Hey and welcome back to the revelleution and a brand new WWE 2K23 Video. Thanks to 2KUK, Last week I had the awesome opportunity to have a hands-on preview of WWE 2K23 with a preview build of the game, so let’s discuss!
So where to begin? In our build of the game we had 20 superstars to choose from with 10 female superstars available to play as. The female superstars available were Asuka, Bayley, Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, Liv Morgan, Rhea Ripley, Ronda Rousey, Shayna Baszler and Shotzi. Before we go into more detail about the women and their models and attires well discuss more about the build itself first.
With the preview build we had around an hour to play with the 20 superstars as mentioned previously with match options including, One on One, 10-Man Royal Rumble and the WWE 2K debut of WarGames. It’s also worth noting that the John Cena Showcase was available to play but due to use purely focusing on the women here on this channel, I thought it best to purely capture as much women’s content as possible.
When it comes to the playstyle WWE 2K23 is very much similar to WWE 2K22 with dodging and combos once again making their return albeit with new animations, new reversal situations and stances as well as a new HUD and general visual updates.
Looking at the new HUD, the finisher and momentum bars have been switched round with the finisher bar now consisting of three finisher bars like the special meter in last year and the momentum bar now being the longer bar of the two. Whilst a subtle change it does display the amount of finishers earned much clearer with the bars greyed out until a finisher is earned. When the momentum bar is filled players then have the chance to use a signature which then earns you a finisher once performed. The superstar damage display once again returns with health ranging from grey to red to show how damaged a superstar is.
Having only played a handful of matches during my time with the game I didn’t get chance to dive in too deep with the gameplay itself but for me personally I felt as though the matches flowed a little better along with reversing being much easier this time around with new reversal options for various moves that weren’t previously included.
When I had initially heard of the update to the pin bar and system, I was somewhat sceptical with many comparing the bar to the one in last man standing matches which I personally am terrible at. Thankfully the pin system is much easier than anticipated with the right thumbstick executing a kickout within the pin minigame, which actually somewhat simulates the motion of a real life kickout. Last year I was a huge fan of the button mashing kickout minigame but after almost an entire year of button mashing, I will say my fingers are super happy about the change up. As someone who plays the game for hours on end, the button mashing especially on harder difficulties can become more tiring the longer you play.
This time around in WWE 2K23 paybacks have been updated to allow superstars to choose 2 paybacks instead of one with the option to switch between paybacks during a match by pressing down on the DPad. I’m not 100% sure but it seems as though possum pins and attacks as well as rollouts are available to everyone this time around making matches a little more unpredictable.
There are so many little nuances implemented this time around for example, weapon taunts which although might seem like small little additions, they really do add another layer of not only gameplay but storytelling. Just like the weapon taunts whilst the addition of female referees may seem like a small update for casual players, for us as women’s wrestling fans or WWE 2K storytellers, this has been a much needed addition and adds another element for us to explore. The female referee comes with her own voice lines which I am so pleased about, because for a split second I was worried on that front. I for one hope that like the male referees that there are female referees for the different eras with different shirts to represent different moments in time.
It’s no surprise that many of us creators like to tell stories with their content and having the ability to taunt with a weapon or having a female referee all add another dimension to telling stories with the superstars and our very own characters. Speaking of extreme, I can’t wait to see what everyone thinks of WarGames and more importantly I can’t wait to kick everyones ass in it.
WarGames is one of the huge selling points of WWE 2K23 and I can say I had an absolute blast playing the match and I can’t wait to spend even more time with the mode when I’m not pressed for time. One of my favourite instances was seeing Becky rush to bring in several weapons to help aid in the match whilst I fended off two opponents on my own. The handicap element creates a sense of urgency as you attempt to get the upper hand with the tension building until both teams are level pegging. Whilst I didn’t get the chance to use a table in the match type I did see fellow creator SmackTalks use a table and even set it on fire so I can’t wait to have recreate some over the top extreme moments.
There are several instances like these scattered throughout the WarGames match that really make the mode for me, is it like a Cage match? Sure but the delayed participants and the weapons really add another element to the mode, especially if the other team has the advantage. Now I’m not sure what difficulty we are playing on but I assume it was either easy or normal mode especially given how quick the match ended once the final participant entered the match.
