Deep Fear

Among the many quality horror titles lost to history, Sega’s Deep Fear definitely warrants a mention. Despite Resident Evil still being at the height of its popularity, Deep Fear’s tale of ex-Navy SEAL John Mayor as he investigates The Sea Fox submarine and Big Table facility for mysterious parasites still earned praise.

With excellent sound design and music, the latter composed by Kenji Kawai of The Ring fame, what could possibly kill the horror mood? The voice acting, unfortunately. It comes across as monotone at times and downright corny at others, marring the dialogue and any sense of tension. Plus the less said about DuBois Amalric, the designer of The Sea Fox and Big Table, the better.

With the removal of the older WWE 2K games, the only WWE games available on Steam right now is this year’s release, WWE 2K22, along with WWE 2K Battlegrounds.

The removal of these games is likely related to 2K’s licensing agreements with WWE. With the professional wrestling company going through massive roster overhauls on an almost-yearly basis, it is likely that several of the de-listed games’ roster members are no longer covered under the licensing agreements between 2K and WWE.

WWE 2K22 has been the most well-liked game in the franchise for a while now, and for more details, you can check out our review where we gave the game a score of 8 out of 10. The game is currently going through its post-release cycle with regular DLC releases and game updates.

Following news about digital sales for Treyarch’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 and the drop in physical sales for the UK, it’s interesting to see Gfk Chart-Track’s sales chart for the week ending October 13th. Even with lower physical sales than its predecessor Call of Duty: WW2, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 still managed to debut in first place before the week closed.

FIFA 19 is in second place, while Assassin’s Creed Odyssey dropped to third, the former seeing a 54 percent week-on-week drop in sales. WWE 2K19 also made its debut in the charts at a respectable fourth place. However, it also suffered a 37.5 percent year-on-year drop in physical sales compared to its predecessor.

Forza Horizon 4, which was celebrated recently as the fastest selling title in the UK for the franchise, dropped to fifth place. Sales were down 67 percent week-on-week. Spider-Man is in sixth place followed by Super Mario Party dropping to seventh place with a 45 percent drop in sales. Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe rounded out the top ten.

The only other new debut title was The World Ends With You: Final Remix for the Nintendo Switch. It came in at 21st place.

WWE 2K19 is now out, and features a bunch of great wrestling action for fans of the sport to enjoy at home. Whether it’s the authenticity involved in recreating fighters and events, past and present, in the game, or just the sheer amount of unlockables in the game, few, if any, players will come away disappointed. In this guide, we deal with some of the unlockables in the game.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND TROPHIES

All Trophies Earned
Earn all trophies.

I get knocked down…
Use Payback Instant Recovery to quickly rise after being knocked down. (PLAY mode against A.I.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi9rtKQjFzE

I got the Poison…
Use Payback Spray Poison Mist to your opponent’s face. (PLAY mode against A.I.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dngh6RBIR5c

I’ll be there for you!
Activate the Run-In Payback. (PLAY mode against A.I.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKSpIdmKQFk

What a Beast!
Max out your grapple speed using Beast Mode. (MyPLAYER mode against A.I.)

Outta Nowhere
Hit your Finisher immediately after activating Blackout Payback. (PLAY mode against A.I.)

No Tanks!
Use the Tank buff to minimize damage from your opponent’s Finisher. (PLAY mode against A.I.)

Let me help you
Use 3 Payback auto-reversals in a single match. (PLAY mode against A.I.)

Ding!
Use Payback low blow to slow your opponent down. (PLAY mode against A.I.)

Playing Possum
Finish your opponent using a possum pin. (PLAY mode against A.I.)

Knockout Blow
Deliver a maxed out Charged Fury strike. (MyPLAYER mode against A.I.)

Imposter
Defeat your opponent with their own Finisher. (PLAY mode against A.I.)

Resilient Indeed
Use Resiliency twice with a single Superstar in Royal Rumble. (PLAY mode against A.I.)

Overcharged
Earn 100 momentum in a single Electrifying charge. (MyPLAYER mode against A.I.)

Think outside the box
Put your opponent through the cell wall. (PLAY mode against A.I.)

Never look back
Steel Cage: Escape through the door. (PLAY mode against A.I.)

Not al dente!
Steel Cage: Slam the opponent against the cage with Hammer Throw. (PLAY mode against A.I.)

Cage Renovation
As Braun Strowman, slam Big Show through the Steel Cage wall. (PLAY mode against A.I.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJsdpUL2PfU

Cage Top Drop
Steel Cage: Push off an opponent from atop the Cage. (PLAY mode against A.I.)

It’s a long way down
Steel Cage: Hit an opponent with a Diving attack from atop the Cage. (PLAY mode against A.I.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZkhVbrfrvM

Over but not out
Steel Cage: Slam an opponent against the Cage wall using Carry. (PLAY mode against A.I.)

Cash Me Out
Win a Title by cashing in your custom MITB. (PLAY mode against A.I.)

First step
SHOWCASE: Clear the first match.

YES! YES! YES!
SHOWCASE: Clear all matches.

Stepping Stone
2K TOWERS: Complete one Tower.

Being part of The Undisputed ERA
Win a match as Kyle O’Reilly. (PLAY mode against A.I.)

One down!
MyPLAYER TOWERS: Complete one Tower.

Million Dollar Dominance
Clear AJ Styles’ Tower.

Superstar
MyPLAYER: Reach Prestige Rank 2.

Specialist
MyPLAYER: Unlock your first Sub-Style.

Charging Up
MyPLAYER: Spend your first Overcharge Point.

Big Draw
ROAD TO GLORY: Win 50 matches.

Star Power
ROAD TO GLORY: Win 10 matches.

