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WWE 2K16

WWE 2K16 is a true in-ring technician, and its feature set has taken a big step in the right direction.
60%Game Brain Score
gameplay, graphics
stability, music
63% User Score Based on 3,076 reviews
Critic Score 62%Based on 28 reviews

Platforms

PCPCPlaystation 4Playstation 4Playstation 5Playstation 5WindowsWindowsXbox OneXbox OneXbox Series X|SXbox Series X|SPlayStationPlayStationPlaystation 3Playstation 3XboxXboxXbox 360Xbox 360

About

"WWE 2K16" is a sport game that offers multiple play options, including 2-player, multi-player, co-op, and single-player modes. The game features an extensive roster of past, present, and future WWE Superstars and promises to deliver the most authentic and comprehensive WWE video game experience to date. Immerse yourself in the action-packed world of WWE and raise some hell.

WWE 2K16 screenshot
WWE 2K16 screenshot
WWE 2K16 screenshot
WWE 2K16 screenshot
WWE 2K16 screenshot
WWE 2K16 screenshot
WWE 2K16 screenshot
WWE 2K16 screenshot
WWE 2K16 screenshot
WWE 2K16 screenshot
WWE 2K16 screenshot
+9

63%
Audience ScoreBased on 3,104 reviews
gameplay109 positive mentions
stability169 negative mentions

  • The game features a large roster, including many legends and current superstars, providing a nostalgic experience for wrestling fans.
  • The character creation suite is extensive, allowing for detailed customization of wrestlers, including the ability to create female wrestlers.
  • The gameplay has improved with a more fluid combat system and the introduction of limited reversals, making matches feel more strategic.
  • The game suffers from frequent crashes and save file corruption, leading to loss of progress and frustration for players.
  • The submission and pinning systems are overly complicated and often frustrating, relying on quick-time events that can feel unresponsive.
  • The online multiplayer experience is lacking, with long wait times for matches and poor connectivity.
  • gameplay
    441 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of WWE 2K16 has received mixed reviews, with some praising its improved mechanics and strategic depth, particularly with the introduction of limited reversals and a more realistic pacing. However, many players criticize the game for its sluggish controls, frustrating mini-games, and a reversal system that feels overly reliant on luck. Overall, while there are notable improvements from previous installments, significant issues remain that hinder the overall enjoyment of the gameplay experience.

    • “First of all, the best part about this game is its flushed-out mechanics and minigames which work perfectly. The gameplay is so smooth that every match plays perfectly fine.”
    • “The gameplay is really good and is way better; they really improved it and it feels like 'Here Comes the Pain', fast and responsive.”
    • “This game is a huge step up from WWE 2K15; the action feels fluid and the gameplay feels more like the near unbeatable Fire Pro Wrestling series than an arcadey brawler like the old games.”
    • “The wrestling gameplay is also somewhat confused... a complex set of minigames representing the various chokeholds and wrestling moves gave me about as much of a headache as if I'd been given a piledriver.”
    • “The gameplay is horrible, the lag (even with a 4 gig video card) is horrid, the mini-games are extremely frustrating, and the targeting is so bad as to almost be unusable, especially with auto-targeting.”
    • “Gameplay is so choppy it's unbearable.”
  • graphics
    361 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics in WWE 2K16 receive mixed reviews, with many praising the stunning visuals and lifelike character models, particularly in entrances and arenas. However, some users report issues with optimization, leading to poor performance on lower-end systems, and note that certain character models appear outdated or inconsistent. Overall, while the graphics are generally considered good, they are seen as not significantly improved from previous installments, leaving room for further enhancement.