Whilst I really enjoyed playing against the AI I honestly think that online and local multiplayer is where this match will shine. I truly think the real true test of WarGames will be when players experience the mode playing against friends or competing online because you can’t compare AI matches to playing against friends. That’s not to knock AI because I’ve had some truly amazing matches over the years but playing against people you know is just a totally different ball game, you have to get tactical and perform moves and taunts to truly piss off your friends to try and get them to cost themselves the win.
Now let’s move onto the topic that I’m pretty sure most of you are here for the female superstars! With time being limited I didn’t get to dive too much into the likes of movesets and finishers but if there was anything specific, I noticed I’ll be sure to mention it. In this next portion of the video I’m going to breakdown the entrances and attires so if there is something you think I might have missed pop a comment down below.
To reiterate the female superstars available to play as were: Asuka, Bayley, Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, Liv Morgan, Rhea Ripley, Ronda Rousey, Shayna Baszler and Shotzi.
Starting with Asuka, in our build Asuka was seen sporting her Hell in a Cell 22 attire from her triple threat match with Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair. Asuka unfortunately didn’t have her Royal Rumble new look, theme or titantrons but considering Asuka had only just debuted her new look 2 days earlier it would be ridiculous to expect that to be included when we played. It’s somewhat possible her new theme and tron could be patched in when the game releases but with it being such a huge change I’m not 100%. There could be a slim chance we get the 2023 version of Asuka as part of MyFaction but who knows, I certainly wouldn’t be opposed! I will say that I absolutely loved how Asuka’s titantron popped on screen, especially with the ray tracing and theme pulsing in the arena. Like 2k22 Asuka has her entrance animation from 2K18 which although dated still perfectly fits her.
Following Asuka we have Damage CTRL, Bayley who was sporting her Extreme Rules 22 attire from her match against Bianca Belair. Bayley once again had her heel theme, titantrons and entrance animation as seen in WWE 2K22 and I’m really hoping we have a tag team entrance or at least titantrons for the Damage CTRL Trio. I personally thought Bayley looked so much better this year compared to 2K22 with a hairstyle more inline to her current look with the red damage CTRL attire to match. I also thought that when it came to attires, that Bayley’s attire especially had far more texture this time around with creases and folds making it look more lifelike.
Following on from Bayley we have Becky Lynch which seems to have the community split. Becky, like Asuka can also be seen sporting her Hell in a Cell 22 attire from the triple threat match along with Asuka and Bianca Belair. When it comes to the model, the way I’ve come to look at it is that the model itself is pretty damn awesome but like last year with Liv Morgan, fans want a model that they can update with new attires that won’t look odd due to the makeup. If Becky had this model this as an alternate to a somewhat more general look, I don’t think fans would have as many issues, as the model and the attire itself is pretty damn awesome.
Not only that but the model is perfect for PPV style matches especially if you like to create your own show as so many of us do. It’s not confirmed but I also think that Becky may get updated to include her asymmetric visor which would explain Becky’s glazed expression during her entrance. I will say that I absolutely love Becky’s entrance Jacket and I have no doubt that many created superstars will be sporting it once the game releases. This year Becky comes with a new entrance animation as well as a brand new titantron and brand new animation of the manhandle slam that comes with it’s own pin combo.
Up next we have Bianca Belair who comes with a recreation of her WrestleMania 38 championship match with Becky Lynch. Whilst the attire itself may not be 100% accurate with different sunglasses and a missing bow I will say that the attire itself is one of my favourite Bianca attires so I’m glad to see the attire make the cut. I will say that I think Bianca’s face model looks gorgeous and I personally think she looks the best she has yet. It is a huge shame that it doesn’t look like Bianca has her own championship entrance especially after being the RAW Women’s Champion for so long but here’s hoping we have at least one new championship entrance when the game drops. Unfortunately I didn’t come across anything new or major when it comes to Bianca so I can’t wait to dive back in to see if there are any updates to Bianca’s moveset or if she comes with any secrets.
Following Bianca Belair we have Charlotte Flair who as stated previously is sporting an attire from the 2021 thunderdome and post pandemic era. Now this might be a little controversial but I actually really love how Charlotte looks. It is a huge shame that we don’t have a more up to date look, especially with some of the stunning looks Charlotte has had over the last few years but as it goes I still think she looks pretty great here. It could be due to the fact I’m a huge Charlotte fan but I really do appreciate the look and I can’t wait to redesign and recolour the more edgy Charlotte Jacket compared to her regal robes. Like Asuka, Charlotte doesn’t come with her new theme but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the theme ported at the last minute with Charlotte still using the same titantrons ingame.
