Wrestling games are good again. In 2019, the 2K series hit its lowest point with the release of the incredibly buggy WWE 2K20 - a game the series itself mocks. After that, the series took a year off and came back with the much-improved WWE 2K22.
That wasn't the end of 2K's upward trajectory, though, as WWE 2K23 is even better than the 2022 game. In fact, it's the best WWE game the series has produced in some time. Yet, nothing is perfect, and there are still some improvements that could've been made. Here are some of the most notable ones.
8 Extra Weapon Options
There are several match types in WWE 2K23 that either allow or encourage you to use weapons on your opponents. You may get them out from under the ring, or if you're backstage, they may just be lying around. Sadly, though, there aren't a lot of different ones.
Overall, there are about ten of them if you include the steel steps. And they're mostly the standard ones you expect to see, such as chairs, kendo sticks, and tables. In the older games, you used to be able to use all sorts of crazy things as weapons, especially when you were backstage. It would be cool to see that again.
7 Checkpoints In Showcase Mode
2K23's showcase mode sees you face off against John Cena as some of his biggest rivals. As is always the case in showcase mode, you have several objectives to complete in each match. While there is no time limit, you do have to avoid defeat.
This is easier said than done, as Cena is an incredibly tough opponent. Thus, it's easy to end up on the wrong side of an Attitude Adjustment and pinfall. Once that happens, you have to restart the match all over again. It's a pain since the matches can take significant time and effort. A few checkpoints sprinkled throughout would lessen this issue and improve the mode.
6 Make Every Person In The Game Playable
WWE 2K23 has a large roster that includes most people wrestling for WWE today. Yet, they aren't the only WWE employees in the game. There are also managers, commentators, and interviewers. As their models are already in WWE 2K23, it would be nice if they were also playable - without the need for mods or help from community creators.
It's understandable why somebody like Kayla Braxton isn't playable, as she's never been a wrestler. But the likes of Corey Graves, Adam Pearce, and Scarlett Bordeaux have plenty of wrestling experience. So, they wouldn't be the weirdest playable characters in the series' history.
5 Improve Lip Syncing And Facial Animation In MyRise
MyRise is a very enjoyable career mode that has some compelling storylines. One issue it has at times, though, comes during conversations. The lip-syncing isn't always great. It isn't bad to a degree where someone is still talking when their mouth is already shut - It's just a little off.
What perhaps makes it worse is that the mouth animations already look a bit strange, as people seem to open up their mouths way too widely when talking. These are admittedly not game-ruining issues, but they do distract from the story, which hurts the overall experience.
4 Additional Backstage Areas
The act of fighting backstage in WWE games has changed a lot over the years. WWE 2K23 provides a similar open area to the one in WWE 2K22. It's a good battleground with plenty of interactive elements. Yet, it would be better if there were more places to go.
It's essentially one big room with an adjacent parking lot. Being able to also fight in the locker rooms or other locations, like in some of the previous titles, would be nice. It certainly would make backstage brawls feel a bit less samey all the time.
3 Inclusion Of Intergender Wrestling
Intergender wrestling has always been a controversial subject in the world of professional wrestling. Major companies like WWE generally see men and women fighting one another as taboo, so they don't allow it. But that doesn't mean it needs to be banned from the games, too.
Nobody has an issue with Chun-Li fighting Ryu in Street Fighter, so why should virtual wrestlers be treated any differently? They didn't use to be, as intergender wrestling was something you used to be able to do in the WWE games. It would be nice to see that return since it would instantly give you so many different match combinations.
2 More Match Types
One of the biggest new features in WWE 2K23 is the War Games match. It's a welcome addition to the series' collection of match types. Yet, the said collection still has some omissions.
For example, match types such as I Quit and Special Referee still haven't returned to the games, despite still featuring on actual WWE shows. Their inclusion would be appreciated as they could be fun to play and add a bit more variety to the game. NXT's new Iron Survivor Challenge match would also be a good addition.
1 More Female Legends
WWE 2K23 continues the series tradition of including a bunch of wrestling legends. Unfortunately, it also continues the tradition of not including many female legends. In fairness, there are more of them than usual. Still, though, the men heavily outnumber the women in this area.
Admittedly, WWE has been primarily male-focused throughout most of its history, so you would expect them to have a few more legends. But it still feels like the women's side of the roster deserves more. After all, the likes of Michelle McCool, Torrie Wilson, and Alundra Blayze, just to name a few, would be welcome additions to the roster. Of course, the women and WWE would have to agree to their inclusion, but that shouldn't be an issue in a lot of cases.