    • “The visuals are stunning, just as the entrances and arenas; all are very beautiful.”
    • “One point in the game's favor is that the graphics are very good and the character customizer is comprehensive far beyond my expectations.”
    • “The graphics are impressive and the customizability is great, and I also love how it comes with all DLC!”
    • “Poor animations, terrible graphics, terrible commentary, just not fun to play.”
    • “Graphics are no better than in the old games, and gameplay has only gone worse.”
    • “The graphics haven't been upgraded in several years and the created characters' faces have holes in them (especially around the mouth area, the inside of the wrestlers' mouths isn't connected to their lips).”
  • story
    218 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players praising the focus on Stone Cold Steve Austin's storyline and the return of season mode, while others criticize the lack of depth and variety in narratives compared to older wrestling games. Players have noted issues such as repetitive storylines, glitches that corrupt save data, and the absence of features like a story creator, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, some enjoy the career mode's progression and the ability to create rivalries, though they feel it lacks the engaging storytelling of past titles.

    • “I am loving the Stone Cold storyline and it's so good to see a wrestling game bring back season mode.”
    • “Being able to play through Stone Cold's story is awesome.”
    • “The 'story' mode is a complete career retrospective on Stone Cold Steve Austin and the gameplay is solid.”
    • “The save data corrupts if you progress too far in the story modes, and you have to restart all over again anyway, so there's no point trying to finish the game.”
    • “The my career mode was lacking any narrative, which I thought would be a huge draw card for wrestling, which is a sport that appears to be literally constructed around storytelling.”
    • “Just gets boring real fast and lacks any story whatsoever.”
  • stability
    175 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The stability of the game has been widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and crashes affecting gameplay. While some players find the glitches amusing and not game-breaking, many others express frustration over persistent issues that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game is described as a "buggy mess," with stability issues that have not been adequately addressed since its release.

    • “Awesome game with no glitches.”
    • “The gameplay is smooth and runs great on an AMD R9 380. My final verdict is a 9/10.”
    • “Awesome game with no glitches.”
    • “A buggy mess to say the least, ropes glitching out when climbing turnbuckles, your character spazzing out when you try to do ground grapples, a horrendous reversal system that boils down to 'if the R2 button shows up, it's already too late for you' and many more issues like that keeping the gameplay from actually being enjoyable.”
    • “Game is glitchy still to this day, problem with yearly sports game releases, developers stop trying to fix the issues and just release a new, yet still buggy, version the next year.”
    • “But good god, is it an unstable buggy mess.”
  • music
    156 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in WWE 2K16 has received mixed reviews, with many players praising the soundtrack for its variety but criticizing the lack of custom music options for entrances and created wrestlers. Users express frustration over the repetitive nature of the in-game tracks and the absence of features that were available in previous titles, such as the ability to import personal music. Overall, while the soundtrack is considered an improvement over its predecessor, the limitations on customization significantly detract from the experience for many fans.

    • “Best game in the WWE 2K series (besides 2K14), it has decent graphics, my favorite MyCareer mode so far, a godly soundtrack, and my favorite gameplay in the 2K series. This is what we needed after the garbage that was 2K15, and I hope we can get something like this with 2K21 or 22.”
    • “Amazing soundtrack.”
    • “The soundtrack is much better than 2K15, but it needs to have more songs.”
    • “You also can't use custom music during entrances; it would have been really cool to have my guy walk out to Megadeth or Slayer.”
    • “The jukebox is annoying, with only a few songs on it (by default), that just repeat over and over again. This can be fixed by allowing the jukebox to play superstars' songs, but I still hear repeats very often, especially as the songs that play are not the full songs; they only run for the time it takes for a superstar to perform an entrance.”
    • “Sadly, custom music still hasn't come back, which does hold this back from really shining as I feel that's the one thing that's necessary to make this basically perfect.”
  • optimization
    126 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting significant improvements over its predecessor, WWE 2K15, particularly in terms of smoother gameplay and better performance on higher-end systems. However, numerous users still report severe performance issues, including low frame rates and stuttering, especially on lower-end hardware, indicating that the game remains poorly optimized for a wide range of systems. Overall, while some players experience stable performance, others face frustrating optimization challenges that detract from the gaming experience.