Pressure Cooker
ROAD TO GLORY: Win a PPV event.

BCW’S BEST
MyCAREER: Clear Chapter 1.

This is my house now
MyCAREER: Clear Chapter 4.

Followed the Buzzards
MyCAREER: Clear Chapter 10.

SNICKERS. Hunger to Win > Hunger
WWE UNIVERSE: Play and win 50 matches.

The more you know
Unlock 80% of Tutorial Archives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-wbY5OiIjk

Jet Set member
Perform and win a match with CEL SHADING enabled. (PLAY mode against A.I.)

New Superstars on the Block
Win a match using a custom Superstar with Block Body. (PLAY mode against A.I.)

I blew it!
Get DQed by using Payback Power of the Punch in a title match. (PLAY mode against A.I.)

He’s 100
Win a match as Andrade “Cien” Almas. (PLAY mode against A.I.)

Bruiserweight
Win a match as Pete Dunne. (PLAY mode against A.I.)

Bay Bay
Win a match as Adam Cole. (PLAY mode against A.I.)

All of this for a new van!
MyCAREER: Clear Chapter 14.

CHEATS

Please use the following cheats at your own discretion. Using cheats online or offline may lead to an immediate ban. GamingBolt or its staff members are not responsible for any problems arising due to their use.

If you are playing on PC, you can find the cheats by watching this video here: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHufGTghRWs). This will give you access to Max Style Points, Max Tokens, Max Cash and more.

UNLOCKABLES

Championship Titles

All of these cost 300 VC

• WWE Undisputed Championship
• WWE Heavyweight Championship (Smoking Skull)
• WWE Tag Team Championship ’02-’10
• WWE Divas Championship
• WWE European Championship
• ECW World Heavyweight Championship ’94-’01
• World Tag Team Championship ’02-’10
• Million Dollar Championship
• WCW World Heavyweight Championship ’88
• NXT Tag Team Championship ’13-’17
• WWE Intercontinental Championship ’90
• Hardcore Championship
• WWE Cruiserweight Championship ’91-’07
• WWE Championship ’05-’13
• WCW World Tag Team Championship
• WWE Championship ’88-’98
• NXT Women’s Championship ’13-’17
• WCW World Heavyweight Championship ’91-’93
• ECW Championship ’08-’10
• WWE Intercontinental Championship ’98-’11
• WWE Intercontinental Championship ’94
• ECW World Tag Team Championship 300 VC
• WCW United States Championship
• WWE Women’s Championship ’98-’10
• WCW World Tag Team Championship ’91-’96
• World Tag Team Championship ’97-’02
• WCW World Heavyweight Championship (nWo)
• NXT Championship ’12-’17
• WWE United States Championship (Cena)
• WCW Hardcore Championship
• ECW Heavyweight Championship ’06-’08
• WWE Championship ’98-’02
• WCW Cruiserweight Championship

Arenas

These all cost 1,000 VC

• SummerSlam ’88
• WCW Monday Nitro ’98
• WrestleMania 33
• WCW Halloween Havoc ’98
•  Raw Is War ’98
• SmackDown ’00

Characters

• Bobby Heenan (Manager): 1000
• Jim Neidhart: 2000
• Papa Shango: 2000
• Big Boss Man: 2000
• Mr. McMahon: 2000
• Dusty Rhodes: 3000
• Rick Martel: 3000
• Razor Ramon: 3000
• Ivory: 3000
• Diesel: 3000
• Mr. Perfect: 3000
• DDP: 3000
• Rikishi: 3000
• Lex Luger: 3000
• Kevin Nash: 3000
• Kane ’98: 3000
• Bam Bamv Bigelow: 3000
• André The Giant: 3000
• Jake “The Snake” Roberts: 3000
• Vader: 3000
• Sycho Sid: 3000
• Tatanka: 3000
• Alundra Blayze: 3000
• Ravishing Rick Rude: 3000
• Jacqueline: 3000
• Razor Ramon: 3000
• Stephanie McMahon: 3000
• Scott Hall: 3000
• Lita: 5000
• King Booker: 5000
• Triple H ’01: 5000
• Sting ’99: 5000
• Edge: 5000
• Kurt Angle ’06: 5000
• Undertaker: 5000
• Ric Flair ’98: 5000
• Batista ’10: 5000
• Sting: 5000
• Eddie Guerrero: 5000
• Robert Gibson: 5000
• The Rock: 5000
• Beth Phoenix: 5000
• Ricky Morton: 5000
• Ted DiBiase: 5000
• Ricky Steamboat ’94: 5000
• Sting ’91: 5000
• Bret “Hitman” Hart: 5000
• Ric Flair ’91: 5000
• Trish Stratus: 5000
• Ultimate Warrior: 5000
• Shawn Michaels ’97: 5000
• Shawn Michaels ’05: 5000
• Sting ’98: 5000
• Kurt Angle ’01: 5000
• The Rock ’01: 5000
• Steve Austin: 6000
• Goldberg (2004 & 1998 Attires): 8000
• Undertaker ’91 (1991 & 1999 Attires): 8000

“THE RETURN OF DANIEL BRYAN” 2K SHOWCASE CONFIRMED MATCHES SO FAR

The following matches are confirmed so far:

