WWE 2K22: 10 Hands On First Impressions You Need To Know

9. Movement Is So Fluid

WWE 2K22
2K Games

"Skating" has been a longstanding problem in these games. Characters didn't so much as walk on flat surfaces like ring canvases or mats as glide on top of them - this typically meant that wrestlers would slide into animations awkwardly, or teleport across the ground.

2K has taken noticeable steps to stop that.

Wrestlers shift around the ring with more weight to them. Also, and this might be a strange observation, but the ring feels a little smaller than it did in 2K20. That tightness adds a claustrophobic tension to matches as you pick the perfect positions to attack opponents from. It's...really good.

There's a cool balance between character speed and weight too. Some snap into strikes, whereas others are more lumbering. Bumps, in particular, come pre-packed with a satisfying thump when wrestlers hit the mat. All of this combines to make one wonder why this wasn't reworked years ago, or at least given some much-needed attention.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.