WWE 2K14 Goes for the GOAT

The WWE franchise is filling in all its cracks and adding a "30 Years of Wrestlemania" mode.

With Wrestlemania turning 30 this coming year, the superfans-slash-developers at Yukes felt like it was a perfect time to pay tribute to wrestling’s greatest spectacle, especially given how well-received last year’s Attitude Era mode was. But while this tribute to the long, storied history of the Super Bowl of wrestling is the star, it’s all the subtle additions to the game’s feature-set that will have hardcore fans most excited.
30 Years of Wrestlemania lets you play at least one match from every year of the event, for a total of 46 classic bouts. But no history-loving wrestling mark would be satisfied with just playing out the match, so while you’re free to go to blows like any other brawl, each stage will have a number of optional objectives that relate directly to how the real-life matches played out.

So when you relive Wrestlemania 24’s Shawn Michaels vs.Ric Flair Retirement Match, you’ll want to lean Flair up against the commentator’s table, because doing so will trigger a cutscene showing the Heartbreak Kid missing a moonsault and crashing through the commentator’s table. Other objectives include using Flair’s signature figure-four leg-lock against him, and hitting Sweet Chin Music twice before the match’s end. It’s a great extension of the reverence and attention to detail that Yukes has lavished on its franchise for over a decade.

It’s all the subtle additions to the game’s feature-set that will have hardcore fans most excited.

The Undertaker-focused mode, “The Streak,” is another way in which WWE 2K14 pays homage to the sport’s past. Here you’ll attempt to either beat or defend The Phenom’s unparalleled 21-0 undefeated Wrestlemania run.
Breaking the streak is the more interesting of the two due to it being a lot more in line with the lore of the event. You will line up, as 21 wrestlers before you, to take out ‘Taker, but this won’t be anything like any singles match you’ve played before. Forget for a moment that he’ll be fighting at a difficulty level beyond even the highest setting of the core game, but the supernatural happenings that have always orbited the legendary grappler will be in play too. So you could be on the verge of scoring a pinfall, only to have the lights of the arena mysteriously go out and then come back up with The Undertaker standing behind you, ready to bury you with a Tombstone Piledriver. Getting to be the one to finally break the streak should prove to be a coveted feather in many a wrestling fan’s cap.

Nice as these big modes are, it’s the additions and tweaks to the game’s already-exhaustive list of features that impressed me most. WWE Universe is still the sports-entertainment sandbox that will account for most player’s time in the long run, and pretty much every aspect of it has been touched in some way to offer more customization options.

Want to design a heel persona for John Cena? Knock yourself right out.

Rivalries can now be managed directly, custom shows can be set as Diva-centric, and pay-per-view events can now be customized in a wide array of ways, including custom themes, logos, and even the incorporation of King of the Ring-style tournaments. The popular create-a-superstar feature has been expanded as well, doubling the number of character save slots to 100 and adding the ability to use existing superstars as a template for new custom variants. Want to design a heel persona for John Cena? Knock yourself right out. The best part? All of this stuff can be imported into WWE Universe so you can re-create the WWE in your own vision.
Believe it or not, this is just the CliffsNotes version of all the new stuff I was shown. But you should get the idea by now: WWE 2K14 has more than enough refinements and additions – big and small – to make it worth diving into for returning wrestling fans.