WWE 2K22 Review – A Big Step In The Right Direciton

Reviewed on: PlayStation 5
Also on: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: Visual Concepts
Rating: Teen

WWE 2K22’s long road to release stands as a redemption story as dramatic as any of the TV storylines. The series took a few years off to regroup following the trainwreck that was 2019’s 2K20, and the time away allowed it to learn some useful new holds. Though it doesn’t catapult the franchise to bold new heights, a revamped gameplay engine and a renewed focus on approachability make it the most entertaining – and most of all, playable – WWE game in some time.

The new engine strips away some of the complicated mechanics that made the previous 2K games a chore to play. Instead, it adopts a more arcade-style approach. 2K22 is not the second coming of the beloved Smackdown series, but the simplified grappling feels more intuitive and allows for faster-paced matches. Grappling is condensed to light and heavy moves mapped to two buttons, which I found easier to remember and execute. Melee combos reward big hits by chaining simple inputs, giving button-mashers a viable form of offense. Speaking of which, I love that pins and submissions ditch the annoying “stop the needle” minigames and return to the more fun intensity of slamming buttons to break free.

To reduce the non-stop countering that often occurs between advanced players, a new counter called Breaker forces you to predict incoming moves by pressing the same button you think your opponent will. Breakers only apply to strikes and grapple-based attacks; a universal reversal still exists for everything else, but I have mixed feelings this new addition. The element of chance means I absorbed strings of offense for guessing the wrong input regardless of my reversal timing which frustrated me at times. On the other hand, it allows both players to actually perform moves on each other instead of only finding cheap ways of interrupting prolonged counter-fests. Plus, even though I often took a beating, I rarely lost. The more skilled player will still win the day regardless of how many powerbombs they eat on the way to victory. Breakers aren’t the perfect solution, but I lean more in favor of them.

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2K22 feels easier to play overall but executing certain maneuvers still feels convoluted. The command differences between various springboard and apron attacks could be simpler, for example. A nice tutorial at the start of the game walks players through the basics, but I wish it went further since I still had to look up crucial mechanics like positioning opponents or entering/exiting the ring. Picking up objects can still feel unresponsive, and some actions retain the sluggish, over-animated feel the 2K games have suffered from for years. 

By and large, 2K22 looks great. Character models appear largely accurate to their real-world counterparts, smoother animations replicate superstar-specific nuances, and improved cinematography and lighting make everyone look better than ever. I especially love the era-specific lighting for historical arenas, like Halloween Havoc ’97. The roster is horrifically outdated thanks to the inclusion of numerous superstars who departed WWE in 2021, but this works in 2K22’s favor. Names like Jeff Hardy, Keith Lee, and Ember Moon may now perform elsewhere, but getting to use them anyway beats having a more realistically thin roster. 

Best of all, I didn’t encounter any catastrophic glitches. Smaller hiccups can still occur like the occasional spaghetti rope or a character getting snagged or warped on geometry, but those fall into the harmless (and humorous) camp. They didn’t happen often enough to spoil the experience. Unfortunately, online play feels unstable at the time of publishing. I've had trouble connecting to matches and the ones I have gotten into have suffered from severe lag at times. Hopefully, this is addressed sooner than later but you may want to avoid the online mode in the immediate future.  

2K22 has no shortage of modes, the most prominent of which is Showcase. This interactive documentary lets players follow the legendary career of cover star Rey Mysterio by playing a selection of 12 matches. Previous Showcases did a great job covering their respective topics, but 2K22’s falls short of the mark. Although the presentation rocks per usual – the mid-match transitions to actual footage of the fight you’re playing is notably rad – most of the chosen bouts made me scratch my head. 

The wide 1997-2005 stretch of Rey’s career only focuses on Eddie Guerrero, in which you wrestle him twice, and one of them is the mode’s sole WCW offering. Rey’s WrestleMania 22 World Title win is absent since Kurt Angle isn’t in the game. Big feuds against the likes of Chavo Guerrero, Chris Jericho, CM Punk, and Cody Rhodes don’t make the cut either due to the listed names working for rival organizations. They’re replaced by less memorable bouts, such as Mysterio’s SummerSlam 2009 Intercontinental Title defense against Dolph Ziggler or a random Raw match against Gran Metalik. I don’t expect Showcase to hit every milestone of Rey’s career, but this feels like an abridged summary of his run that plucked out most of the truly great stuff.

