There is no getting away from the controversy that is the launch of WWE 2K20. Most of this controversy has been quite right aimed at the horrendous bugs and glitches that are still currently plaguing the game.
The developers at 2K have released a statement in regard to the issues that in their words “some players may be experiencing” but it is quite obvious at this stage that EVERYONE that purchased a copy of WWE 2K20 has experienced something wrong with the game.
Unfortunately, the problems with WWE 2K20 don’t stop at the game's bugs but it is lacking in features and game modes and creation options too. It could lead some players to wonder that after Yukes' departure if the new developers at the helm Visual Concepts have been trying rework old code especially when one considers the downgrade in visuals. Let's take a look at ten missing features and options in WWE 2K20 that were in WWE 2K19 that players may not have noticed yet.
10 The Preset Moves List
In WWE 2K19 one of the most popular features for a create a wrestler was the list of preset wrestler moves for characters that weren’t in the game. The list contained ready-made move lists for characters that are in other wrestling promotions like Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, Pac, and Cody Rhodes.
In addition, there were preset moves for Legends not included on the roster like Rob Van Dam, Terry Funk, Scott Steiner, King Kong Bundy, and more. The total lack of Legends wrestlers in this year’s entry makes the removal of the preset moves lists a total washout for fans of the series' creation suite.
9 Switching Tag Team Partners
Playing tag matches as a single-player is at its most fun when the player has complete control over their team members. In WWE 2K19 players are able to seamlessly switch between the legal man or woman in the ring or the partner waiting on the apron.
This creates several opportunities to attack managers or even interfere with the action that is going on in the ring. Unfortunately, this feature was removed from WWE 2K20 and instead players are forced to manually switch between characters from the pause menu. This isn't game-breaking but it is disruptive to the action.
8 Create A Championship
The Create a Championship mode is a great feature for those that love to recreate championship belts from other promotions like Ring of Honor, All Elite Wrestling, and the IWGP. Creators have built incredibly accurate versions of these titles in WWE 2K19 and it is painfully absent in this year’s entry.
The developers at 2K have already confirmed that the create a championship mode will eventually get patched in. However, there is no timescale given and considering how broken WWE 2K20 is at this point one has to assume that Visual Concepts have their work cut out working on the upcoming patch.
7 Removal Of Attire Straps
An interesting and realistic feature that was available in WWE 2K19 was that certain wrestlers were able to remove their straps mid-match. During matches, wrestlers like Big E, Kurt Angle, The Undertaker, and The Big Show would often remove their straps before they'd hit their finishing move.
Unfortunately, Visual Concepts seem to have removed the remove straps animation from the game entirely. While it isn’t hugely important from a gameplay perspective the world of professional wrestling is about escapism for its fans and the games are another outlet for that, so removing realistic animations that add to the escapism make very little sense.
6 The Blood Effects
One of the most disappointing aspects of WWE 2K19 is the reduced blood effects in the game. Last year gamers were able to recreate bloody and violent matches that replicated the beloved Attitude Era instead of the current PG era that fans of the WWE are enduring now.
However, this effect has been reduced to a trickle that bleeds very gradually if at all. There is a bug that seems to be effecting wrestlers where the blood doesn’t show up at all so there’s hope that a fix may have some effect in the future to address this.
5 Face Paint Damage
Any fan of wrestling will remember the likes of Sting, The Ultimate Warrior, The Legion of Doom, and Demolition and their iconic face paint. It was meant to be looked at like some kind of warpaint but it also added a sense of mystery to the characters in a similar way to masks.
Fans will also remember that during the long hard fought matches the face paint would start to wear off. Surprisingly, this was a feature that was added the last two entries in the series and provided some great attention to detail that was never before seen in a wrestling game. However, this was another feature that has been completely removed in WWE 2K20, one can only hope that it was an oversight at launch and that it will get patched in at a later date.
4 Dusty Rhodes Classic Cutscenes
The Dusty Rhodes Classic is a tag team tournament mode that was included in WWE 2K19. The mode is a nod the annual NXT tag team event that is aired on the WWE Network. The event took inspiration from Dusty Rhodes-created Crockett Cup tournaments of the 1980s.
While the tournament mode is still included in WWE 2K20 the final cutscene for winning the tournament that shows the wrestlers celebrating and getting congratulated by Triple H. It’s not a huge omission but the removal of a winning animation as a reward will definitely be missed by fans.
3 Change Face Paint Color
The WWE 2K games don’t give its players a lot of options when it comes to editing the main roster of superstars. While it is possible to change their attire and ring during entrances and matches the game is very limited when it comes to changing anything else.
It did, however, allow gamers to get creative when it came to the wrestlers that had painted faces. It was possible to completely change the color of Sting or The Ultimate Warrior’s paint which was realistic because these superstars often changed the design of their paint. Unfortunately, changing face color is a feature that has been completely removed from WWE 2K20.
2 Universe Cel-Shaded Matches
Thankfully, most of the features in WWE 2K20’s Universe Mode have remained intact from last year’s entry. Some of the menus are like editing championships for new shows aren’t quite as clear but some tinkering players should be able to get used to it.
However, there is one missing feature from the Create a Show for Universe mode that is absent from this year’s entry and that is the Cell Shading option under the Screen Filter option. It’s possible that it was removed because due to not being under-utilized but other filters like 8-Bit and Bad VHS remained.
1 Custom Side Plates
The Custom Side Plates tools in previous WWE 2K games have allowed gamers to give title belts a bit more of a personal touch. This is especially useful for gamers that love to edit and customize every last detail when it comes to picking and choosing their champions in The Universe mode.
Sadly, along with Create a Championship, the option to customize side plates on the belts have been completely removed from the WWE 2K20. It is not clear if this will be addressed in the same update that will add the Create a Championship mode at a later date, but fans of the series remain hopeful.