Ahead of its launch in March, I was given the chance to get hands-on with WWE 2K25 for 90 minutes. Only a few modes were accessible as part of the preview, with the focus of the build being on the new match types and Showcase content.
Therefore, we focused on the introduction to the 2K25‘s Showcase and how the new features feel in this year’s game. Coming off a couple of strong years, WWE 2K25 feels great once again, even if the new features are far from game-changing.
The Introduction To The Bloodline
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I’m sure you’ll know exactly who has been involved in The Bloodline over the years, but you can expect to relive matches involving The Rock, Roman Reigns, and The Wild Samoans. In the preview, I played the following matches in Showcase:
- Nia Jax vs Lyra Valkyria (King and Queen of the Ring ‘24)
- Seth Rollins vs Roman Reigns (Royal Rumble ‘22)
- The Wild Samoans vs The Dudley Boyz
As always, you play through the match with the objective of performing moves in-game which also happened in the real fight. Essentially, you’re recreating some iconic fights to explore the history of the Bloodline Dynasty in WWE.
If you want, you can approach the matchup like any other in the game. You can alter history and direct a match in which the other superstar wins, or win in a way that’s unlike what happened in reality. To get the best out of the mode, following all of the objectives closely is the way to play.
Showcase matches throw a few objectives at you at a time, asking you to pull off particular moves or target certain body parts, and they can still be fiddly to complete. The pause menu will explain how to do each one, but actually pulling them off is easier said than done at times. You need to be very precise with what you do to tick off each task, which won’t be easy for newcomers.
For hardcore WWE fans, Showcase is phenomenal. 2K25‘s chosen matches are introduced by none other than “The Wiseman” Paul Heyman. Needless to say, he is the perfect choice to hype up each match before they begin.
Not only does he give you a good background on the Superstars involved and the matchups themselves, but his charisma and personality draw you into the drama instantly. They can be long and drawn out, but his introductions perfectly match the tone of The Bloodline and the matches you’re playing. The Bloodline Dynasty is shaping up to be a great choice for the Showcase’s focus. If you’re able to manage your way through the objectives, Showcase is still the most impressive mode in 2K’s WWE series.
Unlimited Matchups
Away from Showcase mode, the possible matchups in WWE 2K25 are now virtually unlimited. In this year’s game, any male, female, or player-created Superstars can be matched up against each other. There are modifiers to remove bruising and blood from intergender matches, but it’s brilliant to have so many more possibilities for matches. It gives you the chance to experience things you will never have seen in real wrestling, and likely never will.
It’s something Visual Concepts tells us the WWE has pushed back on in the past. The game’s Creative Director Lynell Jinks told us: “We would talk to the WWE about it. And like I said, we’re a simulation. And so we were like, ‘Hey, is this something that you think we can do?’ And they were like, ‘ah, that’s not really a reflection of our product. And let’s just focus on making sure that we represent what you see on broadcast.'”
Now that they’ve been allowed to do it, it’s great to see. You’ll be able to have an unlimited amount of fun in the game’s casual modes.
A New Perspective
The other new feature is a third-person camera for both in-fight and pre-fight sections. Of course, it makes some actions harder to pull off, and you get a limited view of the action, but it’s a great option for people looking for something different.
As the development team told us too, it also makes you feel more involved in the superstars’ entrances. Rather than skipping them after a while, you can jump into the third-person view for a different perspective. It looks great too, but I don’t expect it to be a way many people choose to use when fighting.
Chaotic New Match Types
I also had the chance to try two other new match types: the ten-person Royal Rumble and Underground matches. The former works surprisingly well. They’re a little bit chaotic and your view can be obscured a little at times, but it’s easy enough to discern between each individual fight in the event.
The addition of Underground matches is something fans of less cinematic matches will love. If you’re more interested in the wrestling action than everything around it, Underground matches are a lot of fun.
Taking place in dark and dingy rings, with the audience huddled in close, you fight without any rules. Rather than the focus being on the presentation and fanfare of the event, all of the attention is on the fight itself. Again, it’s not something you’ll be playing all the time, but unique ways to set up matches will always be welcome. WWE 2K25 is taking another step forward in the variety of content it offers.
Final Word
These are the overriding first impression of WWE 2K25. The new features aren’t groundbreaking or game-changing, but they are certainly more than welcome. While maintaining the series’ recent quality, everything new adds variety, options for fans with different tastes, and new ways to play. There’s nothing wrong with that. Maybe changes elsewhere in the game — which we haven’t seen yet — will move the needle a bit more.
Published: Feb 5, 2025 01:13 pm