Following Rey’s career may have been underwhelming, but I had a better time building the legacy of my own superstar in MyRise. Creating a wrestler from scratch, including choosing their background RPG-style, had me engaged in my star’s fate from the get-go and the mode is pleasantly dense. From training in the Performance Center to NXT to the main roster, I enjoyed guiding my arrogant Hollywood transplant to the top of the company through choice-driven scenarios, many of which are delightfully cheesy. I won a match to force my opponent to wrestle in a chicken suit for a month and picked fights with big stars on social media to goad them into the ring. Is the writing often stupid and/or campy? Yes, but the same is usually true of the real product. At least this made me chuckle instead of facepalming. 

Simple sidequests, such as beating up MVP for enforcing a dress code, can be tackled at your leisure to gain extra stat points, but I mostly enjoyed how seemingly mundane stories spiral into giant angles. I choose to make a name for myself by assaulting a visiting Mayor Kane backstage which exploded into a multi-match side story that concluded in a Hell in a Cell match against The Undertaker. Various story paths exist depending on your choices and face/heel alignment, which offers a nice element of replayability. I don’t know if I’m compelled enough to make another full run, but MyRise had me thinking about what titles to chase and the shenanigans I’d instigate when I was away from the mode. I always itched to get back to it. 

The Creation Suite isn’t significantly better than what’s been offered before, but it remains a fun time sink. I lost hours making superstars, championships, arenas, titantron videos, and more. Universe Mode provides more options for playing Vince McMahon as you book shows, matches, rivalries, and more. You can now follow an individual career as well, but Universe is about making your own fun and doesn’t offer enough tangible rewards to keep my interest for long. Universe Mode feels especially flat compared to MyGM, which gives you direct control of a single brand including drafting superstars, booking shows, and appeasing personalities to win a ratings war against rival brands. This destination satisfied the fantasy booker in me. I had a great time creating quality rivalries and contests by strategically matching superstar in-ring styles and managing my budget to put on killer shows. MyGM offers a granular level of data but offers regular guidance that kept me on track and informed my decisions. Like MyRise, MyGM unexpectedly hooked me and often had me thinking outside of the game about how to build to the next show, what talent to sign next, and how to sabotage my competitor. 

MyFaction is another new destination that feels like a separate game in itself. Fans of WWE mobile games like Supercard may feel right at home as you buy card packs (using real and in-game currency) to assemble a “faction” of the best cards based on their stats and other perks. You’ll battle other factions, but the combat unfolds in the ring rather than as a pure TCG. There’s not much more to it than that. There are various daily, weekly, and tower challenges, but it boils down to playing matches, filling achievement bars, and buying cards. Packs are reasonably priced, and you’ll earn enough currency to buy a pack by playing a small batch of matches, but you’ll always go farther using your wallet as per the norm with this stuff. MyFaction adds the satisfaction of watching meters fill up while playing random matches, but it’s not my favorite mode and is worth ignoring if the card aspect doesn’t speak to you. 

Is 2K22 the next No Mercy or Here Comes the Pain? No, but it’s a substantially improved comeback that’s more fun to play than WWE games have felt in ages. Plus, the sheer amount of modes, all of which are at least decent, means there’s something enjoyable to gnaw on outside of random exhibition matches or online play. There’s still work to be done, but like a retired veteran returning to put on a surprisingly solid match, WWE 2K22 manages to shake off the ring rust and perform better than the naysayers expected. 

Score: 8

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Young Souls Review – Dungeon Brawling With The Best Of Them

Reviewed on: Stadia
Also on: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Publisher: The Arcade Crew
Developer: 1P2P

Young Souls stars two orphans who are used to being overlooked, but you shouldn’t ignore their adventure. This RPG brawler sports more depth than your run-of-the-mill beat ‘em up thanks to slick combat, enjoyable customization, and sharp writing. Whether you’re cutting down monsters alone or alongside a buddy, brawler connoisseurs should take notice. 

Orphaned twins Jenn and Tristan feel like they’re up against the world. The foul-mouthed, hot-headed teens are conditioned to fend for themselves, earning a reputation as troublemaking outcasts in their small town. The only person they respect is the Professor, their adoptive father who opened his home to them a year prior. The three enjoy a harmonious though emotionally awkward relationship, but things take a turn for the weird when the twins discover the Professor has been kidnapped. Even stranger, a portal in his laboratory reveals an underground world inhabited by goblins whose leader plans to assault their town. While that’s a problem, Jenn and Tristan’s primary concern is rescuing the Professor, and they are more than eager to pick up swords, shields, and other weapons to cut down goblin after goblin standing in their way.

