WWE didn't have try too hard to beat their previous video game outing, considering for the first time since I have been playing I can remember they had to skip an entire year without making one. Well, they didn't have to yet somehow after the disaster that was 2K20 they might have lost a lot of revenue. Lucky for them the new generation console was on its way giving a chance to redeem themselves. I remember playing WWE attitude first then moving on to the smackdown series which later became smackdown vs raw. Since then I would say there has been some improvements with regards to graphics and most noticeable improvements in gameplay. However I still find that THQ have the title for being the best wrestling video game makers and let me tell you why! Since playing more recent instalments I can't help avoiding major mechanical problems, problems I never came across in the early THQ games. There are still odd glitches here and there although the extra year taken has fixed many more. The main issue for me is the guessing game of which button your opponent will press, if you guess correctly you will counter their move. I don't like the step up to be honest, it makes thing turn more into luck than skill. THQ had it right back in the day with the R2 to counter a grapple and L2 to counter a Strike, now we see ourselves trying to guess three buttons. Often if it isn't broke don't fix it and whilst the game isn't terrible like 2k20 it still is a long way from previous 2000s wrestling games. So do I constantly rely on triangle or do I take a chance on square or circle? What's more is the pin fall, submission setup is also considerably weaker. Rather than battering a controller to kick out or playing people online who could have turbo boost controllers; surely they could have stuck with the kick out metre with the zone? Another suggest would be rotating the sticks in submissions?
Okay so that first part is much to do with what I don't find good about 2k22 yet juxtaposed with the positives this is still a worthy game. The variety of game modes make this barrels of fun for hours on end, The showcase, The Gm mode, the universe mode, My rises are all positives accompanied by an incredible roster. Most my favourite are already in the game or can be brought per win. There are various extension packs to buy others wrestlers which I don't agree on and never will, I'm always of the mindset of once you buy a game everything should be available to unlock for free. As I learn of AEW currently in the works of their own game by THQ I do feel WWE is finally starting to get competitive once more which can only keep them on their toes, that's good news.
Overall I still feel this isn't the best experience of playing a wrestling game I remember yet the nostalgia is nice. I would like to think they realise this whilst working on ways to improve it in the future. 2020 was a terrible year for WWE, I don't really watch it anymore as you lose interest when you get older however the games are usually a nice consolation to make up for it. Most of the ones I grew up watching are in the games so occasionally I will play one from time to time. If you like this type of game then you will prefer it to the previous, whilst if you played some of the old ones as long as me then you'll still be wishing a bit better.