Up Next we have Liv Morgan, who thank god has more subtle makeup this time around making it so much easier to create newer and up to date looks. As we can see Liv Morgan is sporting her Day 1 attire from her match against Becky Lynch from January 2022. Whilst the attire itself may not be as eccentric as some of Liv’s other attires it does look great here and I’m hoping it comes as separate pieces to mix and match with other gear. Liv comes with updated titantrons and her Watch Me theme which goes so much better with her entrance animation if you ask me. Over the last week I’ve had several messages asking if Liv has a new Oblivion animation for a finisher but I personally didn’t come across it. Now that doesn’t mean it’s not in the game as Liv uses the facebreaker for her signature as seen in several of our recordings.
Following on from Liv we have Rhea Ripley who was undeniably my favourite superstar from the entire build with updates trons, theme and entrance animation. Rhea comes with a variation of her SummerSlam 2022 attire as part of her Judgement Day look alongside fellow members Damien Priest and Finn Balor. From the attire to the lighting and just overall badassery entrance animation everything looks good from head to toe with 2K perfectly capturing Rhea’s essence. Like Bayley Rhea’s attire comes with so much more texture and detail compared to some of the other attires with the back of the jacket literally popping. Unfortunately due to copyright I couldn’t include Rhea’s theme in my coverage but I couldn’t get her entrance and theme out of my head for days after playing, it’s just too damn bloody good. If that wasn’t cool enough, Rhea even comes with her own unique nameplate.
Following on from Rhea Ripley we have Ronda Rousey who like Bianca is sporting her WrestleMania 38 attire from her match against Charlotte Flair. Before we touch on Ronda, if Ronda has her WrestleMania 38 attire it’s such a missed opportunity that we didn’t see Charlotte have hers, but anyway moving back to Ronda. Though Ronda looks pretty sweet, there are no huge changes for Ronda between WWE 2K22 and 23 where Ronda acted as DLC for the previous title. Like Liv I appreciate that the makeup is toned down this time around with a more subdued and subtle look compared to the bold back eyeshadow and eyeliner as seen in 22.
Speaking of Ronda, Up next we have Ronda’s tag team partner Shayna Baszler who like Ronda is also sporting her WrestleMania 38 attire. Now it’s not an official confirmation but this could hint that Natalya could also be sporting her WrestleMania 38 attire, with Natalya acting as Shayna’s partner as part of the match. The match also featured Rhea, Liv, Carmella, Zelina as Queen Zelina and more interestingly Naomi and Sasha Banks. This is all just purely speculation but just keep a note for the superstars that haven’t already been confirmed or those we haven’t seen attires for as of yet. As we move back to Shayna, Shayna comes with her updated ‘Limb by Limb’ entrance theme. When looking side by side I can’t say that I can see any huge upgrades from 22 to 23 for Shayna but Shayna’s model looks good as it is and her attires don’t change up that much so it’s not really a huge surprise.
Last and by certainly no means least we have Shotzi who seems to be sporting a variation of her Royal Rumble 2022 Attire where she entered the match at number 29. I have to say I’m a huge fan of Shotzi’s model and attire, with the jacket especially looking super cool! Shotzi comes with a new and updated titantron as well as updated sound effects for her 2k22 entrance making the tank less harsh on the ears. Before seeing the entrance I had expected Shotzi to get a new entrance without the tank after losing the tank last year for a period of time, so I’m super happy to see the tank once again featured for her epic entrance.
For all there aren’t that many ground-breaking updates when it comes to the likes of new entrance animations, overall I would argue that there are far more many positives than negatives with each and every woman looking better to their previous incarnation with Rhea Ripley especially being a huge standout. Rhea’s model has me really excited to see the rest of the women’s roster this year, especially those making their 2K debuts so fingers crossed they look just as good as Rhea if not better.
I feel like I could go on for hours about the experiences I had for the brief time that I played the game and I’ve only touched on a fraction of the gameplay so if you have any questions be sure to pop them down below and if im able to I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
So that’s our quick breakdown of our first experience playing WWE 2K23 and what I thought from my time playing the game. There is no doubt that I have so much more to discuss so be sure to stay tuned to the channel for future updates in the coming weeks. A huge thank you again to 2KUK for the invite because without them I wouldn’t have been able to put this video together.
Until next time, I’ve been the Revelleution and now I’m going to sit and suffer until I can next get my hands on the game….