While it’s good to suspend your disbelief when wrestlers are blasting their rivals with super attacks like they’re from Dragon Ball Z, when that concept is extended to the idea that wrestlers are “similar to their counterparts,” then it’s not a good sign. This is one of the more egregious issues in WWE 2K Battlegrounds. They’ll perform the same suplexes and clotheslines, and the main difference comes only once you’ve filled up your “heat bar” (which lets you perform a signature or finisher). Meanwhile, behemoths like The Undertaker, Big Show, Bobby Lashley, Braun Strowman, and Yokozuna are considered Powerhouses. There are only five “classes” - High Flyer, Technician, All-Rounder, Brawler, and Powerhouse - and, barring signatures and finishers, superstar movesets are restricted based on their class.įor instance, Dolph Ziggler and Shinsuke Nakamura are both classified as Technicians, so they’d have the same combos and basic grapple moves. WWE 2K Battlegrounds‘ tagline is “Brawl without limits.” Sadly, its limits are readily seen the moment you start playing. So, where does it all go wrong? Well, it has a lot to do with its limitations. You’ll find a lot of entertainment, and maybe a few laughs, as you play.

WWE 2K Battlegrounds encapsulates those qualities owing to its goofy, bombastic, and over-the-top presentation.

This is a carny, corny, cartoony, and crazy business - one that’s marked with memorable characters, gimmicks, and personas that are larger than life. Suspension of disbelief is refreshing because we’re talking about pro-wrestling. You could have a goat charge an opponent, or you could throw your foe outside the ring to get crushed by a car or eaten by an alligator.

There are even interactive sections in various arenas that result in zany instances. Fists are covered in flames, lightning is cast from your fingertips, steel cages electrocute, people fly and flip through the air, and motorcycles are swung around with impunity. Still, it manages to work thanks to the action and special effects involved.įreed from the restrictions of realism, superstars now use power-ups and crazy combos. Think of it as something akin to WWE All-Stars with a slight touch of “Big Head” mode, like caricatures of the fighters themselves. Graphically, the athletes here are rendered in the most cartoonish ways imaginable. Unfortunately, there were several missteps and questionable decisions as I’ll outline in this review.įirst, let’s talk about what WWE 2K Battlegrounds does right. WWE 2K Battlegrounds rekindles that torch. nWo: World Tour, and Yuke’s SmackDown! series. Examples include WWF WrestleMania, WWF In Your House, WWF Raw, WCW vs. Lest we forget, many of us grew up on the same arcadey-style offerings from the NES, SNES, and PlayStation/N64 eras. The switch from the sim-style mechanics - those that characterized WWE video games for the better part of a decade - to an arcadey affair is a welcome change of pace. Mind you, Saber Interactive (who also developed the NBA Playgrounds games) actually did quite an admirable job, at least at first glance. So, when WWE 2K21 got canceled and WWE 2K Battlegrounds was announced, I was a little hopeful even if there was some trepidation. Bugs and glitches riddled the title, and numerous criticisms and complaints were levied against Visual Concepts and 2K. It was, for lack of a better term, a botch of epic proportions. I reviewed WWE 2K20 last year and, needless to say, I was severely disappointed.

Wwe 2k battlegrounds game modes