1. Daniel Bryan vs John Cena: WWE Velocity – February 8, 2003
2. Daniel Bryan & Bray Wyatt vs The Usos – Tag Team Steel Cage Match: WWE Raw – January 13, 2014
3. Daniel Bryan vs Triple H: WrestleMania XXX – April 6, 2014
4. Daniel Bryan vs Randy Orton vs Batista – WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match: WrestleMania XXX – April 6, 2014
5. Daniel Bryan vs Kane – WWE World Heavyweight Championship Extreme Rules Match – May 4, 2014
6. Secret Match: Daniel Bryan vs Bryan Danielson
7. Daniel Bryan vs Chris Jericho: WWE NXT – February 23, 2010
8. Daniel Bryan vs John Cena – WWE SummerSlam 2013 – August 18, 2013
9. Daniel Bryan vs The Miz – United States Championship Match: WWE Night of Champions 2010 – September 19, 2010
10. Daniel Bryan & Kane vs Kofi Kingston & R-Truth – WWE Tag Team Championship Match – September 16, 2012
11. Daniel Bryan vs Randy Orton – Street Fight Match: WWE Raw – June 24, 2013

WWE 2K19 is out now. 2K Sports’ newest entry in their annual wrestling game franchise seeks to bring all the wrestling action to your living room, which means authentically recreating arenas, fighting styles, fighters, and skills. There’s actually a whole lot of those in this game—in this guide, we look at the arenas, fighting styles, and skills present in the game, as well as at the Towers Mode. Strap in.

ARENAS

Classic Arenas

• Velocity 2003
• Raw is War 1998
• SmackDown! 2000
• NXT 2010
• RAW 2013/14
• WWE Extreme Rules 2014
• WCW Nitro 1998
• WWF Superslam 1988
• WCW/nWo Halloween Havoc 1998
• WWE Night of Champions 2010
• WWE SummerSlam 2013
• WWE Wrestlemania XXX
• WWE Wrestlemania 33

Indie Arenas

• High School Parking Lot
• Japan Dome
• Mexico Plaza
• Metropolitan Center
• High School Gym
• Japan Hall

WWE Shows Arenas

• 205 Live 2018
• SmackDown Live 2018
• Main Event 2018
• NXT 2018
• RAW 2018

Special Events and Pay Per View Arenas

• WWE Royal Rumble 2018
• WWE Hell in a Cell 2017
• WWE Extreme Rules 2017
• WWE Mae Young Classic
• WWE SummerSlam 2017
• WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs 2017
• NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III
• WWE Clash of Champions 2017
• WWE Survivor Series 2017
• NXT TakeOver: Chicago II
• NXT TakeOver: New Orleans
• WWE Money in the Bank 2018
• WWE Fastlane 2018
• WWE Royal Rumble 2018
• WWE Elimination Chamber 2018
• NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia
• WWE Backlash 2018

Backstage Arenas

• Wyatt Compound
• WWE Backstage Area

FIGHTING STYLES

The MyCareer Mode in WWE 2K19 offers multiple fighting styles for your MyPlayer. There are five core fighting styles for you to choose from, each of which further divides into two sub-styles (which you can think of as a kind of specialization). There’s no real best or worst fighting style—in the end, it comes down to what kind of playstyle suits you the best. With that in mind, here we go:

• Powerhouse: As the name suggests, they unleash devastating strikes and power moves. They have high Power and Grappling. The two sub-styles are Beast (grapple style and damage recovery), and Hero (Reversal Offense and Strike Speed)
• Cruiser: Quick and agile, and nimble on their feet, they have great Speed and Agility (and yes, those are two separate attributes for some reason). The two sub-styles are Technician Cruiser (Grapples and Submissions), and Luchador (aerial combat)
• Technician: Relying on, well, technique to outlast their opponents in a game of attrition, their strengths are Technique and Grappling. The two sub-classes are UK Strong Style (Arm Power and Environmental Offense) and Shooter (Submission and Stamina)
• Striker: Strikers hit harder than any other style in the game, even more than Powerhouse. They specialize in Striking (duh) and Stamina, and have two sub-classes: Brawler (movement, and combat outside of the ring) and Strong Style (Leg Power and Durability)
• Giant: Using Power and Toughness, this style helps you dominate on the basis of your sheer power. Your two sub-styles are Monster (Durability and Power) and Big Man (Agility and Aerial Offense)

MOVES AND SKILLS

QUICK EDIT FIGHTING STYLES

These are available in Quick Edit, and are based on existing fighter movesets, and fall under the fighting styles.

Aerial

• Sonjay Dutt
• Evan Bourne / Matt Sydal
• Jeff Hardy
• RVD (Rob Van Dam)

Giant

• The Great Khali
• Tensai
• Andre The Giant
• King Kong Bundy

Brawler

• Dana Brooke
• Johnny Gargano
• Terry Funk
• J.T.G.

Striker

• Mike Tyson
• Yoshi Tatsu
• Shinsuke Nakamura
• Chris Hero

Technician

• AJ Styles
• Trent Barretta
• Colt Combana
• Konnan
  

PRESET MOVE SETS

Preset move sets are already existing move sets available to you, based entirely on existing fighters:

• Charm City: Rich Swann
• The Suplex Machine: Tazz
• World Class Legend I: Kerry Von Erich
• The Cruiser King: Neville
• World Class Legend II: Kevin Von Erich
• Bucking Trends: The Young Bucks
• Backbreaker Specialist: Roderick Strong
• ECW Legend: Rob Van Dam
• Kiss The Ring: Cody Rhodes
• The Shoot Fighter: Katsuyori Shibata
• American Dragon: Bryan Danielson
• World’s Strongest: Mark Henry
• Evolution Leader: Emma
• The Man With A Plan: Brian Kendrick

BASIC MOVES

• Leverage Pin: Surprise leverage pin
• Hammer Throw: Throws opponent over the rope
• Fired Up: Store three finishers
• Top Rope Diver: Does exactly what the name suggests it does
• Combo Striker: Let’s you pull a four strike combo
• Ring Escape: Again, exactly what the name suggests. Uses up one Reversal stock
• Springboard Diver: Pull of springboard attacks

SPECIAL ACTION

• Chair Throw: Throw a chair at your opponent. Seriously, what did you think it did?
• Ring Toss Out: Lets you throw your opponent out. They aren’t very imaginative with these names, are they?
• Remove the Turnbucke: Does exactly what it says it does, with the result being that you can now inflict more damage thanks to the exposed iron
• Running Corner Attack: Slam your opponent with full speed into the corner
• Comeback: This action can only be performed once.