    • “The creation suite is expanded and optimized, much better than last year.”
    • “Optimization for PC significantly improved over 2k15.”
    • “Much more optimization than the last one, and it feels much smoother.”
    • “Not to mention the game is extremely poorly optimized, so good luck playing this game.”
    • “This is by far the worst optimized game for PC ever!”
    • “This game is shit...worst optimization from 2k...so many FPS drops and online is not even playable.”
  • humor
    46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in WWE 2K16 is often derived from its bugs and glitches, which players find amusing rather than game-breaking, leading to unexpected moments of laughter. Many users appreciate the character customization options and the comedic potential they offer, although frustrations with gameplay mechanics and online lag are also noted. Overall, while the game has its flaws, it provides a humorous experience that can be enjoyed, especially in multiplayer settings with friends.

    • “WWE 2K16 is a funny masterpiece.”
    • “The bugs and glitches only add more fun to the game; they are not game-breaking and they are hilarious.”
    • “Far from perfect, but some glitches make for some of the best fits of belly laughing I have ever had.”
  • grinding
    32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being excessively tedious and repetitive, particularly in the career mode where players must complete numerous matches with frustrating objectives and AI reversals. Many reviewers express that the grind for experience points and character upgrades feels like a slog, often leading to boredom and frustration, with some suggesting that players should only engage if they genuinely enjoy wrestling and grinding. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a significant drawback that detracts from the enjoyment of the game.

    • “There are just so many matches to get through. I just finished the Stone Cold vs. Undertaker match at Summerslam 1998, and that is the 11th match out of a total of 25 matches. I am already at the point where I just want to get it over with, and that is not helped by the fact that most matches just come down to tediously completing an objective such as 'hit a stunner on this guy,' and the AI just keeps reversing it over and over, making it drag out the match for about 5-10 minutes until you can actually hit a stunner without having it reversed.”
    • “The career mode is built around grinding; even though this version comes with DLC to at least boost your character (albeit buried away in a menu - I wasted plenty of time before noticing it), it is still a painful slog through match after match against the same opponent, aggravated by the nonsense authority objectives, some of which are rendered impossible by circumstances out of your control.”
    • “The amounts of useless, redundant, boring grinding is embarrassing. Maxing out your created superstar should be challenging, not invoke suicidal thoughts.”
  • replayability
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game offers high replayability through its engaging offline modes, a lengthy story mode, and a robust creation suite, despite some limitations in the universe mode and career mode. Players appreciate the fun AI matches and the variety of playable characters, although some have experienced bugs affecting the career mode. While the game has room for improvement in content and customization, it remains enjoyable for repeated playthroughs.

    • “Lengthy story mode, and the special objectives add replay value.”
    • “+ fun gameplay with replayability values.”
    • “AI actually gives you a fun and entertaining match, the graphics are very pleasing to the eye, and the creation suite is almost back to its former glory, which adds to the game's replayability.”
    • “Universe mode remains pretty much unchanged, which is sad as it is one mode that gives the game replayability.”
    • “Lengthy story mode and the special objectives add replay value.”
    • “If you played WWE 2K15 on PC and thought that the game could use more content (like more customization, more in-depth MyCareer, more match types, more playable characters) and a bit more fluid movement and animations.”
  • emotional
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviews indicate that the emotional aspect of the game is lacking, with players criticizing the uninspired commentary and repetitive storylines that fail to engage or evoke feelings. The limited selection and functionality further detract from the overall emotional experience.

    • “Boring storylines that repeat over and over.”
    • “Boring storylines that repeat over and over.”
  • character development
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviewers praise the character development for its impressive design and depth, highlighting a control scheme that allows for strategic gameplay involving reversals and stamina management. The combination of these elements contributes to a rich and engaging experience for players.

    • “Combines a comparable control scheme with an almost fire pro-depth moveset, strategizing on your reversals and stamina, and creative character design.”
  • monetization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization strategy has been criticized as a blatant cash grab, with users feeling pressured to purchase newer versions of the game.

    • “This is just a cash grab trying to force people to buy the newer versions, no thank you.”
  • atmosphere
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its immersive qualities, creating a captivating environment that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the attention to detail and the mood set by the visuals and sound design, which contribute to a compelling and engaging world.

Buy WWE 2K16

21h Median play time
25h Average play time
9-29h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 24 analyzed playthroughs

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