WWE 2K14 Celebrates 30 Years Of Wrestlemania

Platform:  PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Developer: Yukes Media/Visual Concepts

Publisher: Take 2/2K Sports

Released: October 29^th, 2013

The Boston Crab. What kid who even just remotely followed professional wrestling didn’t try to execute that submission move on one of their homies? With Wrestlemania turning 30 this coming year, the developers at Yukes Media pay homage with WWE 2K14’s 30 Years of WrestleMania mode. In an exclusive sit down with 2K Sports, XXL was given access to 30 Years in addition to a few more new modes WWE 2K14 is rolling out this year.

Even the most casual wrestling fan will appreciate 30 Years of WrestleMania as it was dope to relive some of the most iconic matches from WrestleMania history. On the other hand, the hardcore “rasslin” fan will be in absolute heaven as they have the choice of picking from 40 matches from across the 30 years which are blended with videos made exclusively by the WWE themselves.  Newcomers will be treated to the history behind the matches and the superstars that wrestled in them. The accompanying commentary features the talents of the legendary Jim ‘JR’ and Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler who recorded their lines especially for each match scenario. Each match comes with a number of optional objectives that relate directly to how the real-life matches played out. One of the matches I was shown was WrestleMania 24’s Shawn Michaels vs.Ric Flair Retirement Match. An objective from that match was to pummel Flair until he was down to light damage, then positioning him to lean against the announcers  table. Once achieved, the game switched to a cutscene showing the original match where Michaels attempts to land a moonsault on Flair but misses and lands on the table instead.

The Undertaker themed mode “The Streak” is another way WWE 2K14 pays its respect to the sports past. Here you’ll have two options: Defend The Streak (The Undertaker’s string of 21 straight WrestleMania victories) or Beat The Streak with the latter being the more intriguing of the two. Developer Cory Ledesma who was on hand giving the demo assured everyone defeating The Undertaker would be a monumental  task as his A.I. was designed with  all the difficulty sliders turned up to the max, making him harder than the highest setting of the core game.

In addition to the new modes Yukes Media also made improvements to the customization options directly based on the fan feedback they received. The number of wrestlers a player can create this year has been doubled from 50 to 100, making it possible for a vast number of scenarios within the WWE Universe sandbox. Anything from creating entire new shows which will use your created roster, to making up your own Championship belt via the Create a Title option will be at your disposal.

Overall WWE2K14 is looking to be the most robust WWE game yet. Being able to relive WrestleMania lore will be a huge selling point and the amount of customization at your fingertips will have gamers tapping into their youth for hours. Be sure to check back in a few weeks when XXL gives you the full skinny on WWE 2K14 with the official review. – Written by DJRhude (@DJRhude)