SPECIAL MATCH ACTION

• Semi-Trailer Finisher: This action requires 1 Finisher stored.
• Royal Rumble Finisher: This action requires 1 Finisher stored.
• Nosebleed Daredevil: This action requires Top Rope Diver skill.
• Ladder Daredevil: This action requires Top Rope Diver skill.
• Table Finisher: This action requires 1 Finisher stored.

TOWERS MODE

The Towers mode is likely to be an attraction for many WWE fans. It basically puts you against WWE Superstars and Legends in a series of matches, one after the other. Each match has a unique theme, and a special victory condition.

You can play the Towers Mode in two ways:

• Steps: You can save after every game, and obviously pick back up from your previous victory if you do lose
• Gauntlet: Play it in one go. You can’t save your progress, and if you die, it’s back to square one.

Now for the Towers:

2K Towers

• AJ Styles Million Dollar Tower: Featuring 15 matches, with no health regeneration between the games, and your final game being against Styles himself. This is a Gauntlet Tower, and played on Legend difficulty.
• The Dark Side: A Gauntlet style tower that has you take on 6 matches on Normal Mode, culminating in a bout with The Undertaker
• No Way: A Steps style tower on Easy, with 5 matches (the finale being against No Way Jose)
• The Style Profile: Another Gauntlet, on Normal difficulty, with 6 matches culminating in a showdown against Ric Flair ‘91
• Tour of WWE: A Hard Steps style Tower, with 12 matches, and the final one against Braun Strowman
• Dastardly Dudes: A Gauntlet style hard Tower, with the final fight against Mr. McMahon, and 9 matches leading to it
• Women’s Revolution: Take on Tris Stratus at the end of a 13 series Steps style Tower on Hard difficulty
• Women’s Revolution 2: Asoka is the final opponent at the end of this 14 match long Steps style Tower on Legend difficulty
• Women’s Revolution 3: Gauntlet style Hard Tower, with 9 matches and Kairi Sane as the final boss
• UK TakeOver: Easy Gauntlet style tower with 5 matches culminating in a showdown with British Bulldog
• RAW 2018 Shakeup: Jinder Mahal is your final foe in this Normal difficulty Steps style Tower comprised of 6 matches
• Monsters: 13 matches, Vader as the final opponent, Hard difficulty. Oh, and it’s Gauntlet
• Fandango Tango: 5 Easy matches in a Gauntlet Tower to do the tango with Fandango at the end
• Lita’s Way: Lisa is the final opponent. It’s a 6 match long Normal difficulty Gauntlet Tower
• Sweet Chin Music: Shawn Michaels ‘97 is your final quarry in this Steps style Normal difficulty 6 match long Tower
• Legends: The People’s Tower: Take on The Rock in this Hard Steps style Tower that is 15 matches long
• Legends: Randy’s Savages: Macho Man Randy Savage is your ultimate goal in this 15 match long Hard Steps style tower
• Legends: Andre’s Ascent: 14 matches long, Andre the Giant is the final boss, Normal, Steps style Tower
• Legends: Jericho’s List: 14 matches long, Chris Jericho ‘00 is the final boss, Normal, Steps style Tower

MyPlayer Towers

• Champions of NXT: Steps style Tower on Legend difficulty, taking on Seth Rollins at the end of the 12 match long series
• 2 out of 3 Falls: Gauntlet style Hard Tower with 7 matches, and Daniel Bryan waiting for you at the end
• NXT Up: Aleister Black awaits you at the end of this 5 match long Normal difficulty Steps Tower
• 205 Live: Steps style, Easy difficulty, 3 matches, Noam Dar as the final foe
• Rising Stars: Steps style, Easy ficculty, 3 matches, TJP as the final foe
• Luchadores: Kalisto is the final boss at the end of this 3 match long Easy Steps Tower
• Cruiserweight Champs 17-18: This is an Easy Gauntlet Tower, with 3 matches, and Cedric Alexander at the end
• Champions of RAW 16-18: Brock Leonard awaits at the end of this Legend difficulty Steps tower with 8 matches
• Champions of SmackDown Live 16-18: AJ Styles (yes, him again) is going to make your life miserable at the end of this Hard 11 match Steps Tower
• Intercontinental Champs 15-16: Daniel Bryan at the end of this Normal Steps style Tower with 6 matches
• Undisputed New Day: Kaori Kingston is your final boss at the end of this Normal difficulty Gauntlet with 6 matches
• Air Attack: This features Eddie Guerrero at the end of a 15 match Hard Steps style ordeal
• Heavy Hitters: Normal difficulty, Gauntlet, Samoa Joe, 6 matches. Good luck

INVEST IN STAMINA

Your superstar’s stamina is one of the most important stats in the entire game, and can make or break a fight very easily. As you create your player and start investing points in the skill tree, one of the things you should focus on first and foremost is the stamina. This includes both the base stamina itself, as well as stamina regeneration.

SAVE YOUR STAMINA

But of course, simply increasing your stamina isn’t quite going to cut it. You should always keep an eye on the gauge and make sure you’re pacing yourself. Lower stamina leaves you slower and sluggish, and more vulnerable to attacks and reversals, so you should always be mindful of how much of it you have left. Don’t spam attacks constantly, and don’t trigger moves unnecessarily when you don’t need to.

