2K Sports has revealed an extensive list of features on the upcoming WWE 2K17 wrestling title and the details are quite interesting. We have seen the same features last year and this year’s not too different, albeit with one key feature missing. We won’t go into detail about all features but only the one that concerns us; it’s also one mode that could keep fans off purchasing the annual wrestling title. WWE 2K17 once again features the “largest roster ever”, but we don’t have a Showcase mode this year.
There have been improvements to Universe mode, secondary submission system, and creation suite, but the lack of Showcase mode is disappointing. Here’s 2K Sports’ explanation for not including it, “One of the largest and most difficult decisions we made for WWE 2K17 was to forego building a 2K Showcase. We designed and contemplated several Showcase ideas, including options surrounding our cover Superstar, Brock Lesnar, but all of them were not viable due to the many historic WWE Superstars needed but not available for inclusion in the game.”
This is one missed opportunity. Having Brock on the cover and not going for a Showcase mode is a turnoff. Fans could have had the opportunity of reliving his first run from 2003 to 2004 and his later run from 2012 onwards. Goldberg as a preorder bonus made sense. The game could have been designed to include the available WWE Superstars in the “largest roster ever.” That’s ironic and understandably so. Having backstage and crowd fighting is not as a big of an improvement as the Showcase mode that makes us coming back each and every year.
A Showcase ending with a dream rematch of Goldberg and Brock Lesnar would have been perfect. Goldberg would not be playable outside of the mode, as it’s a preorder bonus. That has happened in WWE 2K14 with Ultimate Warrior. All the hype surrounding “Suplex City” and that Goldberg trailer is watered down now. We were expecting a Brock Lesnar showcase and you can read about our thoughts on it here.
Seriously 2K Sports, you did great with WWE 2K16, and now you mess up again this year with WWE 2K17. The point to have the largest roster ever was to include wrestlers who were part of Brock Lesnar’s two WWE runs. We may even get Showcase modes in the season pass which would be another turnoff. You would need to pay to play.
Either way, we will recommend holding off on WWE 2K17 unless you want to play with the promised massive roster and not care much about the Showcase mode. Showcase is a mix of archive footage and CGI generated videos, and you get to relive the matches as they happened. Doing the matches perfectly would unlock superstars and gear. The “Special Objectives” would allow us to do more challenges related to the Showcase and unlock more wrestlers and items. Last year’s Austin 3:16 was massive and great fun to play especially for fans of the Rattlesnake aka Stone Cold Steve Austin. It’s still our favorite mode from WWE 2K16.
Let’s hope the rest of the game's features are enough of an improvement over last year to make us forget about the lack of Showcase mode this year. If you are upset about it, please let us know in the comments below.