John Cena’s Never Give Up mantra inspired this year’s game (Picture: 2K)



2K is looking to deliver a WrestleMania-worthy game with WWE 2K23 and they already seem to be making all the right moves.



After taking a year off following the disappointment of WWE 2K20 , the franchise returned with some major improvements last year, in WWE 2K22 , and now its follow-up looks ready to follow suit.



GameCentral got a hands-on first look at the title, which boasts a 2K Showcase mode focused on beating up John Cena , and the much-requested introduction of WarGames, which meant rebuilding the game engine from the ground up.



Speaking to us after we got to grips with the game, creative director Lynell Jinks said: ‘WWE 2K is back and it’s even stronger. For us, none of this would’ve been possible without everything that we learned on 2K22 and even 2K20 – we learnt what not to do.’



Jumping straight in with a couple of singles matches – we went with Cody Rhodes vs. Kofi Kingston and Asuka vs. Bianca Belair – the first thing that leapt out, even before the match started, is just how amazing the sound is.



Cody’s entrance in particular – already revealed to fans online – is mixed beautifully, from the roar of the crowd and the ring announcements, to the commentary and overall presentation. At the same time everything looks stunning too, with the attention to detail extending right down to the reflection of the lights on the stage.




Start your week with the American Nightmare @CodyRhodes ’s full #WWE2K23 entrance! 😏 pic.twitter.com/KBjbRCHzvi — #WWE2K23 (@WWEgames) January 30, 2023




In terms of the action, the controls have remained largely the same but you can instantly feel how much smoother, fluid, and better paced everything is, with a slower start before the action picks up.



Reversals and transitions are cleaner and more dramatic, improving on what came before, with more mid-move opportunities to turn the tide. At the same time, the new pinning mechanism (which can be turned off) is a fun system involving pushing a button when your slider is within an also-moving green bar.



In both matches, we saw plenty of smooth transitions, such as the EST (controlled by the AI) kicking me away as a reversal, which staggered me onto the announce table. Everything flows, it doesn’t feel like the same restrictions are there with movements.



WarGames is the big new match mode this year, with the developers completely overhauling the game to make it possible, as Derek Donahue, lead gameplay designer pointed out that they had to change some fundamental aspects.



WarGames has been recreated to a ridiculously fun level (Picture: 2K/Metro.co.uk)



‘The obvious is having two rings. It doesn’t seem on its face like it would cause problem,’ he admitted, explaining that the team rebuilt the idea of the ring being at the ‘centre’ of the game, with the four sets of ropes having to be in the same set position.



Two rings meant this needed to change, while the trench ‘required all new animations and entire new combat tree’ for a whole range of new attacks.



For our first play through, we went for a women’s WarGames match, and it was immediately obvious that the arena itself (either Survivor Series or NXT) has been given an overhaul, with the cages situated in the middle of the crowd and steps for the star to walk down to join the action.



Moving between two rings is seamless, and it’s clear that 2K really did switch things up, with ‘the trench’ not feeling like a limited area but rather just part of the overall experience.



The game feels different depending on who you have in the ring



The action was frantic and fit the WarGames experience right down to the rally cry as the final entrant comes out and the bell finally rings, and seeing the AI-controlled players grab a load of weapons on their way into the game was great.



Climbing and moving along the double cage works great too, and the table breaks are better than ever, with small knocks from a rogue leg simply knocking it down on one side rather than making it break or entirely collapse.



We also played a men’s WarGames with some of WWE’s heavyweights and there really was a different feel having the double rings filled with so many bruisers, with new AI sliders – customisable for each individual character – also playing a role in the flow of the match.



The Royal Rumble has the ball park style arena, with the crowd behind the entrance way, as Edge came out at number one with short hair, epic smoke, and some very realistic animation for his coat.









The wrestlers now move more like their actual selves, with what appears to be more individual animations for certain moves,. The Rated R Superstar’s Canadian Destroyer was a great surprise, as were some new styles of eliminations amid the existing mini-games.



As for this year’s Showcase mode, legend Cena is at the forefront , with the player tasked with beating him in a series of his rare-but-legendary losses, including the likes of Kurt Angle in Cena’s debut and Rob Van Dam at ECW One Night Stand 2006.



The latter is set in an incredible recreation of the Hammerstein Ballroom, and the seamless movement from gameplay to historical, real-life footage adds to the experience. The idea of having Cena (through text prompts) act as your on-screen guide for certain goals is also a great touch.







‘We definitely wanted to focus on 20 years of John Cena, we wanted to put a light on the ruthless aggression era with all of his opponents,’ said designer Dino Zucconi, who added that flipping the script and making you play as his opponents gives you ‘more variety in gameplay’.



It’s clear 2K has put a lot of thought into this year’s game, in an attempt to create a great experience for fans and gamers, and there’s every reason to be genuinely excited for its release.









Formats: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, and PC Publisher: 2K Developer: Visual Concepts Release Date: 17th March 2023 (March 14 with Deluxe & Icon Editions)



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