WWE 2K20- Is it really worth it?

     Every year wrestling fans in North America anxiously anticipate the release of the new WWE video game. Myself, I have been a supporter and player of these games since the early 2000’s. Over the past two decades, the game has changed dramatically as the world of wrestling itself has evolved. More specifically, the role of Woman in sports gaming has become much more prominent since the new release of 2K20 this past week. If you are interested in hearing more about the differences between 2K19 and 2K20- sit down, relax, grab a cold one and read on!

MyCareer Mode

      Keeping consistent with last years addition of WWE gaming, this years release still has the MyCareer mode except with a slight change. In WWE 2K20 for the first time in history you can now select a Woman archetype as your character for MyCareer game play. This was highly requested by WWE fans worldwide and I was pleased to see that WWE finally incorporated woman into their gaming. In keeping with the trend, Showcase mode now features “Women’s Evolution” which is a documentary-style, objective based game play which replaced the rise and resurgence of Roman Reigns in the 2k19  game mode.

Quality and Control Changes

      When looking at the improvements in picture and audio quality there are minimal changes. Players have reported that the overall vibrancy of the colours has improved as well as small details such as tattoo’s are more vivid then ever before. However, the lighting in the ring in the new version is not as bright as 2K19 and this has bothered some players. 2K20 has also decreased the que time as well as made general improvements on fluidity through out the game. One major change in terms of the controls is that on 2K20 you must now double click for finishers and OMG moments. This is a small, but annoying change that avid gamers will have to adjust too. By adding another button to click for these special moves- this is also a step in wrong direction in terms of accessibility.

Archetypes

     There has been some major changes to the archetypes in the new edition of 2K20 as there are now
over 200 playable characters. In the past, a common trend among WWE gamers was that they felt there was not enough selection for their avatars. This is no longer an issue as WWE is adding legends such a Chyna and soon to be: Rob Van Dam, Icing Kong Bundy and NXT UK’s Walter. In the meantime, players can take advantage of the Creation Community which is a feature that allows you to upload your own logos and scan your face to create your own archetype.

So is it worth it?
If you are looking for a slightly improved version of 2k19 than 2K20 is for you. Although there are few dramatic changes, the new features such as the Women’s Evolution is attracting more players than in previous years. By expanding their gaming demographic I am hoping that this translates to increased numbers in viewers watching wrestling on a weekly basis.

WWE 2K20 FOUR HORSEWOMAN GAME PLAY

Wednesday Night War

             If you are a wrestling fan be prepared to clear your schedule for Wednesday evenings.  TNT’s All Elite Wrestling and WWE’s NXT have been battling for viewers the past fours week for the prime time spot. Wrestling fans are now forced to either pick between the two shows or switch back and forth between networks Last night was an exciting night for both shows as they were filled with great storylines and entertaining matches. It was definitely the most exciting night of the past four weeks of Wednesday Night Wars which is why I was surprised to see such a dramatic decline in views.

           Captivating new fans to tune in and remain watching seems to be an increasing problem in the world of wrestling. However there are some factors affecting this including the MLB World Series.  Last night 1.018 million viewers tuned in to AEW Dynamite compared to the previous week of 1.4 millions viewers. 878,000 of these viewers fall in the 18-49 years old demographic which is the most popular audience for wrestling. (I can speak to this as I fall in this category). Many people believe that the ‘Golden Era’ of Wrestling has come and gone but I think that we are on the cusp of another golden age that is only possible with the support of true wrestling fans.


         Dynamite had  an agreement with TNT that if the Cardinals and Braves played past 8:30pm in last nights’ National League Division Series game then AEW programming would be moved to TruTV. This was the case last night and I believe that this could have contributed to the decline in viewers. On the other hand, WWE’s NXT had 790,000 viewers last night with 414,000 of them falling in the 18-49 years catergory. They also faced a decline since last week where 891,000 viewers tuned in. Another reason that could have led to the downturn of  views could be the ‘casual viewers’ who were flipping through the channels browsing for something to watch. It is possible that new fans landed on either event and continued browsing or selected other sporting events.


At the end of the day true wrestling fans should always tune in regardless of other sporting events- this is the only way to enter the new ‘Golden Era’ of wrestling.