WWE 2K17: 12 Awesome New Things You Can Do

Chain Wrestling is no longer automatically engaged at the start of a match! YIPEE! Let's not get too excited however because it will still happen if two characters try to grapple each other simultaneously.

The older games are better than what we're getting today. There, I said it. I suppose it depends on what you want to get out of a game when it comes to whether you like the gameplay in the newer 2K wrestling video games as opposed to the fast-paced arcade like action we got in the earlier SmackDown titles. I prefer the old, compared to the new.

This is the official line given to us from 2K when it comes to the new gameplay in 2K17: "We’ve shifted the gameplay experience focus from an arcade-centric, fighting game style to simulation-based gameplay, and WWE 2K17 continues pushing in that direction with both improved and new gameplay mechanics."

This apparently means that in 2K17, like no other game before, we'll be able to control the action how and where we want. I suppose that rings true when you see the fighting backstage and in the crowd options that have returned to the fold.

The main new aspect of 2K17's gameplay, for me, is the alternative submission system that can be used. I wasn't a fan of the Tom and Jerry styled 'catch me if you can' wheel mini game we got in 2K16. I found that your icon didn't move in sync with your analog stick making it almost impossible to win the game and in turn either survive or submit your opponent to win a match.

So then, if you change your submission settings in the gameplay settings menu, you get that new version that sees a return to good old fashioned button smashing. A button will appear that you must smash. If you're having a hold applied to you, you must smash the button to fill your half of the circle which will then set you free. If you hit the wrong button, you help to fill up your opponent's field. It's a simple concept, on paper.

Having tried this option, you need to have quick reactions to smash the relevant button as many times as possible. No matter if you're the aggressor or having a hold applied to you, your opponent gets to the top of their meter in the blink of an eye. It's almost impossible.

So yes, two bad options for submissions here. Try them both out and see which one fits you better. That's the only advice I can offer you.

Of course, to go alongside the big optional change in the submission system there have also been "thousands" of new animations added to make the gameplay that much more better. It's the little things that you might not notice that I'm talking about here, plus the new animations to ladders and the like that see us get more than just an aeroplane spin when using the ladders as weapons, for example.