We're approaching the point where annual sports games such as WWE 2K25 are going to need two separate scores. The first for gameplay: after all, in the olden days, this was all that mattered. Alas, times have changed, and so that second score would cover modes implemented solely to draw fans into shedding money on microtransactions. Ultimate Team. Diamond Dynasty. MyFaction. Because as time goes by, the gulf between gameplay quality and cash-grabbing temptations is becoming increasingly difficult to bridge.
WWE 2K25 demonstrates this more pertinently than any of its rivals. Honestly, its wrestling engine is spectacular. Modes that don't encourage you to fork out real cash, such as Showcase and MyRise, have rediscovered their mojo after some fallow years. But the majority of the hype surrounding the game centres on a new experience called The Island. And, well, it's hard to view it as anything other than a means of siphoning fans for extra dough.
