What makes a good WWE superstar? Some might say it’s the persona, in-ring ability, mic skills, but most likely, a combination of all three. However, the most important aspect is the story behind their journey. It’s important that a game like WWE 2K25 capture that essence, allowing players the freedom to define their superstar’s legacy, turning their rookie into a legend.
Unfortunately, in recent games, WWE 2K’s career modes have failed to capture this aspect properly. While the game has been polished over the years, improving its mechanics and expanding its roster, its modes limit the potential the wrestling world has due to its boundaries.
The issue that WWE 2K has is consistently failing to deliver meaningful player agency, as players’ actions and decisions do not have a significant impact on the storyline or their character’s legacy.
Preset Outcomes
The career mode in WWE games has always been a linear, cinematic experience. Well, as cinematic as a WWE 2K game can get. We’ve talked about how MyRise needs to improve before, and while 2K25 offers a lot in the way of personality and background customization, it still has areas to work on. Some of the story beats don’t always hit as hard in the latest title, and many thought the storyline was a bit “corny.”
But again, while MyRise is a good time in WWE 2K25, the player agency still isn’t completely there. Even if you want your superstar to be a cold-blooded powerhouse like Brock Lesnar, you’ll still be forced to lose matches that you shouldn’t be losing. You’ll often get humbled, just because the game decides how the story goes.
Similarly, it’s off-putting when you’re putting together an honorable superstar, but the game demands you to backstab others or pull cheap moves. It breaks the immersion, especially when it differs so much from your own headcanon.
Choices That Don’t Matter
To prevent the players from feeling trapped in a script, WWE 2K came out with a half-baked solution: letting players choose between dialogues and minor decisions. Nonetheless, this is just an illusion of choice, as whatever approach you choose, the outcome always boils down to a binary choice.
The only effect your decision has is a somewhat different response from the NPC or a short-term cosmetic change to the wrestler’s face. Importantly, the story will stay the same; even if you agree to face an opponent or not, it is necessary to fight them. Basically, any high-stakes decision you make does not alter the storyline.
A lack of structural consequence makes the players aware of the importance of their decisions in the story, making them redundant and unwilling to engage anymore. True agency in a role-playing game is the terror that a bad decision could lead to an unwanted outcome, unlocking a completely different story path.
Terrible Replay Value
The biggest consequence of this suffocating agency and inflexible narrative structure is a negative effect on the mode’s replay value. Why bother playing the MyStory again if that is the only story the game has to tell?
Video games that are built upon inviolable agency make the player desire to play the game once more, just to completely change the character’s identity, alignment, and choices. This results in a radically different ending, distinct companions, and several different outcomes.
However, in WWE 2K MyCareer, the only things that will change in the second playthrough are your character’s appearance and move-set. Once you know your custom wrestler starts off struggling, and then is forced to make alliances and fight a final boss, this will ruin your role-playing experience.
The core idea of the mode is to focus on repetitive grinding for in-game currency and attribute points, rather than allowing you to carve out your own unique legacy. This is the reason why players often prefer the freedom of online play or the universe mode.