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Young Souls’ solid writing treats players to a likable cast and a more emotionally charged story than expected. Seeing Jenn and Tristan ponder over their actions and discover that both sides of a conflict can commit atrocities with good intentions brings welcome self-awareness. I also found it refreshing to see a villain genuinely care that invaders are systemically murdering his subjects. The twins feel earnest and relatable instead of one-dimensional edgelords, especially when asking themselves if they’re ready to call the Professor “dad.”

Kicking goblin butt rocks thanks to combat’s fluidity and the impactful feedback from landing blows. It doesn’t matter if you’re using daggers, swords, hammers, or heavy axes, stringing combos and air-juggling baddies feels great. The timing window for blocks and parries feels inconsistent, which is frustrating, but a successful parry triggers a satisfying slow-motion effect. Upgradable sub-weapons add further depth, such as a bow, a screen-hopping teleportation spell, mob-clearing bombs, and, my favorite, a chain that yanks enemies towards you or vice versa. Young Souls might not break the mold, but it’s an absolute blast to play. 

Goblins pose a more significant threat than the average beat ’em up fodder. They often evade, block, and parry, presenting an enjoyable challenge that kept me from mindlessly swinging my weapon. I was pleasantly surprised at how often I had to consider my offense instead of just mashing the attack button, especially against bosses. A few enemy types are annoying to deal with (shield-wielding spearmen block way too often), but Young Souls brings the fight in the best way. I encourage seasoned players to choose the developer’s recommended difficulty.

Playing alongside a buddy is probably ideal, but co-op is local only, unfortunately. Still, I’m impressed with how much fun Young Souls is to play alone. An awesome tag team system allows you to quickly swap between siblings at a button press which you can use to set up cool combo chains. This is great for making dramatic split-second saves since each sibling has their own health bar and a limited number of revives. I like the fighting game strategy behind constantly tagging in/out to allow the other twin recovery time while mixing up your offense. 

Jenn and Tristan initially play identically, but that changes in fun ways since each has their own loadout. Weapons and armor fundamentally alter their playstyles depending on their weight and type. For example, I had Jenn emphasize swift attacks and evasion while Tristan became my death-dealing tank. The game is at its best when you have two distinct twins to cover your bases against all threats, but having them both play similarly is a valid strategy, too. My Jenn’s speedier build fared better against a slow-moving boss, so doubling up on that strategy helped me take it down quicker. 

Young Souls’ structure resembles a condensed run-based dungeon crawler. You’ll battle your way through rooms of enemies to earn treasure, resources, and keys to unlock new zones and chests. Level design is largely straightforward to a fault. The game mixes things up with boss rush challenges and encounters against a legendary warrior who rewards a new weapon type each time she’s defeated. The most imaginative level pits players against ghosts that you can only kill using a particular weapon; however, the weapon renders you vulnerable to a one-hit kill. Young Souls can stand to shake up its exploration like this more often as most levels feel too mundane. On the plus side, backtracking to nab every item is a breeze thanks to a flexible fast-travel system, plentiful checkpoints, and the fact that the map marks locked chests. Young Souls may be the breeziest game to obtain 100 percent completion in some time. 

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In between dungeon runs, you’ll zip around town on your moped to sell items and buy outfits, including buff-granting sneakers. You can even hit the gym to complete simple but enjoyable exercise mini-games to raise the twins’ physical attributes. However, warping home to level up is a tad annoying, as is the fact that you can’t equip battle gear in the human world. 

As the kind-hearted Professor learned, give Jenn and Tristan a chance, and they’ll impress you in more ways than one. Young Souls is an exceptional adventure you shouldn’t miss if you’re searching for the next great game to tackle with a friend or want a quality RPG brawler to dig into alone. 

Score: 8.5

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Concept: Wage a two-person war against an underground empire of monsters as a pair of rebellious teenagers

Graphics: Young Souls’ colorful art is sharp and oozes personality. It’s like playing a graphic novel for young adults

Sound: While the soundtrack doesn’t stand out as strongly as the art, solid tunes fit the spirit of adventure on and off the battlefield

Playability: The smooth combat has more depth than the average beat ’em up, and a varied loadout provides several entertaining approaches for laying the smackdown

Entertainment: Kicking butt in Young Souls is a blast and one of the rare co-op brawlers that is as enjoyable to play solo

Replay: Moderate

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Gran Turismo 7 Review - Earning Its Place On The Podium

Reviewed on: PlayStation 5
Also on: PlayStation 4
Publisher: PlayStation Studios
Developer: Polyphony Digital

Gran Turismo has been a gold standard for the simulation-racing genre for over 25 years. The franchise has continually served as a showcase for PlayStation’s latest hardware both from visual and technical standpoints. Gran Turismo 7 is no different in this regard; the racing has never felt more precise, nor have the vehicles ever looked truer to life. However, in the time since that initial entry, the field has caught up to Gran Turismo. This new entry is still an excellent driving simulation, but it’s no longer lapping the competition.

