2K Games is back with another installment of it’s WWE 2K franchise in WWE 2K19. The yearly pro wrestling sim brings back old favorites such as 2K Showcase & My WWE Universe, while adding debuting modes such as the 2K Towers where players take the role of AJ Styles in a gauntlet like arcade tower mode.

WWE 2K19 is a 2018 pro wrestling video game, it is developed by Yukes and published by 2K Games. It is currently available on PC, Playstation 4, and Xbox One.

Editor’s Note: An Amazon Affiliates link for this title is present within this review.

The latest installment of WWE 2K is one of the greatest out there gameplay and AI wise.

Every October we get a new entry into the WWE 2K franchise and every year it feels like there’s something missing that’s keeping it from being the best in the series to date. While 2K19 is a vast improvement in certain areas from the last few years, it can’t shake the typical image the WWE 2K titles have gained. While new modes and gameplay tweaks should be praised, WWE 2K19 suffers from bugs and a routine issue of commentary among others.

Former UFC star Ronda Rousey makes her WWE game debut.

THE GOOD: WWE 2K19 is a bit frustrating honestly. In a lot of ways it’s one of the best WWE games of the modern era that I’ve played. And in others it feels like a typical WWE 2K experience. The new Tower mode is fun and is great if you want to kill time or get in some practice before eventually going online, or you know actually going for the $1 Million. Gameplay has been tweaked to fit an actual wrestling match and a rating system is provided for players to earn in-game currency to purchase arenas, belts, and even wrestlers from the present and past. Perhaps the greatest improvement over the game is the AI. The days of finisher spamming are officially over thanks to the computer player being much smarter this time around, with frequent reversals and a limited reserve of reversals making it much harder to land that finishing blow to end the match. Although it only features a single performer, the WWE 2K Showcase mode does a beautiful job of recreating Daniel Bryan’s miracle run leading up to WrestleMania 30 which cemented him as one of WWE’s most over performers in the company. My Universe features awesome revamps such as a new promo mode and crowd control for performers to make things even or balanced to mirror reality. Had to laugh at Roman actually getting booed in the game,

Daniel Bryan stars as the sole wrestler in WWE 2K Showcase..

THE BAD: Admittedly this year suffers from less bugs compared to years past, but the usual such as clipping are still here and it can take you out of the experience from time to time. Another continuing issue is the commentary, let’s face it, it really, really sucks. I don’t know what the problem with WWE game commentary is, but WWE should get Michael Cole and co. acting lessons for voice work as their emotions are almost always off and it feels like they’re just going through the motions (kind of like in real life). Some wrestler designs for top stars look great, while others look wonky or just plain bad.

WWE 2K20 should perhaps risk a major overhaul to look like the best 2K19 has clearly shown it can be.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: There’s no denying that WWE 2K19 is good and can be a genuinely fun wrestling experience. However, for every thing good about it, the lingering issues of the franchise’s past hinders its potential at having the utmost polish in the series.