WWE 2K23 is an upgrade from previous games

By Oscar Frias-Rivera SENIOR STAFF WRITER

March is not only WrestleMania season for wrestling fans, but it also means WWE 2K23 is upon us.

John Cena graces the cover this year for the first time since the 2K15 edition that came out in October 2014.

With three different editions released, presenting different arts and features, I ended up purchasing the Deluxe edition because of the nostalgic art featuring Cena in his Thuganomics persona with the U.S. Championship belt.

The other two editions, standard and Icon, caught my eye as well, but not as much as the Deluxe.

The standard edition didn’t appeal to me because it felt like a basic cover with no art to it compared to the Deluxe and Icon edition.

Both these latter editions include supplemental perks to the base video game, such as a season pass for unlockable characters and bonus packs to boost up wrestlers on the MyFaction mode.

In MyFaction, is a collection of cards you unlock on characters and each player is ranked differently.

You battle online with these characters to boost up your player and unlock more higher rank cards to possibly get legend cards. You can sell and trade among each other.

Both Deluxe and Icon editions also had three days early access ahead of the standard edition.

The Icon edition with Cena holding the original spinner WWE Championship belt was great and desirable, but it was also too expensive for me.

Eventually, the joy of seeing Cena in his old attire on the cover of the Deluxe edition brings back memories, so it was an easy decision for me to pick it over the other two editions.

Now onto the gameplay, the video game has many different game modes to play.

Per normal, it has your exhibition play mode to play against the CPU or friends.

It also includes all several types of matches appearing in the famous WWE shows, such as the Steel Cage match, the Hell in a Cell match and the Backstage Brawl.

A new match-up fans have been anticipating to be put into WWE 2K23 is WarGames.

Watching the match live is already insane with two rings and a huge steel cage blocking out every participant. But now that it’s in WWE 2K23, it’s pure mayhem and a whole lot of fun to play.

The roster is huge, and characters vary from present Superstars to Hall of Famers, in which you have to play other game modes to unlock each character.

The entrances this year advanced so much, as they correlated well to almost every character.

Seth Rollins’s character in the game is translated perfectly as the crowd starts his “Ohhhhhh wooahhhhhh” chant during his entrance.

Unlike previous years, you would just hear the “yays” and “boos” during the wrestlers’s entrances, which made it very bland.

Moments like Rollins’s iconic dance to the ring is a huge addition I love instead of just a normal boring walk.

The best game mode they added was the showcase mode, which focuses on Cena’s career.

In this game mode, players have the opportunity to go over Cena’s 20-year career.

Whether it was his first ever match in the WWE against Kurt Angle or when he got to face the Undertaker at Wrestlemania, the showcase mode gives the players the chance to relive those moments.

Many of my favorite Cena’s matches are in this game mode displaying superstars I enjoyed growing up as well.

Before you get to play each match, Cena narrates and informs players on his opponent and the significance of why they’re fighting.

During the matches itself, not only do you have to beat Cena, but you must recreate 10-15 significant moves that actually happened in the real match.

At a certain point in the match, the video game shows actual footage of the match, and players are able to continue fighting afterward.

I thought this was a great thing to showcase throughout each match because it gives players a better experience.

It’s awesome to see how the crowd reacts because it makes it feel as if you’re really there in the stadium.

Another great game mode they have is the Universe Mode, in which you choose to have their own battles each week on “Raw” or “SmackDown” leading up to Payper-views events.

Players are able to manage their own world of rivalries and storylines to crown champions and leaders of any superstars they want to shine in the WWE.

Each match is ranked up to five stars, depending on length of the match and the number of move sets, combos, signatures and finishers performed.

It actually gives players a tough challenge to win against other superstars, which makes it better to have longer feuds with opponents.

Now of course, 2K added the Create a Superstar mode and can be played on any of the game modes, including the main one which is focused on MyRISE.

In the MyRISE game mode, players help build an incoming star shine in the WWE from the very beginning of their career.

It has a story for both the men and women, which is great because in previous entries there wasn’t much of a story for the women.

Whether you’re team “Raw” or team “SmackDown,” it’s still a fun game mode to showcase how you want your show to be.

As a kid growing up, I used to get every wrestling video game that came out and WWE 2K23 brings back that same nostalgic vibe that hasn’t occurred with me in previous 2K entries.

Follow Oscar Frias-Rivera on Twitter @oscar_frias408 game review

WWE 2K23

Rating: Release Date: March 14, 2023

Developer: Visual Concepts

Publisher: 2K Sports Genre: Sports