opened this monumental single player campaign. Many players blame the licensing issues to get particular former WWE Superstars and Divas in the game are to blame, but they still had a lot of great WrestleMania matches to work with from the 30 years of WrestleMania. C'mon... there's no Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker I (WrestleMania 25), Chris Jericho vs. Ricky Steamboat, Roddy Piper, and Jimmy Snuka (WrestleMania 25), Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero (WrestleMania 21), Evolution (Ric Flair, Batista, Randy Orton) vs. The Rock & Mick Foley (WrestleMania XX) and the bulk of the card from WrestleMania 29 was worth playing if we had to endure that lame duck Hulk Hogan vs. Sgt. Slaughter match in this mode. Hell, I would have been happy with Randy Savage vs. Ultimate Warrior (WrestleMania VII) than that snoozefest. This mode is commentated entirely by Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler. I personally felt that their presence in the earlier WrestleManias deminshes their nostalgia a bit. 2K managed to pull audio from the late "Macho Man" Randy Savage for his pre-match promos, so why couldn't they have done the same for the color commentators of yore? I would have loved to hear the late Gorilla Monsoon in this game on commentary thanks to the magic of importing some of his audio clips from these historical WrestleMania bouts.

- The Streak Mode

The game also has a new mode that is focused on The Undertaker called “The Streak”. The game pays homage to The Undertaker's undefeated 21-0 WrestleMania winning streak. In the mode, the player has the option to defend the streak as the Undertaker, battling wave after wave of opponent. However, the player also has the ability to attempt to break it, playing as all superstars who faced the Undertaker at WrestleMania. in attempting to beat the Undertaker, however, the difficulty is amplified to a level much higher than any point available in any other mode of any WWE wrestling video game.
This mode is unlocked from start, but allows players to experience firsthand in the legendary streak of The Undertaker as they attempt to maintain it or challenge to end it.
-- Defeat The Streak - This is easily the best mode of the two options in Streak Mode, with the challenge of taking down the legendary Undertaker at WrestleMania to end his streak. The difficulty is cranked up to a level beyond Legend difficulty as The Undertaker will reverse your reversals and it will be a grueling task to wear him down to the point to defeat him. To help you out, this match is a No Holds Barred contest, so anything goes, but that also stands for The Undertaker as he will pull out several surprises to defend his legacy. I personally think that The Undertaker should be ramped up to this level of difficulty at any given time when you challenge him in-game at WrestleMania for pure accuracy. No matter what difficulty players are on, it should not be an easy feat to end the Streak at WrestleMania. Defeating the streak with his previous WrestleMania opponents will unlock respective photos in the gallery section of 30 Years of WrestleMania Mode's main menu. -- Defend The Streak - I was completely let down when I found out that this mode is only the series' revival of the Slobberknocker Match from previous years of yore in the WWE Smackdown! vs. Raw-themed games. The only difference here is that you have to play as The Undertaker himself and defeat as many Superstars as possible before eventually getting too worn down and tired to continue. That's a bit ironic, as that's the toll that these matches have taken on the Phenom's body over the last two decades. Sadly, this mode doesn't have the extra excitement and difficulty that was a pleasure to experience in Defeat The Streak. Here, majority of the Superstars barely put up a fight against you until you eliminate 25-30 Superstars. Even when they do put up a fight, the game heals some of your damage after every 5-10 successful eliminations, so it's not that hard. On a side note, can someone give Jerry "The King" Lawler and Michael Cole more lines of commentary in this mode? I heard Lawler say, "The Undertaker is the scariest Superstar on the WWE roster. He's even more scarier than a topless Mae Young!" at least once during every participant that came out during this match. That same line of commentary was in last year's game as I remember busting out laughing the first time I heard it.

II. Online Modes

For those of you having issues with the ongoing "Online Pass" issue that seems to be absent for players who either bought the game from an online retailer or as a digital download, from what I experienced on the Xbox 360 version of the game is that there is an option to opt for a 7-day trial of Online Access. The sad part is that Community Creations are locked out. You can still play Ranked and Player Matches to your hearts' content though. I thought that was nice of 2K to at least give players an option to see whether or not that the online modes would be something that they would be interested in paying for additionally after trying it first-hand for themselves. Regardless, I hope that 2K Sports remedies those issues with the Online Pass for those affected. For the most part, WWE 2K14's online is roughly the same as WWE '13's. For the most part, I didn't experience any of the arsenal of bugs or random disconnections that plagued WWE '13, but I did still thought it was a pain in the ass to kick out of pins online. This has been an annoyance since WWE Smackdown! vs. Raw 2010 and I'm surprised they haven't addressed this issue. If there is any slight amount of lag between you and your opponent(s), your chances to kick out of pins successfully goes down significantly. That goes double for reversal timing online. I found myself having to counter at least 2-5 seconds earlier than I would normally do so offline.
  • Community Creations
This is the central hub where the entire WWE 2K14 community shares its creations from the Creation Suite for use by other players. Everything can be uploaded from the Creation Suite to this online archive, with the exception of Custom Championships. I thought that was really odd that they would not allow those to be shared after players were so vocal about getting that mode back into these games in the first place. Despite this shortcoming, players are opted to upload and download any and everything at their hearts' content here. 