INVEST IN REVERSALS

Reversals are also key in fights. These can save your skin in tough situations, such as when you’re dangerously low on stamina, or you find yourselves in the crosshairs for a deadly finisher. As such, investing in reversals early on is also a smart move, and comes heavily recommended.

USE REVERSALS SMARTLY

Of course, if you’ve been playing WWE games for a while, you know that reversals aren’t an unlimited resource. You get a limited number of reversals, so overusing these for every attack from your opponents isn’t a smart move. If you find yourself low on reversals, saving these for when your opponent might be gearing up to unleash a finisher is probably a good idea. Sometimes it’s smarter to take smaller hits to save yourself from the big one.

KEEP AN EYE ON OPPONENTS’ REVERSALS

Your opponents, too, have the ability to use reversals, of course. As such, you should keep an eye out on how many of these they have left in their bag. If you’re getting ready to unleash a finisher or a special move, you might want to save them for when your opponent can’t reverse them. Of course, they’re not 100 per cent successful with each of their reversal attempts, just as you aren’t, but it’s better not to risk it.

PAYBACK ABILITIES

Payback is a new mechanic in WWE 2K19, and it can be very useful indeed in certain situations. From granting instant finishers to dealing deadly attacks, if used correctly, Payback can come in very handy during fights. However, similar to reversals, most payback moves are limited, and as such, it’s a good idea to save them for when you might really need them. In situations where you might be taking a severe beating, a well-timed payback move can actually turn the tide in your favour.

DON’T SPAM PINNING

This one is more common sense than anything else- pinning is something that you’re obviously looking to do to finish and win a fight. However, failed pinning attempts can give your opponents significant boosts in momentum, so don’t go in for the pin until you’re completely sure that it’s going to work. If one of your pinning attempts fails, it’s a good idea to hold off on it for some time, until such time you’re confident that the next one will be successful.

USE CROWD TAUNTS

Taunts can be particularly useful in WWE 2K19. Rather than just being showy moves, these actually provide some bonuses. Crowd taunts can give you a boost in momentum, while the wake-up taunt can force your opponent to stand up all groggy and vulnerable for a finisher. As such, using taunts in the middle of fights is not only fun, but can also prove to be rather handy in certain situations.

RING ESCAPES

Ring escapes are quite useful too, as anyone who’s played even a bit of WWE games will tell you, but you should be careful about overusing these. Ring escapes use up a reversal slot, which, as we’ve discussed, are quite valuable. As such, you shouldn’t escape the ring whenever the opportunity presents itself, and should instead save it as a last resort for when you really, really need it.

OUTSIDE THE RING

Combat outside the ring is integral to a large variety of fights in all WWE games, and their important should not be ignored. Not only do your attacks hit harder and deal more damage when you’re outside the ring, the area also presents itself as a good opportunity for you to take a breather every now and then and get away from your opponents, should the need to do so ever arise.

The biggest addition in WWE 2K19 has to be the Showcase Mode, a mode dedicated entirely to the dramatic and fascinating wrestling career of Daniel Bryan. With as many ups and downs and dramatic twists and turns as Bryan’s career has had, it lends itself perfectly not only to the WWE format itself, but also to the concept of being retold as a story, which is exactly what Showcase does this year. It tells its story documentary style videos narrated by Bryan himself, which are interspersed with key matches in his career that you play out yourself in an objectives-based manner.

These matches are recreated with painstaking detail, recreating some of the biggest moments in Bryan’s career with great authenticity. Showcase Mode achieves a solid balance of informative and engaging documentary-style storytelling and typically fun wrestling matches, and easily has to be the highlight in this year’s game.

"It’s been a rocky road for the series up until this point, but this year, it feels like developers Yuke’s have made the most noticeable improvement since their first effort back in 2013, with key improvements to areas that have been in desperate need of them, and the addition of several things that add plenty of value to the entire package."

WWE 2K19 also has one of the most robust and versatile creation suites the series has ever had. You can create your own arenas and, of course, your own players, and the tools at your disposal to do so are seriously impressive. And once you’ve done that, you take your player to the career mode, which is another area in WWE 2K19 that is notably improved over its predecessor. The career mode boasts of actual production values here. The career mode tells a story that isn’t groundbreaking by any means, but is surprisingly well written and well acted (for the most part, anyway). Characters feel like actual characters, and your player’s journey of starting out as an indie wrestler and gradually rising through the ranks feels genuinely interesting. It also helps that it keeps moving along at a quick pace, and doesn’t ever really rely on repetition in objectives too much, so there’s always a reason to want to keep playing.

Characters are also voiced now, which definitely helps its case as well. The action is broken up a bit too often by loading screens, which are far more regular than they should be, but thankfully, loading times themselves aren’t too long, so while this is a bit of an annoyance, it’s not a major one.

Career mode, however, is let down by the game’s unfriendly loot packs. The progression of your player goes at a snail’s pace in WWE 2K19, and things such as cosmetic options, movesets, finishers, and more are locked behind loot boxes. These are purchased using the in-game virtual currency, but the prices for individual things or for entire loot packs turn out to be unreasonably high. The game does provide several avenues for gaining this virtual currency, even outside of the career mode, but it still turns out to be unbalanced, and your player’s progression, as a result, is seriously hamstrung, which often has a negative impact on enjoyment during several matches in career mode as well.

Outside of career mode and Showcase, WWE 2K19 still has a great deal of content, the most noteworthy of which is MyTowers mode. Towers are a series of gauntlet matches, with each Tower centring around specific themes and providing themed challenges for players to tackle. They encourage the kind of bombastic, arcade-y entertainment that most WWE fans crave in their games, and the fact that these are updated daily and weekly means that for all practical purposes, they provide endless content. The hamstrung growth of your own player does mean that you might be better served tackling Towers with other wrestlers in WWE 2K19’s typically massive roster.

