WWE 2K24

Rock solid, yet wrestling itself into an annual headache

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All-consuming FC 24 mode Ultimate Team is better than most give it credit for – but even so, it’s cursed the sports genre for an eternity. WWE 2K24 is the best wrestling game in over a decade. It contains fan-service elements that go above and beyond what you’d expect from an annual title. It’s fun, authentic, and replayable. And it all gets hamstrung by its own FUT-style fantasy mode.

Familiar players will be well aware of MyFaction, where you build a four-strong roster to barrel through matches for rewards and upgrades. Like in FUT, you can expedite your progress using paid-for currency. Unlike in FUT, your enjoyment of the entire game is affected by this one mode. At launch, all five ‘News’ start-up screens push you directly there. You’re repeatedly funnelled in the same direction via rewards from other modes. Once in MyFaction, you can unlock Persona cards with alternate attires to use across the entire game – but until you’ve done so, those wrestlers will be scrubbed out on menu screens. It’s all ugly and sullies an an otherwise outstanding game.

CALL THE AMBULANCE