III. Exhibition Modes

Every mode that is available in My Universe is available for play in single player or via local multiplayer matches with friends offline. All creations from the Creation Suite can be used in these modes, as well as the unlockable characters and arenas obtained from besting the challenges and bonus objectives in 30 Years of WrestleMania Mode. 
Divas are still unable to compete in Royal Rumble matches, but they can compete in Extreme Rules matches. Looks like Diva fans aren't getting tossed a bone at all in this game. Speaking of Royal Rumble matches, apparently there is a nagging issue with PlayStation 3 players where entrants stop coming out during the match and when you try to quit the match the game freezes. I personally didn't run into this bug while playing on Xbox 360 version of the game as I completed a Royal Rumble from start to finish without any gamebreaking issues, except for the fact that the game kills audio on some entrance themes, especially custom themes. My only compliant with the Royal Rumble is the camera angle this year is from the side instead of having the camera facing towards the entrance ramp for you can see who is racing towards the ring. 

IV. Creation Suite

- Create-a-Superstar

For creation mode purists, this mode has become their bread and butter. That being said, I'm downright disgusted that 2K didn't bother to change this mode in this entry. For the second year in a row, it's a copy and paste from WWE '12. I feel even worse for WWE Diva fans, as there are not even one new part for female creations. Yeah, you read that right. There is NOTHING new for women. If 2K/THQ aren't going to change anything then they should look into a creation suite import tool for future entries. I know it hasn't to be annoying for long-time Creation Suite enthusiasts to waste hours upon hours recreating their same creations from the previous year from scratch. The main draw to this mode for 2K14 is the fact that players have a whooping 100 creation slots to work with. That is more than a welcome addition as I always ran out of room for my own creations after finding my friends' creations on Community Creations. Lastly, what genius thought it was a good idea to remove the ability to edit more than 1 colour on the many facepaints in a Create-a-Superstar?
  • Superstar Heads
This is a new feature that allows players to choose one of 14 available preset Superstar heads, including John Cena, Paul Heyman, Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, and among others with more on the way as downloadable content. I personally found this addition to be a bit underwhelming as you can't edit anything on the preexisting head. It just sets on top of generic CAW's body. You would think that 2K would have at least allowed the preset head to import that Superstars' body morphing and let you edit the Superstar completely like a CAW. What I'm getting at is what WWF No Mercy did back on the Nintendo 64. Scrap the Superstar Threads option completely and allow players to edit Superstars and Divas in 4 attire slots as if they were CAWs. The only restriction should be height and body morphing (to an extent, as Superstars' muscle mass has decreased/increased over the years...). Alternatively, 2K could provide a simple system where Superstars and Divas' parts are usable in Create-a-Superstar mode, much like in the previous WWF Smackdown! 2: Know Your Role, where players could mix and match parts for desired results.

- Create-a-Entrance 

This is the same creature that we have come to know since the debut of this series, but there are a few minor changes. Preset entrances have a "!!" tag on them to indicate that the entrance uses a prop that will be attached to that Superstar/Diva during their entrance. Another change is that 2K have completely abandoned the concept of labeling the preset entrances for Superstars/Divas not on the in-game roster, with clever surnames, such as Legend Diva (Trish Stratus), Version One (Matt Hardy), Black Widow (Victoria/Tara), First Lady (Maria Kanellis), Paparazzi Princess (Melina), Blonde Bombshell (Torrie Wilson), King of Extreme (The Sandman), and so on. That sounds good and all but here's the bad news. There's a few nagging issues with using custom tracks on this entry. Whereas they got it right in the last two entries where custom tracks did not explode from your speakers like back in WWE Smackdown! vs. Raw 2011, now the problem is that custom tracks either play too low that you can barely even hear them 2K has removed almost all of the generic titantrons, except for about 6 of them. This problem, along with the removal of Highlight Reels, really limits the options for original Superstars and Divas. That decision really baffled me when you can still save match replays but you can't do anything else with them other than take screenshots. So what was the reasoning behind removing Highlight Reel?