"The career mode tells a story that isn’t groundbreaking by any means, but is surprisingly well written and well acted (for the most part, anyway). Characters feel like actual characters, and your player’s journey of starting out as an indie wrestler and gradually rising through the ranks feels genuinely interesting."

The core fighting mechanics in WWE 2K19 still work as well as they have for the last few years now. Building upon a solid (if somewhat ageing) foundation, WWE 2K19 adds mechanics such as Paybacks to add extra layers to the process, and it’s better for it. Presentation also seems to be improved this year, and it fully embraces the over-the-top and dazzling nature of the actual WWE (barring the commentary, which has seen essentially no improvements at all).

The visuals are a significant improvement over 2K19’s predecessors as well, with realistic character and facial models and great looking arenas. WWE 2K games have suffered from some pretty bad visuals in the past, often looking like they belong on previous generation consoles, and though WWE 2K19 is by no means a visual beast, it’s still a marked improvement, and at least doesn’t look completely out of place on current gen systems anymore. There are, however, still some technical issues, like terrible lip syncing (especially during cutscenes in the career mode), and some wonky animations.

WWE 2K19, then, is perhaps the most impressive game in the series since it was acquired by 2K. It significantly improves upon some of the areas in the series that were in most desperate need of improvement, while it’s also got a lot of meaningful and enjoyable content to keep you busy for as long as you want. Showcase Mode is a great addition, while the career mode is a radical upgrade over past iterations as well.

There are still issues that need sorting out, especially on the technical side, while the core fighting mechanics could do with a bit of freshness in coming years, not to mention the fact that the loot packs model also hurts the game in areas where it simply doesn’t belong. With all of that in mind, after years of stumbling around, 2K Sports at least have a very solid base to work with now, and for the first time in many years, I’m optimistic about future WWE 2K iterations.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox One.

WWE 2K19

Another year, yet another WWE 2K title from Yuke’s and Visual Concepts. Don’t get us wrong – there’s a lot to look forward to in WWE 2K19. Showcase Mode returns, this time focusing on Daniel Bryan’s journey from humble newcomer to Wrestlemania main eventer. MyPlayer Towers allows for daily, weekly and pay per view challenges with, and MyCareer mode will also return to provide a more linear story for your custom created wrestler. With stars like AJ Styles and pre-order bonuses like Rey Mysterio and Ronda Rousey, will WWE 2K19 regain some semblance of glory when it releases on October 9th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC? Time will tell.

Call of Cthulhu: The Official Video Game

Creating a proper video game experience centred around H.P. Lovecraft’s horrifying creations is tough. Nevertheless, we’re incredibly hyped for Cyanide’s Call of Cthulhu. Players assume the role of investigator Edward Pierce as he heads out to Darkwater Island near Boston to solve the death of a family. Focusing more on investigation and conversations, Call of Cthulhu will also see Pierce struggling to maintain his sanity in the face of hallucinations and cult-like figures. Will he make it out alive? We’ll find out on October 30th when the game launches Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

LEGO DC Super-Villains

Why should good guys have all the fun? Traveller’s Tales’ LEGO DC Super-Villains is turning the tables by allowing us to control a variety of famous villains. Of course, while gameplay is similar to previous LEGO titles, complete with two-player co-op, it’s now possible to have a fully customizable character that’s integrated into the story. If battling heroes as the Joker sounds appealing – that too from the lens of LEGO humour – then LEGO DC Super-Villains might be worth checking out when it launches on October 16th for North America and October 19th worldwide for Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC.

Super Mario Party

Before the latest Smash and much before anything that could potentially keep your friendships together, the first Mario Party for Switch will be releasing on October 5th. Super Mario Party, as the name implies, brings new mini-games, the ability to play on a single Switch and even linking multiple platforms together for certain activities like Toad’s Rec Room. The jury is out on whether the gameplay actually improves on predecessors. Just try to stay friends after extended play sessions.

Mega Man 11

No, this isn’t a new Mega Man X title but Mega Man 11 looks pretty darn good with its sumptuous visuals. The same platformer shooting action that fans know and love is still here with eight Robot Masters to fight across eight stages. However, the new Double Gear system has us more intrigued. Mega Man can now activate the Power Gear system to fire a powerful shot or slow down time with the Speed Gear. At low health, a super powerful blast can be activated using both gears. Time Trials, Missions, leaderboards and more are included with the base story. Fortunately, we won’t have to wait long as Mega Man 11 releases on October 2nd for Xbox One, PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4

Treyarch’s latest Black Ops breaks away from an established Call of Duty tradition by having no single-player campaign. Nevertheless, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 will have multiplayer, three Zombies maps instead of one (each with their own stories) and the Battle Royale mode Blackout. Blackout has already impressed many with its level of polish and well-crafted world design. Zombies will bring mutations and challenges to keep PvE players occupied. Will the entire package hold up over a long period of time? We’ll find out when Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 launches on October 12th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Soulcalibur 6

Yet another long-awaited sequel is Bandai Namco’s Soulcalibur 6. Classic characters like Mitsurugi, Sophitia and Kilik return along with a few new characters including Geralt from The Witcher 3 as the story revisits hidden events from the first game. Soulcalibur 6 won’t just feature the same weapon-based combat we’ve always loved – it will have special moves, special slow-mo sequences and the return of ring-outs. If that weren’t enough, along with the Soul Chronicle story mode, there’s Libra of Soul, a campaign for one’s custom character. Soulcalibur 6 is out on October 19th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

