When it comes to the action-packed professional wrestling video game, WWE 2K always provides a joyful endeavor of players’ fan-favorite wrestlers going at each other in a series of match types. As there have been several WWE titles under the banner of WWE 2K, WWE 2K25 is the eleventh title for 2K which brings back a roster of over 300 wrestlers and several game modes each offering a unique experience. With these many new additions, the only thing left to uncover is that is it really a worthy successor of past titles or not. Get to know all of the new and improved additions to WWE 2K25 in our review, including Expanded Gameplay, The Island, and more.
Gameplay
The first and foremost aspect of WWE 2K25 that any old player would ask is how the game actually different and feels. Well, right off the bat, the feeling of the game is quite more responsive and fewer glitches than ever before. The physics while throwing your opponents or launching at them is never broken so it does feel good.
In terms of the Gameplay mechanics, it is pretty much the same if only you think about throwing punches at your opponents and grabbing them to perform various moves. All the premises of the Light Attacks, Heavy Attacks, Blocking, Dodging, and Reversal are the same as the previous installments. Moreover, a few of the returning mechanics from last year’s title are also in WWE 2K25. It includes the Super Finishers and Trading Blows.
This Super Finisher is quite impressive and devastating for the opponents as they don’t get a glimpse of hope for kicking out once they receive a Super Finisher. However, not all the Superstars have the capability of performing the Super Finisher so be sure to check the Move List of your Superstar from the menu to confirm it.
Trading Blows brings up a brief mini-game on the screen for both of the contestants in which they have to press the button at the right time to perform a blow to the opponent. After each blow, the time length compresses allowing players to focus more and get a chance to outsmart the opponent to drop them to the mat.
Other than the main gameplay mechanics of the game, the introductory tutorial of the game is also smooth and it lets you go over all the basic attacks to advanced grapple attacks fluently. The flying through rope attacks feel much more fluent in WWE 2K25.
Expanded Gameplay
WWE 2K25 Review (Expanded Gameplay)
In addition to the main gameplay and core mechanics of wrestling, the Chain Wrestling technique also returns in WWE 2K25. As the match starts, you and your opponent can go for a grapple initiating a Chain Wrestling mechanics. Here, you will have to fill the circle after selecting one of the three moves: Attack, Drive, or Switch. The player who fills up the circle first gets the advantage. It is a cool addition as most of the real wrestling matches start with Chain Wrestling.
Now, the biggest change that makes the WWE 2K25 unique from its predecessor is the Intergender Matches. For the first time, you and your friends can play with their favorite Superstars without the restriction of the same gender. You can select a Superstar from the Men Roster and choose a Female Superstar for the opponent from the Diva Roster or vice versa. This addition significantly improves the fun for the players as they can test out new ways to enjoy wrestling.
Another great gameplay mechanic that we got to see in WWE 2k25 is the Barricade Diving. Breaking the barricade is not as normal as before due to digital barricades with screens. However, you still can throw and slam the opponents on the screen of the barricade, breaking the screen. It is a great touch to the overall environment. Moreover, you can now jump on top of the screen barricades and jump off it to your opponents.
Furthermore, there are now new modes including Underground and Bloodline Rules. The Underground mode puts players in a ring with no ropes. There are only padded turnbuckles in all four corners of the ring. The Bloodline Rules mode raises the chaos in the ring as each player can call out allies. Your allies can do any type of damage to the opponent to secure you the victory. Seeing all these unique modes in WWE 2K series, really left us surprised.
The Island
WWE 2K25 Review (The Island)
The Island is one of the new core additions to the WWE 2K series. It is an immersive WWE-themed world where up to 50 players join and explore together. It offers various challenges, live events, quests, and customization options. Players can customize their custom character through the MySuperstar. Moreover, there are around 5 storyline chapters, each offering numerous quests. As players progress through the quests and chapters, they will earn XP and VC that will help them upgrade and customize the character.
However, The Island is only on current-gen consoles, including PlayStation 5 and XBOX Series X. It is not out for the previous-gen consoles and PC. Moreover, with the amount of time we spent on The Island, we felt that VC was the most crucial resource. You will need it for almost every upgrade and customization option. However, you don’t get much VC from the general activities as it takes a lot of grind. You can purchase VC through micro-transactions but since the WWE 2K series brings out a new title every year, we are not sure whether it is a good investment in VC.
MyGM
One of the biggest improvements that we got to see in WWE 2K25 is the MyGM mode getting an Online feature. For the first time, you will be able to compete against the others. You and your friends (up to four players) can compete with the others. Lead your brand with a bigger selection of General Managers, cross-brand PLEs, and more.
Sound and Visuals
WWE 2K25 Review (Sound and Visuals)
WWE 2K25 does an immaculate job on both sound and visual representation of the grand scale stages and Superstars. The voiceovers are great and the commentary for all the matches is just better than any other previous installments. There aren’t any limited voice lines for each match that you would hear again and again as the commentary has been improved greatly and enhances the overall experience in each match.
Superstars’ facial expressions have been improved which gives a nice touch to more realism and one of the very big changes in representing these visual improvements is the cutscenes. The entrance cutscenes are made perfectly for each Superstar as they look more real and grand than ever before.
Verdict – 9/10
WWE 2K25 is without a doubt the best wrestling sports game out there as it will both let you enjoy the classic wrestling match with modern-day gaming aspects as well as let you control the entire WWE Universe. The scale of the game is more massive than ever before. It can clearly be seen that the amount of effort that has been put into this year’s WWE 2K title is extraordinary. Despite the fact The Island is not on Par, all the other features of WWE 2K25 are the best ones we have seen so far in this series.
WWE 2K24 is now available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, XBOX Series X|S, XBOX One, and Microsoft Windows.
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