Hey and welcome back to the Revelleution and a brand new WWE 2K24 Video. Last week I had the awesome opportunity to play an early build of WWE 2K24 thanks to 2K UK and WWE Games so I thought why not share my first impressions on the game before the game launches next month.
Before we dive in I just want to stress that the build we played was an early build of the game with only a handful of superstars, match types and modes available to play. It’s not guaranteed but multiple factors could be addressed between the build we played and launch so bare that in mind when it comes to initial takes and content. As a quick example one of devs explained to us that one of the match types we played had already recieved an update to it’s AI’s playstyle after vigorous testing.
The themeing of this year’s title is 40 years of WrestleMania and as part of the build we had access to this year’s Showcase mode titled showcase of the immortals, documenting various matches throughout WrestleMania’s history. In total there were three matches to choose from and seeing as we focus on the Women, our match of choice was Rhea Ripley Vs Charlotte Flair from WrestleMania 39.
2K’s slighshot technology once again returns blending gameplay cutscenes with WWE Network content. It might not be my preferred approach but I can’t deny that it looks cool ingame when gameplay and footage seemlessly blend together recreating match hilights for fans. WWE 2K24 perfectly recreates the tense action between Charlotte and Rhea in a reinacment of their SmackDown Women’s Championship match at last year’s WrestleMania. The matchup also provides alternate models for both Ripley and Flair and I personally think both look awesome, especially Charlotte’s model and I only hope that the remaining Women’s Showcase models look just as good.
Call me old fashioned but I would much prefer seeing or playing the moments out ingame myself, as realistically speaking if I wanted to I could just pop on YouTube or the WWE Network and watch the match myself. Obviously some of the match situations are harder to recreate than others but I often find that the real footage takes me out of the game and I’m often waiting for the clip to end so I can play again. As I say it’s just my personal preference but let me know in the comments down below what your thoughts are on the situation as i’m intrigued to hear.
The Showcase also provided a first look at WWE official Jessicka Carr who makes her 2K debut alongside AJA Smith. It seems as though referee’s have not only recieved a much needed makeover but they also have a few different animations, with referee’s attempting a count much quicker with more fluid animations. Hopefully in the coming weeks we get a closer look at Create a Referee and Special Guest Referee as that’s one mode I can’t wait to dive in!
One of the major features of this year’s game is returning match types with Ambulance Matches, Casket Matches and Special Guest referee matches all returning to the series. In the build we played we had access to the Ambulance match giving fans a new way to play and have fun in the 2K engine. Like various other extreme match types in the series, players have access to weapons both under and around the ring to beat down their opponent, with the Ambulance itself acting as both a weapon and a brand new match mechanic. The ambulance match can be used in various arenas with competitors starting inside the ring before the action spills to the outside for an all out brawl beside the emergency vehicle.
To win the the ambulance match opponents duke it out in a bid to send their opponents home in an ambulance via a button mashing minigame, which is executed once a supestar has been dragged, irish whipped, thrown or even powerbombed inside the Ambulance. Once one superstar is inside the ambulance, their opponent has the option to attempt to close the ambulance doors which activates a button mashing mini game, with opponents competiting to fill their side of the metre . Should the superstar inside the ambulance lose the first button mashing mini game, a second round begins with a slight advantage boost to the downed superstar, repeating until one superstar prevails over the other.
To gain a better chance of finishing the match, superstars can be beat down their opponent in various ways with badly damaged superstars being easier to put away than those with more health. This can be done in various ways such as standard wrestling actions, by using weapons or even competiting on top of the ambulance. Once on top of the ambulance players can perform actions such as grapples and finishing moves as well as throwing opponents off the top of vehicle to the floor below.
We didn’t have access to the options in our build but I seriously hope we can add tables to Ambulance matches because it would be so fun to see one superstar thrown down through a table before being sent packing with the Ambulance. In the build we played several of us found that the AI seemed a little troubled when it came to Ambulance matches, with the AI seemingly getting confused as to how to get down when on top of the Ambulance. But after speaking to one of the devs we were reassured that this has already been addressed and the AI is in much better working condition.
I have to say I had quite a cool time with the Ambulance match and I can only imagine how much more fun it will be when I play against friends or family once the game releases. I imagine that casket matches will work in a similar sort way implementing a button mashing mini game to close the casket but if it’s anything like the Ambulance match I don’t mind one bit. Adding Ambulance matches on top of the already varied extreme match types gives fans yet another reason to play and I can only hope that 2K add new or more returning match types later down the line.
If fans don’t want to use the Ambulance at ringside the also have the option to take things backstage with another Ambulance residing in the parking lot. This gives players more opportunities to deal extra damage with various weapons and environmental situations before putting their opponent away.
Speaking of Backstage, in our build we had the ability to face off backstage with more players than in previous years, thanks to the ability to compete in 1 on 1, a triple threat or fatal 4-way backstage brawls.
