10 Things WWE 2K17 Needs More Than Goldberg
3. Greater Freedom With Backstage Brawling
WWE games very much mirror their real-life counterpart these days, meaning there's been less emphasis placed on backstage fighting, blood and hardcore brawling in general. Whilst it's completely understandable that blood isn't a heavy feature, there's no great explanation as to why the 2K series of WWE games don't feature much in the way of backstage interaction.
Remember those little blue/red arrows from prior titles that promised so much? Simply dragging an opponent close to them enabled access to different areas of the arena, and the interactive elements of these stages often took on a life of their own. That freedom is something many would like to see again.
In recent titles, there have been 'Backstage Brawl' options, but they're severely limited. Nobody is saying 2K should go down the route of WCW Backstage Assault from 2000 (what were you thinking EA?), but having more scope to wrestle away from the ring and ringside areas just works in a pro wrestling video game.
These areas need to be bursting with character, making them impossible for gamers not to explore.