WWE 2K22 review

For newcomers, the game keeps it simple. Light attack, heavy attack, block, grapple, run and easy to execute combos. After a few rounds of wrestling and you’ll be executing interesting moves. It’s easier to execute different moves and grapple variations. 

Some technical wrestlers offer more variety in attack and grapple moves through the use of corners and ropes, others have devastating punches. There’s a level of distinction and variation in WWE wrestlers that was present in other games as well but it feels critically balanced here. 

The special move, finisher and damage indicators give you the wrestler's current stats at glance. It’s clean, precise and devoid of any distracting elements so the only thing matters is smacking your opponent with a chair. Ironically fights also feel real. What we mean to say is that punches land with a meaty impact. Things like chairs and ladders have a tiny wind up window before landing the impactful hits and there’s almost a real reaction from the wrestler being hit. So landing punches and kissing chairs to the rear end of wrestlers is as intense as it would look in a real WWE match.

Executing complicated moves and counters gets easy as you invest time into the game. Shorter counter windows can really annoy you if you don’t learn to read your opponent’s moves. You can execute a grapple move by pressing the grapple button and then follow it up with a light, heavy or grapple button (again). These moves change the attack depending on the position of your opponent and you, and it really makes executing flashy moves much easier. However, to counter these grapple moves you will have to predict and press the same button as the opponent which can be a matter of luck and experience. 

You also have the special meter to quickly get up, counter or leave the ring. It offers a mix of offensive and defensive use depending on you and the number of bars in the meter. Being able to use the special meter to quickly kick out from a pin or quickly get up after taking a hammering is a great way to balance the scales.

Game modes are aplenty. MyGM lets you take the role of a General Manager and handle all the behind-the-scenes chaos and calm with the roster you pick. You also have to manage wrestlers, income and expenses, matches, rivalries and showcase match. It’s fun and engaging for the folks that want to put brains into the brawl. 

MyRise is a single-player campaign that has tons of branching storylines and plenty of content to keep you entertained. It can get a bit text-heavy and slow but if you’re looking for single player content, here’s where it’s brimming with some good stuff.

MyFaction is a similarly designed game mode with a 4-person squad. That along with Universe and Creation modes put all the tools in your hand to do as you like with the WWE universe and its character creation. Everything that you can imagine in your personal WWE Utopia, starts here.

The single-player campaign is fun but it takes time to get things up and running. There’s also a lot of dialogue and non-wrestling stuff that dictate your WWE career. It’s not bad but for people who just want to throw punches, the Online mode is better suited.

Here’s the sad bit, the servers in India are a mess. Firstly, there are no dedicated Asian services besides Japan. The minimum ping is 123 and the German servers offer no respite. You can get into Lobbies where other players are creating matches but the variation in ping is terrible. You can get a 20ping game or a 150ping game, it’s all a matter of luck. There’s also the problem of getting a stable connection in online multiplayer even on our 250Mbps fibre network. That said when the server feels generous and the whole thing works, the online matches can be hella fun. Especially with custom characters.

You’re better off passing the controller to a friend and smacking into the WWE fun through couch co-op. Punches land with heft and impact. The enemy AI can be a bit fiddly and airheaded but only rarely.

The 2K Showcase with Rey Mysterio is by far the best thing about WWE2K22. It's about Rey Mysterio’s iconic matches and is presented in a documentary-style narrated by the man himself — Rey Mysterio. It gives so much depth and polish to a small yet interesting way of experiencing wrestling. There are also objectives to complete in the match by doing the exact move sets as the real match in an orderly fashion. If you manage to do so, the new Slingshot Tech by 2K jumps in and completes the move with a transition to a small video of the move from the actual match! It’s pretty incredible. A bit greedy but we wish there were more of such Showcase modes with different wrestlers.

This game was built from the ground up and hence the graphics are much, much better than the previous game. Conversations during cutscenes in single-player still feel a bit out of place but nothing that will make you shut the game. In fact, the Slingshot Tech in the WWE 2K Showcase is one of the best examples of how the graphics try to mend with the real world. Wrestler movement and hitboxes are clean.

There’s a ton of character customization. We even came across a character modelled after the Father of our Nation in Online competitive play and it was hilarious and frighteningly accurate. So the tools to put yourself in the ring are there and you won’t be disappointed with the outcome. 

The game could’ve gone a bit further with more cloth animations and sweat and blood realism but maybe next time.

WWE2K22 has one of the most interesting redemption arcs where the devs went back into the dressing room and re-created the wrestling franchise we all loved. The controls are simple and intuitive yet there’s a bit of depth to it all if you delve deep into the control settings.

The Showcase with Rey Mysterio is a must-play. It also handholds you through some of the interesting moves that you can do with the tiny goliath and gives you a perspective on the basics and the advanced move sets that can be done if you spend a bit more time with each wrestler. 

That said, the online is a laggy mess in India. Especially when there are no dedicated serves for Asia and finding the lowest and most stable ping is a matter of luck. Stick to couch co-op and you will be thoroughly entertained.