For as long as WWE has done video game, it’s story mode has been one of the most important aspects, proven by past installments like Here Comes the Pain and SVR 2009 While fans love the hilarity that comes with messing around with friends and online opponents in the ring, the news of the improvements made to the WWE 2k18 Career mode will excite.
According to the team behind WWE 2k18, the following features have been added or improved upon for the next installment.
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Story:
This year, you’ll have two very different paths you can take en route to your own WrestleMania moment (note: you will be able to play past that WrestleMania moment; your story won’t end there). Here are the two paths:
- Company Man – Going down the Company Man path means you’re all about helping the general managers (GMs) get what they want out of the roster on any given show. This involves conspiring with the GMs backstage, ambushing other WWE Superstars in the locker room or during their interviews and basically doing whatever it takes to maintain that GM’s power, both in the ring and backstage. The rewards are hefty, though! Continue helping the GM succeed, and you’ll gain access to awesome upgrades, such as the ability to orchestrate a run-in to help you win a match. You can also access Vince McMahon’s office to lobby for match card changes and title rematches.
- Fan Favorite – Being a Fan Favorite means you don’t play the whole company game and you’re all about putting on the best matches and promos. You have a locker room full of WWE Superstars and Legends backstage. This route involves earning their respect by taking on different match types – night-in and night-out. You’ll also have WWE Superstars test your in-ring aptitude and skills on the microphone, but if you succeed at this, you will earn the whole locker room’s respect – and with that comes some perks. WWE Legends are always backstage during events. If you earn their respect, they’ll start to give you in-ring bonuses for your matches and promos. If you become the complete package – the guy who can walk the walk and talk the talk like Stone Cold Steve Austin or John Cena – you’ll be able to have your own customized WWE Championship or Universal Championship. This honor is only given to the best of the best.
Free-Roaming Backstage
We wanted MyCAREER to be experiential for WWE 2k18. We wanted players to spend more time interacting with WWE Superstars and supporting personnel to better experience all their unique personalities. Rather than looking at menus to determine who you should align with or who you want to make your rival, you can simply go talk to them or ambush them backstage. Want an interview with Renee Young? Simply go up to her and ask for an interview. Don’t like the WWE Superstar she’s interviewing? Go up to him during live TV and interrupt that interview.
There will be no shortage of personalities backstage, from WWE Superstars and Legends to GMs, apparel tailors and more. Sometimes the interactions will also present side quests that are separate from the main storylines. Think of them as mini-stories that aren’t as involved or crucial to your Road to WrestleMania. For example, some WWE Superstars might ask you to ambush a rival or go toe to toe with them in a promo.
Updated Promos
Last year, we added promos to MyCAREER for the first time. While we were happy to finally let players get on the microphone, we knew we could deliver more in the second year of designing the promo feature in WWE 2k18. The two clear improvements we set out to accomplish were making WWE Superstars feel more like themselves and improving the scoring system, as it constricted players from telling the promos they wanted to tell.
MyCAREER Invasion
With the addition of free-roaming backstage, naturally we started thinking about the possibilities for MyCAREER invasion. Just like last year, your friends’ MyPLAYERs can populate your MyCAREER save. However, this year, you’ll actually see them backstage. They act just like any WWE Superstars you’ll see backstage: you can talk to them, pick them up as tag partners, get side quests involving them and even ambush them. It’s up to you what role your friends’ MyPLAYERs will have in your MyCAREER.
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A lot of the features above seem very similar to the previous 2k iterations of the game, which can be both positive and negative. Free roaming is certainly a plus, allowing players more control over their character outside of the ring and making it feel like more of an authentic WWE experience.
Fans have been begging for free roam for years and it makes sense that 2k would implement it, since the neighborhood went over so well in NBA 2k18. Depending on how it goes, being able to interrupt other superstars, take part in interviews and other activities, of your own volition could be amazing.
On the other hand, it seems that the Promo Engine will still be haphazard. While an interesting system to implement, it did not go over well in WWE 2k17. But they are still trying, adding more animations and an improved scoring system.
The invasion system has the potential to be a stand out as well, allowing friend’s MyPlayers to appear in your Career mode. They can act as partners, rivals, and create interesting side quests as well.
Time will tell if WWE 2k18 will be a refreshing installment in the series or whether it will be the same game as last year with a different name and number.