10 Best WWE Video Game Covers Ever
The image on the front of the box can alter the perception of what's inside...
The beast-sized cat is out of the beast-sized bag as Brock Lesnar has been revealed as the cover star for WWE 2K17.
WWE's Beast Incarnate was unveiled as the face of the new game in one of those teaser trailers 2K have proven to be masters at.
There's a chance that WWE and 2K are moving away from the formula that shaped 2K16 where cover star Stone Cold Steve Austin had the featured Showcase Mode dedicated to his career. While a 'Beast Mode' looking at Lesnar's career is certainly a possibility, the standards set by recent titles under the 2K banner suggest a mode focusing on an active roster member isn't something that 2K are interested in, or that Vince McMahon would allow.
Nevertheless, as the hype over the new cover's release has proved, the picture on the front of a WWE video game box is one of those important details that goes a long way to setting the tone for a title. While it has absolutely no bearing on what happens when your console is switched on, I find it forms the basis of the bond we have with a game. If the cover isn't very good, it certainly has an effect on the perception we have of that title. Am I weird? Maybe.
With an attempt to completely separate them from the memories of the games inside the box, here are the ten best WWE video game covers of all time.
10. WWE 2K16
Simple and to the point, anything with Stone Cold Steve Austin on it is a winner in my book - even something as bad as those mugs shaped like his massive chrome dome you used to be able to buy during the Texas Rattlesnake's pomp.
With a smattering of broken glass and the traditional 2K colours of red and black harking back to the colour scheme used during the Attitude Era, this is a cover that appealed to generations aplenty.
Even though the image of Stone Cold is recycled, having been used many times before in promotional material for a plethora of WWE events and the like, it's vintage - sorry to bring a dollop of Maggle Cole to the fore. Stone Cold couldn't sum up what the Toughest SOB in WWE history is all about any better.
This looks like being the formula that WWE and 2K will use till their marriage ends in an amicable divorce somewhere near the end of time.