- Create-a-Arena 

While there are a lot of new arena parts to toy with since the debut of this feature back in WWE '12, there are a lot of issues plaguing this mode in WWE 2K14. The lack of Paint Tool logo being able to be resized in CAA is hindering a lot of creator's creativity as well as the removal of backgrounds underneath logos.
It seems that 2K failed to address the minitron/walls issue in WWE '13 where our stage designs disappear during entrances, almost rendering the stage design worthless. This was a decision that left many players upset as the former THQ staff (now working for 2K Sports) were told this would be addressed for 2K14.
There is a lack of complete freedom in minitron creation (logos  are now duplicated often 3 times across the minitron) such as we had last year. This makes it very difficult to create accurate arenas without looking repetitive. Believe it or not, but there are a lot of passionate creation suite enthusiasts who are upset at the lack of attention to these finer details. 

- Create-a-Finisher 

This is still the same creature that we have come used to in this current generation of wrestling games. I still wish that they would just add in all of the moves that they have have taken out of the traditional Create-a-Moveset over the last decade can be recreated here. 

- Create-a-Moveset 

Much like Create-a-Superstar, little has changed here from WWE '13. There are lots of new moves from some of the newest additions to the current WWE roster, along with several old school delights from the Legends and alumni unlockable in 30 Years of WrestleMania Mode, with more moves on the horizon as downloadable content. 

- Create-a-Championship 

2K Sports added onto the feature that was added (or rather brought back from previous titles) back in WWE '13, allowing players to customize their championships even further and allow Paint Tool logos to be used on championships as well. These championships can be used in My Universe and Exhibition Modes.

- Superstar Threads

This mode makes its return in 2K14, allowing players to change the colors of all of the in-game Superstars and Divas' attires in several creation slots. There is a minor issue with coloring some unique items in this mode, such as coloring Hulk Hogan's belt or "Macho Man" Randy Savage's cape. Hopefully this will be addressed in a minor patch. 

V. My Universe Mode

The sandbox mode, "WWE Universe", returned, though completely overhauled. The player had been given the option to completely customize their own "universe". Diva-centric custom shows have been made available along with customized pay-per view events having less restrictions, with the incorporation of custom themes, logo and tournaments being available. The rivalry system is credited as the most updated system, with a Rivalry Manager being added to stat-track all rivalries. Long-time fans of this mode should know what to expect from this mode by now. This is your means to create a WWE Universe of your liking, either with all original creations or full of your own customized rosters with the in-game roster spanning multiple time periods in WWE history. The ability to create Diva-centric shows are a welcome addition, but it provides little variety when you cannot set the Divas to go for other titles than the Divas and Women's Championship. The ability to allow them to go for at least midcard titles, such as the Intercontinental or Cruiserweight Championships would have been welcome. Oh well, that's something to wish for in a future update. Regardless, there's still more than enough here to keep wrestling fans busy until WWE 2K15 rolls around.

VI. Downloadable Content

As of this posting date, there is no downloadable content to access other than the pre-order exclusives, but I will take this time to reveal what is in the pipeline for the upcoming months. 

ACCELERATOR

Available for a suggested purchase cost of $1.99.
Customize the overall rankings and attributes levels of every WWE Superstar, Legend, and Diva in the game. Also unlocks every WWE Superstar, Legend, and Diva, including alternate attires and all arenas and championships in WWE 2K14.
Scheduled for release on launch day – October 29, 2013 in North America and November 1, 2013 internationally.

nWo PACK

The Giant will be available free of charge!
Available for a suggested purchase cost of $8.99.
Playable New World Order-themed Superstars:
Kevin Nash
Scott Hall
“Macho Man” Randy Savage
Syxx
"Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig
Scott Steiner
Scheduled for worldwide release in November 2013.

WWE SUPERSTARS AND MOVES PACK

Summer Rae will be available free of charge!
Available for a suggested purchase cost of $7.99.
Playable WWE Superstars and Divas:
Fandango
Big E Langston
Brie Bella
Nikki Bella
More than 30 new moves and taunts:
Koji Clutch
Soda Plunge
Black Widow
Leaping Tombstone Piledriver w/Pin Combo
Inverted DDT
Diving Headbutt
Explosive Dropkick
Elbow/Back Stabber Combo
Rope Flip Armdrag
Double Jump Body Splash
Two-Hand Chokeslam
Lil’ Jimmy
Shoulder Switch Powerslam
Zack Ryder Comeback
Alphamare Waterslide
Rope Hung Kick to Mid-Section
Package Piledriver
Burning Hammer
Butterfly Suplex Armbar
Corkscrew Shooting Star Press
Standing Shooting Star Press
Standing Corkscrew Moonsault
Springboard 450 Splash
Psycho Driver
Rebound Big Boot
Rebound Elbow Strike
Moonstomp
Billy Goat’s Curse
Pumphandle Neckbreaker
Suplex Backbreaker
KO
Hangman’s Facebuster
Cradle DDT
Powerbomb Lungblower
Wrist Lock Lariat
Scheduled for worldwide release in December 2013.

