WWE 2K16: PS4 Review

WWE 2K16: PS4 Review

Released by 2K Games
Platform: PS4

The annual iteration of the wrestling franchise gets its 2015 update.

And for fans of the series, it's probably already likely to be a top buy.

Thanks to its expanded roster and the fact Stone Cold Steve Austin is starring, it's going to appeal to some more than others.

Sadly in parts, the game's distinctive playable problems don't really help it toward being a smackdown.

Creation of superstars remains so that you can navigate the game how you want and with a player you feel you deserve. But you can't bring them across to Career Mode, so it almost seems pointless. But there will be many for whom the drawcard of making their own is enough of a reason to play.

Combat is reasonable too, and you will require some idea of what you're doing to get the most out of the game and its career. But to the newcomer, it's all a bit of a head-scratching game; combat's been simplified this time around, but that doesn't always make it easier to get into the ring and start throwing down.

Graphically, the game occasionally seems over-produced and almost veers on being a little cartoony, rather than realistic. Some wrestlers look like they have spent hours in the baby oil rub down and veritably glisten in their time in the ring.

But at the end of the day, the big killer for WWE 2K16 is just how formulaic it is and how at times joyless the whole thing can be. Crowds are given little life, that's confined to the ring, but even there at times, the game fails to find the joy and the showmanship of wrestling.

And for that alone, it's a self KO.