WWE 2K20 is ridiculous
I repeat. WWE 2K20 is ridiculous.
WWE 2K20 is currently sitting on a 'Mostly Negative' rating on Steam, and it's not because wrestling is no longer cool (it's still very cool). No, it seems the latest instalment in 2K Games' wrestling series is just a terrible video game, and there's a wealth of video evidence out there to prove it.
Take for example this Reddit thread by user DazedRabbit. They've gone ahead and compiled some of the more amusing footage currently doing the rounds. Considering the game only released hours ago, there's a startling amount of glitchy gameplay footage to be found.
For example, this is meant to be Irish wrestler Becky Lynch. Except in a fashion that recalls some Assassin's Creed: Unity bugs, she has no face:
Footage from newLEGACYinc, via foxeyevalkyrie.
In the world of WWE you maybe don't even need a face to succeed. But you definitely don't want to suddenly lose control of your body, and you certainly don't want to get stuck inside the ring ropes. And what if you involuntarily started walking on your knees? None of these things are ideal, if you're a WWE wrestler. And yet:
#WWE2K20 #XboxShare pic.twitter.com/DyhU2QIgXHOctober 22, 2019
It would also not be ideal if, say, you were trying to violently toss your opponent off your back and into the ring, and this happened:
Footage from newLEGACYinc, via princelock.
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In general, tossing your opponent around leads to some dire (though quite funny) consequences:
Footage from newLEGACYinc, via fletcher900.
Admittedly I don't know that much about professional wrestling. I know that, generally speaking, it's about two-or-more people seeming to beat the crap out of each other within the bounds of some fairly loosely abided rules. And yet, I am fairly confident that during WWE matches, there are never two random men eerily rolling on the spot while the fight carries out:
Footage from newLEGACYinc, via ddpeter.
Also this never happens in real WWE:
IGN should give this game a 5 star review. pic.twitter.com/OYzhQfsUfLOctober 22, 2019
There's a lot of dumb stuff happening in WWE 2K20, and as I wrote above, this Reddit thread does a good job of compiling even more. Some people have defended 2K, writing that the day one patch for the game hasn't released yet, and that it's likely some or all of these glitches will be fixed.
Although it's definitely ideal that these glitches be fixed if you want to properly play the game, if I'm honest, I actually quite like them. I say leave them in. They're beautiful. They're art.
Update: I had to add the video below, because it demonstrates the complete and utter comedy chaos that is WWE 2K20.
#PS4sharehttps://t.co/6MQGSYtvDw pic.twitter.com/jEEA1hOqIuOctober 22, 2019
Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.