WWE LEGENDS AND CREATIONS PACK

Virgil will be available free of charge!
"Thank God, Virgil's in this game!" are the words said exactly
by NO ONE who plays these games...
Available for a suggested purchase cost of $8.99.
Playable WWE Hall of Famers and Superstars:
Bruno Sammartino
“The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes
“Ravishing” Rick Rude
Jake “The Snake” Roberts
14 new Superstar Heads and models to utilize in Custom Superstar:
Alberto Del Rio
Antonio Cesaro
Batista
CM Punk (long hair)
Daniel Bryan (clean cut)
Dolph Ziggler
Goldberg
Kane (no mask)
Mankind
Ryback
Sheamus
The Miz
Triple H (short hair)
Undertaker (long hair)
Scheduled for worldwide release in January 2014.

WWE 2K14 SEASON PASS

Available for a one-time purchase cost of $19.99 (a savings of more than 25 percent versus individual content purchases).
Season Pass Program Exclusive “The Outsiders”-themed Superstars:
Scott Hall
Kevin Nash
All content packs:
Accelerator
nWo Pack
WWE Superstars and Moves Pack
WWE Legends and Creations Pack
Online Badges: More than 10 exclusive options

VII. FINAL THOUGHTS

If you are fan of wrestling, especially the older generation of fans who grew up in the WWF years where Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, Ric Flair, and "Macho Man" Randy Savage reigned supreme then you truly owe yourself to play this game to at least experience 30 Years of WrestleMania Mode for yourself. That's almost mandatory. I found myself easily getting lost in the nostalgia and the accuracy of these early events. Like previously mentioned, the mode loses it's luster as the campaign continues into the more current years, but fans of wrestling - both young and old, will find something to enjoy here. While I appreciated the fact that 2K14's gameplay is sped up from its predecessor, it still comes off cartoonish when these games are constantly releasing annually with the sales pitch that it's an accurate simulation of WWE's current product. Basic strike attacks look like people are mashing buttons in a typical fighting game with choppy animations and these choppy animations that were obviously still recycled from the PS2-era WWE Smackdown! vs. Raw titles are hard to time your cues to reversals as a result. While we are on the topic of accuracy and realism, weight detection is almost transparent as any Superstar that has a catapult finisher equipped can lift an opposing Superstar into the air and do a catapult finisher, despite their weight differences. Despite the shortcomings and lack of innovations and new resources for the Creation Suite, players are provided with a robust improvement to My Universe 4.0 that continues to be most players' bread and butter to their long-term enjoyment with this game. As a former player who used to use these games to simulate match results for e-federations, I can appreciate the steps made to make this mode more efficient on that front. Throughout this review, I have listed and broken down the several issues and problems plaguing this game, but you will be surprised on what issue that I have with this game the most - the AI. It's not that the AI isn't too hard nor too easy, it's the fact that the in-game AI is inconsistent. I have tested it on several fronts across multiple difficulty settings, including in 30 Years of WrestleMania Mode, The Streak, Exhibition Mode, and even My Universe, where I have either played matches against the AI or setup AI vs AI matches on the Epic setting. There will be moments when the AI almost brain dead on its offense against you, other times, the AI will reverse everything you throw their way like Grapple Jesus in hopes of creating a spectacle of a match if you can endure this back and forth process until someone caves from the chain of reversals. The latter definitely comes to mind during the last objective in 30 Years of WrestleMania Mode where both John Cena (the player) and The Rock (CPU) have infinite specials at their disposal. Situations like this make the AI have a one track train of thought and strategy, that tends to rarely change its gameplan outside of the norm.
I was hoping that this series' AI would have grown to the point that the AI would have 3 layers of conditioning on how to handle a human opponent, depending on the condition or health status of that Superstar/Diva. The first stage would deal with targeting limbs until one of them caves to moderate damage. This would be dependent on that opposing Superstar/Diva's in-ring specialty - legs for high-flyers, head for brawlers, arms for submission/technicians to reduce their reversal accuracy rate, and abdomen for powerhouses. That's one thing that's not given enough depth in this game. There are consequences for critical damage in each of these areas of the body that can be targeted with Predator technology. I have no doubt that human players will take advantage of this subtle aspect, but it's a shame that the AI doesn't capitalize on this as much as it should. The second stage would deal with maximizing that damage into the critical stage and maintaining momentum on their side. The AI would do that by taunting and doing corresponding actions to antagonize or rally the crowd behind/against them to build up a signature or finishing move. To its credit, the