{"id":33962,"date":"2016-10-24T12:59:22","date_gmt":"2016-10-24T17:59:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=33962"},"modified":"2016-10-24T13:00:10","modified_gmt":"2016-10-24T18:00:10","slug":"amadis-take-depth-review-wwe-2k17-works-frustratingly-still-latest-release","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2016\/10\/24\/amadis-take-depth-review-wwe-2k17-works-frustratingly-still-latest-release\/","title":{"rendered":"AMADI&#8217;S TAKE: In-depth review of WWE 2K17, what works and what frustratingly still doesn&#8217;t, in latest release"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-3391606776\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">A few weeks ago, I picked up &#8220;WWE 2K17&#8221; and &#8220;Gears of War 4&#8221; from a local store. I was with friends, so when I grabbed the games off the shelf I made sure to keep &#8220;Gears of War&#8221; on top when I handed them to the cashier. Then I shielded my friends\u2019 view of the exchange with my shoulder as they talked amongst themselves in the checkout line, in hopes they wouldn\u2019t actually see me purchasing 2K17. It isn\u2019t that I didn\u2019t want them to know I\u2019m a wrestling fan; they were already well aware of that. It\u2019s more that I didn\u2019t want them to know that I was buying another wrestling game.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2016\/10\/Staff10Amadi_130_38.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-33963 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2016\/10\/Staff10Amadi_130_38.jpg\" alt=\"staff10amadi_130_38\" width=\"130\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a>Friends have seen me play WWE games in the past. If they\u2019re wrestling fans and they\u2019re playing with me, we usually have fun. If they\u2019re not playing with me and are just watching me as I play alone, it doesn\u2019t go nearly as well. They\u2019ll laugh at the myriad of glitches, awful commentary, and the other presentation issues that plague these games and then question why I\u2019d lower myself to play them. Unfortunately for me, WWE 2K17 isn\u2019t nearly polished enough to break that trend.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Before I get into the meat and potatoes of this review, it\u2019s important to note that wrestling games, much like actual professional wrestling, are best divided into two parts: presentation and in-ring action.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">From a strictly in-ring perspective, WWE 2K17 is excellent. A lot of the gameplay elements that were implemented over the last few years like the stamina system and limited reversals gel really well this year. Limited reversals in particular help to force a realistic approach to matches. Instead of playing as if it were a straight fighting game where you\u2019d try to\u00a0block and attack at every turn, having a limited number of reversals encourages you to actually strategize like a wrestler. The idea is to get your opponent to waste their reversals early in order to have an advantage down the line. When your opponent has exhausted all of their reversals, you can then cut them off and build a lead. Now you can\u00a0adjust the speed at which the reversals replenish, so the flow of the match is now more in your control than ever.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">This year\u2019s new major gameplay addition is the rollout system. In the past, multi-person matches like triple threat, fatal-four-way, and Money in the Bank ladder matches were often too chaotic to be truly enjoyable. With this new system, a high impact maneuver at certain points in the match will send you or one of your opponents out to the floor. On paper, it may sound like it takes some control out of the hands of the player, but in practice it adds drama and more closely mirrors actual pro wrestling matches.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The in-ring action has probably never been better than it is this year, although it can be argued that many of the presentation elements have never been worse.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">A lot of WWE\u2019s 2k17\u2019s presentation is completely incongruous with the level of promotion the game has received. \u00a0It\u2019s hard to imagine that a game with this level of screen tearing, framerate drops, and AI issues is the focal point of the Brock Lesnar-Bill Goldberg matchup WWE is building towards on television.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The 2K Showcase that\u2019s been the focal point of recent games has been removed and what we\u2019re left with on the single-player front is My Career mode and Universe mode. 2K Showcase had players recreate epic matches and moments in WWE\u2019s history in a way that felt really polished and major league. My Career basically returns players to the grind of creating a WWE Superstar from the ground up (who, if you do it right, I suppose should look just like Randy Orton) and have him rise up the card. It\u2019s pretty much every career mode you\u2019ve ever played, but it\u2019s fairly well done.<\/span><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3324427797\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Universe Mode, however, is more or less a disaster. Universe Mode is the mode that ideally should keep you playing this game until the next one comes out. It\u2019s supposed to recreate the WWE experience by having feuds organically play out the way you\u2019d see on television, adding much needed sizzle to the steak. Unfortunately, there aren\u2019t enough cut scenes to make these feuds unique. I had a feud on Raw between Finn Balor and Rusev over the United States Title that had many of the same cut scenes as a Smackdown feud between Dolph Ziggler and the Miz for the Intercontinental Title.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">In addition to the paucity of cut scenes, there are a ton of other issue that rear their ugly head over time. You\u2019ll notice at times the camera is angled off of the wrestler who is supposed to be featured in some instances. In championship matches, even if the champion retains the title, Lilian Garia will announce them as the new champion. Worse yet, if you use any alternative attires for any of the characters in Universe Mode, one or both wrestlers involved in the cut scene will appear invisible.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=1xbGjW78FsQ\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=1xbGjW78FsQ<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">I mentioned earlier that gameplay was perhaps better than ever and, while I definitely feel that, it\u2019s worth mentioning that there are a number of issues that tend to pop up on that end as well. I\u2019ve had multiple six-man elimination tag team matches where I\u2019d be in a two-on-one scenario where I\u2019d have the advantage, but my A.I. controlled partner would come in and break up my attempts to win the match. Also, I\u2019ve had tag matches where the A.I. controlled illegal man will get stuck running in place and get disqualified due to his\u00a0inability to leave the ring.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">All of these issues really take you out of the game and some of them, namely the problems with Universe Mode, are ones that we see year after year. I\u2019ve been playing wrestling games for as long as I can remember and I can say for sure that when things in WWE 2K17 work the way they\u2019re supposed to, it\u2019s as good as anything I\u2019ve gotten my hands on. But the lack of polish at this point in the series is embarrassing. It\u2019s the ultimate party game for wrestling fans for sure, but the single player experience leaves a lot to be desired.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">I give WWE 2K17 a 3 out of 5.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"entry-title\"><strong>NOW CHECK OUT THE PREVIOUS AMADI&#8217;S TAKE:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2016\/10\/10\/amadis-take-wwe-opportunity-dolph-zigglers-win-last-night-create-babyface-fans-can-unite-behind\/\">AMADI\u2019S TAKE: WWE has an opportunity with Dolph Ziggler\u2019s win last night to create a babyface fans can unite behind<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<div class=\"entry-content clearfix\">\n<div class=\"entry-content clearfix\">\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><em>(Jason Amadi has been a columnist at MMATorch.com and now also writes columns for\u00a0PWTorch.com. Follow him on Twitter @JasonAmadi.)<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-2586844136\"><div id=\"pwtor-2137749956\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>A few weeks ago, I picked up &#8220;WWE 2K17&#8221; and &#8220;Gears of War 4&#8221; from a local store. I was with friends, so when I grabbed the games off the shelf I made sure to <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2016\/10\/24\/amadis-take-depth-review-wwe-2k17-works-frustratingly-still-latest-release\/\" title=\"AMADI&#8217;S TAKE: In-depth review of WWE 2K17, what works and what frustratingly still doesn&#8217;t, in latest release\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33964,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[46,52,53],"tags":[3259,105,226,4103],"class_list":["post-33962","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spotlightarticles","category-opnionandanalysis","category-opinion_stafftakes","tag-2k17","tag-brock-lesnar","tag-goldberg","tag-videogame"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2016\/10\/WW2K17_Lesnar_3x2_600.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33962","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33962"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33962\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33966,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33962\/revisions\/33966"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}