“YES! YES! YES!” This is probably what a bunch of WWE fans were saying when 2K Sports picked up the franchise from THQ’s bankruptcy sale a while back. The company has already reached an agreement with the wrestling company and will be releasing WWE 2K14 this October. Yukes, the development team who worked on THQ’s previous WWE games, will return to handle the title.
Play testing is beginning this week on the follow-up, but that isn’t stopping us from speculating what should be added to it. Last year’s WWE 13 was outstanding, mainly because of the inclusion of the “Attitude Era” which is considered one of the most popular times in World Wrestling Entertainment’s history. How can WWE 2K14 possibly top that? We’ve got some ideas and here’s what we’d like to see…
The Monday Night Wars
Last year was all about the return of the Attitude Era, but ’90s wrestling was much more than that. WCW Monday Nitro competed heavily with WWE’s Raw programming each week, creating a plethora of wrestling fun for fans at the time. Yukes can easily recreate that era, since WWE now owns the right to all WCW programming. There could be a a campaign mode that takes you back and forth between Nitro and Raw, as well as WCW Thunder and WWE Smackdown.
Not all the wrestlers will be able to come on board for the mode (former WCW stars Hulk Hogan and Sting currently work for rival Impact Wrestling), but a majority of them, like Chris Jericho, the Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) and “Nature Boy” Ric Flair can, along with other fan favorites. While were at it, how about Goldberg; it’d be interesting to see what he can do against Ryback.
Create Your Own Programming
We know that WWE 13 allows you to set up your own pay-per-views however you please, but what about managing an entire WWE programming block? You could put together what matches you want to see in such shows as Raw, Main Event, Smackdown, Saturday Morning Slam, Superstars and pay-per-view shows. You can also assign general managers, assistant general managers and other folks, and watch the sparks fly as egos clash and tensions rise. (We’d personally put Booker T in charge of everything…SUCKAAAAAA!)
Create Your Own Clique
The WWE has seen a number of “cliques” formed with wrestlers over the years, including Degeneration X, Evolution, the NWO and more. So why not have the option to put together your own “clique”? You could easily create a custom logo, choose which wrestlers you want in the group (or unceremoniously taken out if someone ticks you off), and then let them go to town. We’ll be able to see who’s the stronger group – DX or The Shield. Speaking of which…
More of the New Guys
WWE 13 had its fair share of current superstars from the federation, even though some like Brodus Clay and A.J. Lee had to be added via DLC, but the roster shouldn’t just be about the more popular guys. There should be weekly updates where new faces are added, like the return of “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, the recently introduced Curtis Axel and Fandango (pronounced FAHN-DAHN-GOOOO) and Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose, aka The Shield, a trio that are working their way up in the ranks. After all, when it comes to wrestling games, the more the merrier.
An Arcade Mode
WWE All-Stars was one of the more enjoyable arcade-style wrestling games ever made. So why couldn’t WWE 2K14 introduce a similar style? Granted we don’t mean with the super bulked-up wrestlers, but instead with a simpler control scheme, a faster pace, the use of special techniques that can be earned via a power meter, and multiplayer support? There are fans out there who still swear up and down about how great the N64 wrestling games were, particularly WCW vs. NWO Revenge and WWF Wrestlemania 2000. Why couldn’t Yukes make a mode like that work for this game?
Create-Your-Own-Wrestlemania
Finally…the big one. Prior WWE games have introduced various WWE creative options, like making your own wrestler, entrance, finishing moves and so forth. But when it came to Wrestlemania, you had to follow one of many pre-set paths featuring particular wrestlers. Why not include the option to create your own wrestling extravaganza? You can choose cities, hire talent to join the show (including singers and celebrities), then book matches and watch them play out on the Road To Wrestlemania. You can even set up legendary match-ups that you’re likely to never see in real life, like that Goldberg vs. Ryback face-off we discussed earlier.
WWE 2K14 will arrive on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on October 29th.
Published: May 23, 2013 01:14 pm