The setup for backstage is pretty much the same as last year with new weapons and environemntal situations as well as the backstage ambulance previously mentioned. Like back in the day players can also now interact with several pieces backstage with the ability to smash windows, use vending machines and even use the brand new elevator. Whilst the elevator is nothing ground breaking, it does speed things up when you want to switch the action to somewhere new, letting players take weapons and opponents up or down a level.
Having the ability to have multiple superstars face off backstage is a welcome addition to this years game but it doesn’t come without it’s niggles as I often found that the majority of superstars would always target me when all gathered together and often result in an early elimination. When you are seperated into little pockets that’s where the real fun begins as opponents battle it to see who can knock out their rival. Sometimes if you’re ulucky a rival will come flying out of nowhere to interrupt the action, or if you’re super unlucky it could be a weapon. Hellish as it may be in the moment it never fails to be hilarious, creating some random laugh out loud moments.
Speaking of weapons, the old fan favourites once again return alongside some new tools including a microphone, a water bottle and a damn Chancla, which is a preset favourite for our very own Zelina Vega! The Chancla comes with it’s own taunts and hilarious sound effects to easily bat off your opponents or if you’re Becky Lynch, a slap to the back of the head!
Last year 2K added the ability to taunt whilst holding weapons with 2K24 now bringing back the ability to throw any and every weapon. Countless times throughout my playtime I randomly found myself laughing out loud at some random chair flying through the air to hit a random superstar, completely taking me off guard resulting to me being under attack myself. Opponents also have the ability to block, dodge and catch weapons that are thrown, so don’t get too confident as that weapon may come back to bite you on the ass, quite literally.
With the return of throwing weapons also comes the return of being able to fight on top of announce tables, where players can now perform light and heavy grapples that don’t instantly break the table. To break the table superstars perform their finishers to give it that extra OMG moment. When on top of the table players can be dragged or thrown back down by their opponent but before they get the opportunity Players can perform various dive actions to fend them off.
Speaking of returning features it was also teased that OMG moments will once again return to the series and whilst I didn’t come across any in the build I played, I did get the chance to play around with 2K’s newest feature Super Finishers. Super Finishers can be peformed when players have earned 3 finisher slots with their chosen superstars and can be performed from various situations giving a new spin on a superstars finisher. Players like Rhea Ripley, Bayley and Becky Lynch had new avalanche versions of their finishers whilst some superstars like Bianca Belair and Zelina had diving finishers with Zelina having an epic Code Red and Bianca a 450 splash. When the finishers are performed they result in a devastating blow to the opponent resulting in a super quick and tiny pinning bar which is almost impossible to break out of. I honestly think this year’s game has a great balance of elements you could use for simulation with nice arcade elements like throwing weapons and super finishers to spice up the fun.
Another new feature in this year’s game is the trading blows mini game which is activated when holding the light strike button. Once initiated Superstars duke it out blow for blow in a strike meter similar to the mini games in previous titles, with players attempting to stop the dial in the green segment of the meter to perform a successful action. Failing to perform a successful action three times in the mini game will end the sequence resulting in the winning superstar gaining the upper hand. If both players continue to make successful actions throughout the minigame, the superstars will then enter a button mash sequence to fill the stun metre with the player who fills the bar first being the winner of the minigame. I have to say I quite enjoyed the trading blows mini game and often found myself initiating the game either at the start of every match or when I wanted the WWE Universe to get into the match.
Small changes like these might not seem huge on their own but when you add them all together, they create a much better gameplay experience making WWE 2K24 fresh, fun and exciting to play whilst also adding elements you might see on WWE TV. For example one element the team added this year is a new irish whip reversal which might seem tiny on the scale but it creates such a better flow to matches and really takes you off guard when an opponent reverses an irish whip.
2K have also seemingly added a new pin approach in this years game which makes pinning look and feel more fluid when attempting a pin with superstars seemingly no longer stumbling or making awkward gestures when you attempt to pin your opponent. The same can also be said when it comes to rebounds off the ropes, as gone are the days of bumping into opponents with the ability to perform moves and strikes when the chosen button is pressed earlier.
I will say it time and time and again, on their own these things are somewhat small on the scale but altogether they create such a better flow of gameplay and I can’t wait to uncover more with later builds of the game. If WWE 2K24 releases with as much promise as this build left me with, I honestly think we could be onto another great year for the WWE 2K series.
This was only an early build of WWE 2K24 and there are bound to be a tonne of information I forgot to mention so I can’t imagine how much there will be come full release. So let me know in the comments below what has you most excited for WWE 2K24, is it new match types? New Weapons or Mechanics? Maybe there is something you would like 2K to focus on next? Let me know in the comments down below and let’s discuss it.
Until next time I’ve been the Revelleution