AI in 2K14 does taunt almost after every exchange after leaving it's opponent on the ground before continuing it's offense. That part of the AI logic isn't that bad, but these games are missing the vital aspect of playing the crowd that is such a vital part of wrestling. Ironic that these games are using a combat mechanic that uses momentum shifts but the crowd has no contributing factor to the end result at all. The final stage should be that moment when and where AI opts to finish you off - no matter what it takes. That includes hitting OMG moments, positioning the opponent perfectly for the application/execution of a finishing maneuver, or even getting itself disqualified to make sure it retains in a title match. Once again, the AI in 2K14 attempts to do all of this, but it's not executed consistently. Given this current generation of technology, I know that is a bit much to ask for before the incoming next-generation consoles hit the shelves, but a wrestling fan can dream can't he? On the other hand, it isn't a bit much to ask 2K Sports to give us more variety on commentary. 2K14 recycles 85% of the lines used in WWE '13. And even when commentary does provide a new line of material, it barely manages to capture the action in the ring at the right place and time. I have to be honest here... I'm really getting sick of this pattern with these games. Every year one of these games is announced and for months players speculating and throwing around all of these crazy theories that this is the year that THQ (this time now 2K, but it makes little difference as the bulk of THQ's staff are still on board...) will remedy all of their past mistakes and fix what is wrong with the previous iterations of this franchise that has been plaguing it for the last 3-5 years. Finally, after all of the hype and second guesting, the game comes out and players are immediately letdown that it's the same SHIT as the previous year with a few new bells and whistles. Then comes the bombardment from my close friends and acquaintances that try to sugarcoat the game's flaws and justify their purchase was well-worth their money as they attempt to coax and persuade me into buying the sequel as well. I haven't folded since purchasing WWE Smackdown! vs. Raw 2011 and I doubt I'm going to do so anytime soon unless 2K does a massive overhaul in the near future. I have been playing wrestling games for well over a decade and a half, so I have very high expectations to what I want in a wrestling game. Henceforth, I have been thoroughly satisfied with just renting each outing and getting my money's worth in a mere rental than dropping the entire $59.99 price tag down on a purchase and then some... thanks to Online Pass ($9.99 extra if it's not included with your purchase) and the Season Pass ($19.99 premium access to all DLC). That being said... if you are a fan of these games, then don't allow my opinion to sway you because you know you're going to go out and continue enjoying these games just the way no matter what THQ or 2K Sports does with this franchise. I'm honestly speaking to the people who are constantly in denial on an annual basis that they are getting ripped off. If you weren't pleased with the last iteration, then don't go racing to the store to buy the sequel. It's basic common sense. It doesn't go for just this game, but for all of these games plagued by sequel-itis and annual rehashes. I had a lengthy conversation with my 16-year old nephew (AKA my wrestling padawan learner who I am passing on my knowledge on this sport to) about the game and the direction that 2K Sports tends to take with their sports titles as he plays a lot more sports-oriented games (especially from the folks at 2K Sports) than I do. When I gave him my thoughts and overview of this outing, he was left feeling a bit underwhelmed but assured me that it sounds like 2K barely had any time to leave their personal mark on this series just yet. That's how I feel about this game - this is still feels too familiar to THQ's typical resume. It has some of their best traits as well of their worst. While I can understand why 2K Sports played it safe with their first outing into WWE games, I can only hope that their future endeavors will see a change for the better, not a continued trend of "been there, done that" with recycled resources and little innovation and improvements. Last year, I gave WWE '13 a 7.75 out of 10 after the Attitude Era Mode surprised and wowed me, along with changes that THQ took to remedy the mistakes made in WWE '12. This year, WWE 2K14 is literally the same entity as WWE '13. 30 Years of WrestleMania Mode is worth experiencing for any fan of this series or wrestling in general. It easily blows last year's Attitude Era Mode out of the water. That, combined with some of the minor tweaks they have done to the game (that obviously aren't cosmetic...) I can give this game a 8.25 out of 10. Is it the best wrestling game ever? It's not even close, but definitely one of the better ones in a while that serves as an acceptable footnote to end this console generation on. That being said, if things don't change next year with 2K15 then this score is going down significantly.






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