Monday, May 5, 2014

Let's get ready to RUMBLE...!

No, not really.

WWE 2K14.  Bought it for my kids - and to be honest, I'm finding myself getting drawn in, but not necessarily in the way you might expect.

The gameplay is what you probably expect - because it hasn't changed much in the past several years.  This is the first game that 2K took over, and aside from some controversy with their cover art contest, they've handled it pretty well.

My kids enjoy playing - but for me, the character creator is where it's at.

I was able to create a mockup of the Winter Soldier from the new Captain America movie, and the game enabled me to use enough layers on his arm to actually make it look like a mechanical arm from the movie.  I had a great deal more freedom than they've given in the past, and I can see some serious potential there for creating some really cool characters.  I haven't even checked to see if they could be uploaded the way some previous games did, but if so, I could spend hours doing that alone.

Of course, I'm a graphic artist, so that explains that.

As far as the game itself - there's no Road to Wrestlemania this time, instead they have offered 30 years of Wrestlemania - and it's kind of a refreshing change.  Not a huge thing, but a nice break I think.  My son has been completing the challenges of Wrestlemania past, and he's having a blast, and I'm having fun watching.  The challenge curve gets pretty demanding at times, and the new counter and kick-out mechanics definitely take some getting used to.  It's definitely all about the timing now, rather than just button mashing.

All in all, it's entertaining, and it's another WWE game.