Gran Turismo 7 sets the tone early; this is the sim-racing series at its most self-indulgent. The several-minute-long, unskippable credit-reel chronicling the history of the automobile followed by a long in-game cutscene demonstrates just how serious it takes car culture. While other racing games have taken intentional strides to remove as many barriers to the fun as possible, Gran Turismo 7 has no qualms about doling out the action at its own pace. While this delivery is sometimes too slow in the early goings, once the career mode opens and rubber meets the road, sim racing doesn’t get much better than this.

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Whether you’re driving a finely tuned supercar north of 200 miles-per-hour on a straightaway or are precariously navigating a twisting offroad course in a four-wheel-drive vehicle, Gran Turismo 7 masterfully delivers one of the best driving experiences in gaming. Every inch of the road traveled carefully considers the conditions in which you’re driving; elevation changes, weather, driving surface, road bank, vehicle downforce, and countless other factors seamlessly contribute to whether you successfully carry your momentum into a turn or spin out into the grass.

Even the most minor miscalculation sends you sliding off the track. With no rewind functionality as seen in many modern racing games, I love the tense feeling of victory and defeat balanced on a razor's edge around every single corner. Unfortunately, if you want to use the assist tools to help you better compete on the track, the drive-line tool, which tells you the best path to follow through the course, is not only less informative than those of Gran Turismo’s contemporaries, but it’s also unreliable. On several occasions, I followed the line’s advice and still slammed into the barrier, only to realize the brake indicator didn’t properly populate on the track. Every time I got into one of these accidents, Gran Turismo 7’s lack of damage modeling took me out of the experience; when a game is so focused on realistic visuals and controls, emerging from a high-speed wreck with little damage is jarring.

Polyphony Digital’s adoration of auto culture remains evident as you progress through Gran Turismo 7’s unconventional career mode. Constantly returning to the in-game café, where you retrieve quests like collecting specific vehicles or winning a grand prix, you get an effective tour of the game’s many modes and offerings. Each time you complete a car collection mission, you’re treated to a rundown of the real-world history of whatever the theme is; I learned a lot about the history of the Ford Mustang in my early hours. Each time you get a new objective, Gran Turismo 7 clearly communicates what you need to do to complete it. Even the side modes, like time trials set to music, mission-based challenges, and specialized license events, had me mashing the retry button because I knew I could achieve a better time.

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Progression happens every step of the way, giving you incentive to play “just one more race.” I lost track of time on more occurrences than I can count as I discovered the reward for the next race was a car I coveted. I was hooked by the career mode’s structure around vehicle collecting, with each activity rewarding you with money, cars, and more. As your garage expands with the more than 400 cars available at launch, your collection level rises, unlocking more missions and features. The cyclical ecosystem Polyphony Digital leveraged in Gran Turismo 7 is satisfying, and by placing the emphasis more on building a garage than winning races, I rarely felt my progress stall, even if I couldn’t take home the checkered flag in each event. Still, I loved juicing up my favorite rides using the robust tuning features to give myself the best chance to finish first.

Sadly, the multiplayer suite often pumps the brakes on the fun. Currently, your options are to take part in scheduled Sport events, where you sign up for a session and then wait for it to start, or join multiplayer lobbies. Sport events are great fun – I particularly love Gran Turismo 7’s emphasis on being well-mannered in your driving, actively discouraging collisions – but they take too long to get into the action. After signing up for a Sport event, you sometimes must wait longer than 10 minutes before the race starts. Sure, you can drive practice and qualifying laps while you wait for the race to start, but I wish these events just began once you entered a full session. Lobbies are a great way to circumvent the waiting period while setting your own rules, but with the front pages often populated by near-empty groups, the barrier to jump into a multiplayer session sometimes wasn’t worth the hassle.

Despite its multiplayer shortcomings, Gran Turismo 7 is a terrific racing experience. I love the emphasis on car collection and the respect paid to the history of automobiles and racing culture. Gran Turismo 7 provides some of the best driving mechanics available and gives you several guided ways in which to engage with it. While it sometimes spends too much time off the track, every long cutscene is clearly done with love, and that sentiment shines through even more on the track.

Score: 8.75

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