Review: WWE 2K23

destructoid.com:

Last year, I stated that WWE 2K22 wasn’t so much “a step in the right direction,” but rather that it “picked itself off, dusted itself off, and went right back to the philosophy that it was following before.” This isn’t so much a condemnation. WWE 2K20 sank the series to new depths, and a course correction was needed. However, after I did the review of WWE 2K22, a patch was released by 2K Sports that corrupted my save data and made Universe Mode inaccessible. This was a commonly reported problem that never got fixed. You just had to delete your save data, start over, and hope the same thing happened.

However, with WWE 2K22 dead to me, I had high hopes for WWE 2K23 because the bar was still set extremely low. Thankfully, despite all my trepidation, it managed to step over it. I am so beaten down by the series by now that the bare minimum is acceptable. WWE 2K23 exceeds the bare minimum, proving that if you never give up, you might eventually become sufficient.

WWE 2K23 (PC [Reviewed], PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X) Developer: Visual Concepts Publisher: 2K Released: March 16, 2023 MSRP: $59.99 (PS4, Xbox One, PC) | $69.99 (PS5, Xbox Series X|S)

John Cena is on the cover of WWE 2K23, which means he is the focus of Showcase mode. For years, Showcase mode has been probably one of the worst parts of the 2K series’ single-player events. Rather than just playing matches, you’re dropped into significant events from the star’s career. You then have to perform very specific moves in order to advance.

The twist here is that, rather than play as John Cena, you take the role of his opponents and get the chance to beat him up. That would be fun, but again, you’re just performing different dance steps. You’re competing against an