Releasing just a year after Assassin’s Creed Origins, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey veers even further into RPG territory. The story this time around is set in Ancient Greece with two protagonists – Alexios and Kassandra. As a Spartan mercenary that travels away from home, you’re given the option of fighting in the Peloponnesian War for either Sparta or Athens. With more combat possibilities, an impactful dialogue and choice system, beasts like Medusa and an even larger world to explore, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey promises an even more epic adventure when it releases on October 5th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Forza Horizon 4

Perhaps the best open world racing title of this year – and several other years – Forza Horizon 4 heads to jolly old Britain for one’s Horizon shenanigans. Working one’s way up as a rookie to the Horizon roster, there are now four seasons to play through with their own respective events and Showcases that open up. Forza Horizon 4 also packs tons of vehicles, player housing, an improved progression system that constantly rewards the player, Forzathon live events, Seasonal championships and much, much more to race through. It’s out on October 2nd for Xbox One and Windows 10 PC.

Red Dead Redemption 2

We’ve been waiting since 2010 for Rockstar to deliver a sequel to Red Dead Redemption and it’s almost here. Though the story takes place before the events of the first game, Red Dead Redemption 2 is a massive step forward in terms of visuals, world design and missions. Players will control Arthur Morgan, traveling with the Van der Linde gang, fraternizing with your comrades and picking up new activities in the process. You can partake in bank heists, build your relationship with an entire town, go hunting, fish and so much more. That’s not even including the online mode which launches in November. Red Dead Redemption 2 releases on October 26th for Xbox One and PS4.

Honorable Mentions:

• Starlink: Battle for Atlas
• Luigi’s Mansion
• Just Dance 2019
• Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise
• Warriors Orochi 4
• The World Ends with You: Final Remix
• Disgaea 1 Complete

TOWERS MODE

Among the marque editions being made to WWE 2K19 is a couple new modes, and one of these modes is Towers. In this mode, players will have to fight through a series of challenges, which will each come with varying and unique conditions for winning and different WWE and NXT Superstars. Some towers might ask powers to reach a certain score, while others could present a series of other challenges, such as starting a match at a time when the players’ health is already in the red. They will also vary across a number of different types of matches.

MORE DETAILS ON TOWERS

Towers will also vary in other ways, and will come in two forms, called Steps and Gauntlets. Steps will allow players to progress through a sequence of challenges one at a time, while Gauntlet will see players competing in all the challenges in a single session. Some Towers will also have specific themes and put the limelight on specific kinds of matches and fighters. For example, in “The Woman’s Revolution”, players will be going up against as number of female fighters.

SHOWCASE MODE

Showcase Mode is another major new addition to WWE 2K19. It isn’t technically a brand new mode, since it was part of WWE 2K17’s Hall of Fame Showcase DLC, but it comes as a much more expanded and full featured mode this time around. WWE 2K19’s Showcase Mode focuses on Daniel Bryan, and follows his career over the course of twelve matches. Of these, eleven matches will be historic matches throughout his career, including the likes of WrestleMania XXX, as well as Daniel Bryan’s Velocity match against John Cena, all the way to his return to the fighting ring. There will also be a twelfth “surprise” match.

SHOWCASE MODE STORY DETAILS

What’s interesting about Showcase Mode is that it seems to be going for a surprisingly narrative driven experience in its attempts to chronicle Bryan’s career chart. It will be narrated by Daniel Bryan himself, and will have over 20 story-focused cutscenes, as well as fifteen of his interview packages. Bryan’s stint as Smackdown manager will not be shown as part of gameplay, however Bryan will talk about it in his narration.

AJ STYLES MILLION DOLLAR TOWER

WWE 2K19 will also have a special, more challenging kind of Tower for any players who might be interesting. In the AJ Styles Million Dollar Tower, players will be tasked with fighting against the toughest Superstars in the game’s roster. These matches will be set to a higher difficulty by default, and players will have to complete the entire string of matches in one go, kind of similar to Gauntlet Towers in that regard, without their health being regenerated in between any of the matches.

ROSTER

WWE 2K games have been known for having absolutely massive rosters, with each game in the series going on to have the largest roster in the history of the franchise. WWE 2K18, in fact, had over 200 fighters in its roster. While 2K Sports haven’t yet made any such claims for WWE 2K19, we can expect it to be similarly ambitious, if not more so. Close to a hundred fighters have already been confirmed, of which 18 are new additions to the series, seven are WWE Legends, and 18 are from the women’s division.

MYCAREER

MyCareer is one of the areas where 2K Sports have been making slow but steady improvements year on year, and though WWE 2K18’s MyCareer proved to be a disappointment in several areas, this year, it’s looking like it might be a significant improvement. Things all around look a lot more interesting, with more personality imbued into the mode, with its characters and scenarios looking much less static. The fact that all characters in MyCareer will all also be voiced in WWE 2K19 is certainly cause for excitement.

LICENSED OST

As is the case with all WWE 2K titles (and really, all sports games in general), 2K19 will have a licensed soundtrack. What’s interesting about this year’s game, though, is that many of the tracks included in the game are personal selections of wrestlers themselves. For instance, Fall Out Boy’s Champion was chosen by Alexa Bliss, Awolnation’s Passion is the personal selection of Daniel Bryan, and Triple H went with Metallica’s Spit out the Bone– to name just a few.

COVER STAR

A cover star in any sports game is a pretty important thing, as the marque headlining player of that particular instalment. While last year, we saw Seth Rollins gracing the cover art of WWE 2K18, this year, the cover star is going to be the current WWE champions AJ Styles- which explains all the Towers and Challenges named after him that you keep hearing about.

