We already know that WWE 2K15 will feature some seriously upgraded character models, but now we know about its main single-player mode. It’s as interesting as it is confounding.
Dubbed 2K Showcase, the mode focuses on individual feuds, letting players relive the matches and moments from some of the WWE’s most notable long-term battles. While 2K will add more feuds as downloadable content, WWE 2K15 will come with Shawn Michaels vs. HHH (from 2002 to 2004) and CM Punk vs. John Cena (from 2011 to 2013).
Now, those are two great feuds. However, they’re also a little awkward. The Shawn Michaels/HHH rivalry included a period of time where Chris Benoit got involved. Benoit was the former World Heavyweight Champion who in 2007 murdered his wife and child before taking his own life. Since then, Benoit has reasonably not been a part of any WWE game, but it will create a weird situation if 2K Showcase suddenly skips a large portion of Michaels and HHH’s feud (which included a main event triple-threat match with Benoit at WrestleMania 20).
I asked WWE 2K15 executive producer Mark Little during a phone conference how 2K would handle this situation, but he only told me that they would go into those details in the future.
The CM Punk/Cena feud has its own awkwardness. While it was undoubtedly one of the great rivalries of the modern WWE era, CM Punk unceremoniously and suddenly quit the company earlier this year. Since then, the WWE has had to deal with deafening chants of “CM Punk” from raucous crowds while it does its best to avoid mentioning him at all. It seems a bit bizarre to suddenly feature him as one of the major players in the new game.
Above: Cena is ready to adjust some attitudes in WWE 2K15.
Besides those lingering questions, this mode seems in line with what the WWE series has been doing with its single-player modes. Last year’s WWE 2K14 focused on historic matches from WrestleMania, while WWE 13 relived the matches and moments from the company’s historic Attitude Era that started in the late ’90s. Focusing on specific feuds will let WWE 2K15 continue the tradition of letting players experience famous and fan-favorite moments.
As for the additional feuds that we’ll eventually see added as downloadable content, I got to ask Shawn Michaels during the same phone conference to pick more of his favorite rivalries that he’d like to see in the game. He picked his iconic feud with the Undertaker (which included his retirement match at WrestleMania 26) and his rivalry with Chris Jericho.
WWE 2K15 comes out on Oct. 28 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3.