If you haven’t already gotten the gist 2K haven’t been resting on their laurels with the wrasslin’ in WWE 2K17.īeyond refining the sweaty chaos of the in-ring action, 2K has also given the various game modes a sizeable revamp too. In short, the new taunting system is well thought out and adds another layer of natural depth to what is already an accomplished wrestling simulation.įurther widening the scope of the in-ring action, are a number of extra ‘OMG’ moments and moves that expand the moveset even further, allowing players to execute such awe-inspiring manoeuvres as Kevin Owens extremely painful looking apron powerbomb, or, Sami Zayn’s running Tornado DDT on the outside. One particular area where this new system shines is in tag-team matches, since the non-active wrestler can use these new taunts to cheer on their partner from the apron, or, accelerate his momentum gains prior to being tagged in.
For this year’s game though, 2K have not only made the taunting system different, but have placed a tactical imperative behind such changes too, since taunts can now be used to regenerate the health of your wrestler, heckle the crowd if you’re a heel, or, force your opponent to their feet so that you can inflict a further beating upon them. For years now, taunts have behaved in an identical fashion you bust one out using the directional pad and your momentum meter increases. Something else that has been overhauled this year is the taunt system. In gameplay terms, this new mechanic has additional ramifications too, since if you happen to be the person on the outside of the ring, you can choose to get right back into the action and receive a debuff, or, wait and nab yourself a buff that replenishes your health and provides additional momentum, thus bringing you closer to unleashing a signature of finishing move. Now, rather than all three people continually going at each other like headless chickens with chainsaws, a rest mechanic now exists where one person will get ejected from the ring, leaving the other two duke it out in the same sort of fashion that you would see on TV. Given the divisiveness that the swing bar system elicited among folks, providing an alternative such as this definitely proves worthwhile as it ostensibly widens the appeal of submissions to all players.Īnother aspect of WWE videogame ring craft that has been improved for this year’s outing, is the manner in which Triple Threat matches have been handled. The first of these most notably is an optional system for submissions which, rather than forcing the swing bar system onto players from WWE 2K16, allows folks to enable a new mechanic where they have to keep pressing the button shown on-screen to either complete or escape from a submission hold. While WWE 2K17 broadly controls and feels similar to its predecessor then, there are a number of new wrinkles and tweaks to the core experience which 2K have made that meaningfully separate it from last year’s game. Indeed, the overarching control scheme remains largely the same, with the x button doing your strikes, the circle button sorting out your grapples, the right shoulder button taking care of your reversals and so on. Right out of the gate, if you have had any prior experience with WWE 2K16, you can pretty much jump right into match on WWE 2K17 with little or no fuss.