8 Reasons Why WWE 2k16 Disappointed

The 29th Survivor Series sure was a big letdown. The Brothers of Destruction vs the Wyatt Family was mediocre at best. Roman Reigns was champion for 5 minutes too long, and Sheamus’ cash-in felt like a cheap spin-off of Randy Orton’s cash-in on Daniel Bryan two years ago. We also saw not 1, but 2 disappointing traditional elimination matches that lacked any buildup and excitement. The disappointment of Survivor Series brings me to another disappointment, WWE 2K16. Although an improvement over the last installment, WWE 2K16 once again disappoints. Here, in my opinion, is why.

Who the hell came up with this submission system? And why did everyone agree to it? For those who haven’t seen it, it’s basically a cat and mouse game with the right analogue stick. The person applying the submission hold must chase his opponent by hovering his red bar over his blue one, and keep it there until he taps. It involves no skill and a lot of frustrations, especially when facing the computer on legendary, who can get out of a hold with ease. For those not-so-legendary players, many matches can end abruptly.

Again, something that can end a match too quickly. The pin is also very frustrating, similar to the last few games. The person getting pinned must stop his tiny white bar at the right time to kick out. This time, the bar is a circle, not straight, and slower than previous games, giving you only a couple of tries before the 3 count. This method can, however, be mastered, making it impossible to pin another player. The person pinning also has nothing to do, making them powerless to avoid a kick out.

Although impressive compared to previous games, the developers should have put focus elsewhere, such as gameplay and game modes. Most players will be creating their own superstars or playing as Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena, or Roman Reigns, not General Adnan, Fit Finlay, and Savio Vega…

Unlockable content works well with level-up systems, but they don’t work well with sports games. FIFA 16 features over 650 playable teams, and players don’t have to play career mode to unlock any of them. To unlock certain superstars in 2K16, such as Mick Foley & Ted DiBiase, players must once again play career mode and the Stone Cold Steve Austin showcase to unlock them. Players should be able to play as their favourite superstars from the beginning, something I doubt will happen anytime soon.

There is no better way of saying this; the online sucks. Once again, the online mode suffers from lag, and it can take forever to find an opponent, forcing you to play boring one-on-one matches and not the more fun ones, such as the Elimination Chamber.

SmackDown! Just Bring It! came out in November 2001 and allowed up to 8 players in the ring. 14 years later, and we’re still no closer to a traditional 5-on-5 Survivor Series elimination match; we’re actually further! Survivor Series has just been, where two traditional 5-on-5 elimination matches took place. Players want to be able to relive these moments in the game and not have to settle for a 3-on-3 match. The Royal Rumble also suffers from this, due to the fact that the ring never feels full and chaotic like the real thing.”

Speaking about the Royal Rumble. Nothing has been improved this year; eliminations are still boring quick time events, unless you have a finisher, in which you can eliminate opponents instantly. Extreme Rules still has the same basic weapons. Ladder matches have the same method of unhooking the belt/briefcase, and the Elimination Chamber still looks exactly the same. Every match mode has been left untouched.

Stone Cold Steve Austin is arguably the most iconic and greatest wrestler of all time. He also retired 12 years ago, yet he is the cover of WWE 2K16 and the only feature in this year’s showcase. WWE games need to focus more on the current roster so that it feels more up-to-date. A Shield showcase, starring Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns would have helped accomplish this. Instead, WWE keeps showing the lack of faith they have with their current roster.

And there you go – 8 reasons why WWE 2K16 disappointed. Thanks again for reading. Next time, I will focus less on disappointments and look into PS2 HD Remakes we’d like to see. Like, share, and feel free to comment if you think I’ve missed something. Also, feel free to follow me on Twitter X @rhysbritton.