SEASON PASS

WWE 2K19 will also have a Season Pass, which will give those who purchase it access to all its future DLC drops. This will include new Superstars, new movesets, and other “enhancements”, in the words of 2K Sports, that they haven’t yet detailed too much. We do know that WWE 2K19 Accelerator, which will allow players to decide every fighters’ overall rankings and attributes (and also unlock alternate attires), and MyPlayer Kick Start, which will presumably give your career mode some sort of a boost, will also be included in the Season Pass.

PRE-ORDER BONUS

If you’re thinking of pre-ordering WWE 2K19, then there might be a few bonuses in it for you. 2K Sports announced some time back that a couple of pretty big name fighters, would be pre-order bonuses in the game’s roster. So if you pre-order the game, you’ll get access to both, Rey Mysterio, as well as newcomer Ronda Rousey.

DELUXE EDITION

You can get access to them in another way as well, though. Purchasing the Deluxe Edition, which is based on Ric Flair and called the Wooooo! Edition (no, seriously), will give you access to the game itself, the pre-order bonuses, the season pass, as well as early access to the game, letting you play four days before release. Additionally, a plaque featuring a piece of fabric from Ric Flair’s robe will also be included in the package.

XBOX ONE X AND PS4 PRO ENHANCED

Like most other major AAA releases in today’s day and age (and even plenty of smaller budget titles), WWE 2K19 will receive some visual enhancements on both the Xbox One X and the PS4 Pro. While what this means exactly in terms of frame-rate, resolution, or whether or not there will be HDR support hasn’t yet been revealed, but 2K Sports have confirmed that both enhanced versions of the two consoles will feature some upgrades for the game.

NO SWITCH VERSION

WWE 2K18 did something a lot of people did not expect and launched on the Nintendo Switch as well, but as it turned out, that wasn’t a very smart decision. The Switch version of the game was pretty much a mess, with poor optimization and a bevy of technical issues, which resulted in a lot of criticism and less than satisfactory sales for that particular version. As such, 2K Sports have decided that WWE 2K19 will not be releasing for the Nintendo Switch.

Development 

WWE 2K19 was officially announced by 2K Sports in June 2018, and three days following the announcement, Smackdown performer and current WWE champion AJ Styles was announced as the cover star for this year’s instalment, replacing WWE 2K18’s Seth Rollins. Later on, it was confirmed that Ronda Rousey would also be included in the game, after she had joined WWE earlier in the year.

Unlike WWE 2K18, 2K19 will not be released for the Nintendo Switch. 2K18’s Nintendo Switch version received a lot of criticism from fans and critics alike due to poor performance issues and being a poor port in general, which affected sales as well. As such, 2K made the decision to launch WWE 2K19 only on the Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

Gameplay

WWE 2K games have been known for having massive rosters of fighters, which each of the last few instalments successively having the biggest roster in the history of the franchise (WWE 2K18 has a total of 200 WWE superstars). While the complete size of the roster in WWE 2K19 has not yet been revealed, a total of 88 superstars have been confirmed to be appearing in the game so far. Of these 88 fighters, 18 are new additions to the series, seven are WWE Legends, and 18 are from the women’s division. Of the 88 fighters so far, 51 are RAW Superstars, 20 are NXT Superstars, while 8 are Smackdown superstars.

WWE 2K19 will also see the return of the Showcase Mode, which was last seen in WWE 2K17’s Hall of Fame Showcase DLC. 2K19’s Showcase Mode focuses on Daniel Bryan, and follows his career over the course of twelve matches. Of these, eleven matches will be historic matches throughout his career, including the likes of WrestleMania XXX, as well as Daniel Bryan’s Velocity match against John Cena, which was his first match ever, in which he fought as Bryan Danielson, all the way to his return to the fighting ring. Meanwhile, his longtime rivalry with The Miz will also be shown.

2K Sports have stated that the twelfth match will be a “surprise match”, but have not yet given any information of what exactly it will be. Showcase Mode will be narrated by Daniel Bryan himself, and will have over 20 story-focused cutscenes, as well as fifteen of his interview packages. Bryan’s stint as Smackdown manager will not be shown as part of gameplay, however Bryan will talk about it in his narration. The mode will have eleven different models of Bryan, one for each of his historic matches, with each having unique appearances and movesets, as well nine arenas, eight new entrances, and eleven new victory scenes.

The Towers mode is one of the biggest additions being made to WWE 2K19. In this mode, players can either play as the Superstars included in the game or with their own custom made MyPlayer. The Towers mode will see players fighting in a series of Towers, or challenges, which will each come with varying and unique conditions for winning and different WWE and NXT Superstars. Some towers might ask powers to reach a certain score, while others could present a series of other challenges, such as starting a match at a time when the players’ health is already in the red. They will also vary across a number of different types of matches. Towers Mode will also yield in unlockables that players will be able to use to customize their own MyPlayer as well.

There will be two types of Towers- Steps will allow players to progress through a sequence of challenges one at a time, while Gauntlet will see players competing in all the challenges in a single session. Some Towers will be theme-specific and focus on particular match types and Superstars in the roster. For instance, in “The Woman’s Revolution”, players will be going up against as number of female fighters. There will also be Legends Lore, which will be included in the Towers Mode to pay homage to the WWE Legends category fighters that are included in WWE 2K19’s roster of fighters. A special Tower, called The AJ Styles Million Dollar Tower, will see players fighting against the toughest Superstars in the game’s roster. These matches will be set to a higher difficulty be default, and players will have to complete the entire string of matches in one go, without their health being regenerated in between any of the matches.

The game will also have regular post-launch updates in the form of daily, weekly, as well as PPV challenges.

Note: This wiki will be updated once we have more information about the game.