WWE 2k Battlegrounds Review

WWE 2K Battlegrounds is the odd man out. As a replacement for the annual WWE2K submissions, it's a fun and refreshingly cartoonish game, but below the surface, it has a lot more in common with 2K's mobile titles than a full-fledged console release. The gameplay is really fun and entertaining, but it's all bogged down by a flagship of 2K sports titles: aggressive, heavy-handed microtransactions.

The story Like other WWE2K games, Battlegrounds offers a ton of frantic gameplay modes, a main story campaign, and several online multiplayer options. You'll want to start in campaign mode purely because it allows you to unlock your first batch of wrestlers and game-exclusive characters. Here, you take on the role of a struggling rookie who makes his way through WWE, one fight at a time. There's a cheap comic to guide you through your adventures and some story-based battles between your rookie and the biggest heels in WWE. (Baron Corbin starts the campaign as the main villain, as is correct.) After plowing through Corbin, work your way through a variety of related scenarios in new chapters. As you defeat all of your opponents, you will unlock new power-ups or wrestlers that you can then use in the non-narrative areas of the game. ! [WWE 2k 2] (// images.ctfassets.net/0gq1kjcq6c0k/5rDpkDXqdIZFC16l7v38Rg/506ce1027bbf97e410bfb80d2369f9de/WWE2k2.jpg)

The gameplay The main differences between Battlegrounds and regular WWE2K games are the game's wide-headed art style and simplified gameplay. While WWE2K games require an extensive system of throws, well-timed counters and hits, Battlegrounds has a more streamlined hit / kick / grab combat system. It is therefore easier to understand and a lot funnier. As you fight, you build epic lightning-based attacks and deal more damage from linked combos. It's all helped by the game's spectacularly over-the-top character models, which somehow look much better than the models in WWE 2K20. Because Battlegrounds opts for a distorted caricature style, the models look much more like their real-life counterparts than usual. It also makes in-game battles look utterly silly. (This is a good thing.) You start the game with a roster of core wrestlers, but most of the iconic heroes are trapped behind a heavy paywall. There are several options for unlocking characters, but you won't like most of them. They include working your way through the game's corny (but still fun) story mode or grinding match after match to earn enough tokens to unlock them. If you don't like grinding (and let's face it, most people don't) you have to pay real, real money to unlock your favorite characters.

It's a shame because WWE 2K Battlegrounds is really fun. The combat is simple but diverse enough to carry the gameplay, there are a ton of great modes to conquer (including an excellent cage match), and the game's visuals are endearing (even if a little ugly). I had a great time with the game until I got curious about how to unlock other wrestlers. The microtransactions aren't overt (I didn't notice them in story mode until I started looking for upgrades) but they are everywhere. You can even unlock new skill tree abilities with microtransactions.

If WWE 2K Battlegrounds were priced a little lower to counter these microtransactions, their withdrawal would sting a little less, but at $ 60 it's still in the AAA price bracket. Asking $ 4 for a single wrestler (which basically serves as a skin with a special finisher) is pretty ridiculous for the price of the game. The system feels better suited for a mobile title, and it's a shame to see it pop up in a full-fledged title.

The conclusion WWE2 2k is a fun game in itself, you can easily get in, play for a few hours and then lie down again. It is especially fun as a party game so if you have a few mates around and want to have fun with each other. Then the game is really perfect, because you sweep the floor with your buddies and you can talk a bit of trash and have a wonderful evening. However, if you play it solo I don't think this game is something you will play for a long time. It's very grindy and that's not everyone's thing. That is why it gets a 6.5 from us.