It's time for another monthly recap and... I'll be honest, this month flew. Not much to report on collecting stuff, or really much else. Mainly because I spent the majority of the month (105+ hours) with WWE 2K26, the latest release in a series that I continue to wonder why I play. I think I just want modern wrestling games, then forget that modern wrestling games kind of suck in the grand scheme. So this month will pretty much be my general review for the game in general, and what I feel about it after so much time spent with it.
I picked up the most expensive edition, the Monday Night Wars edition, like a fool. I preordered it mainly for the extra perks and the week of early access. And playing it for the first day, I enjoyed it. Actually, for the complaints I'll make on this, when it comes to the general gameplay of the modern 2K games, I like them in general. For a more straightforward wrestling game, it does a lot right in terms of presentation, wrestling feel and decent enough controls. Playing matches when you get the hang of the game can be fun, depending on the mode which I'll get to. But if you're looking for a lot of new bells and whistles, there really isn't much that 2K25 offered. I really never noticed the new AI mechanics that they touted earlier. General CPU logic is about on par with 2K25 to me on that note.
But there is one very frustrating new mechanic that I hated with a passion. The purple stamina bar. In wrestling games since around the days of WWE Day of Reckoning 2, stamina became an integral part of the games. A way to preserve your energy to ensure you can keep on top of your opponent. At worst in previous WWE 2K games, low stamina affected running, making you unable to run until the bar replenished. In 2K26, this is now a purple stamina bar that not only affects your run mechanic, but also your reversals. I really don't like the button combo mechanic for the modern 2K games, but they're far from the worst to deal with when you get the hang of things. But a purple bar disables the reversals, making you now vulnerable for the AI to get the advantage on you and lord help you if they have a finisher. It also forces matches to be a slog, having to wait for the bar to replenish before continuing on. And the bar would be fine if it didn't deplete super fast after countering or hitting a few moves. The current update claims to have fixed it, but I see no difference. but ultimately I did learn to manage stamina much better in matches that it's far less of the problem that it once was.
New match types in this one really aren't all that fresh. Inferno match is back and it does play mostly the same, with the added touch of being able to leave the ring before you make the inferno high enough. Dumpster is just reskinned Casket and Three Stages of Hell is just a 2/3 falls match with unique gimmicks. One new match type nobody talks about, mainly because it's a Switch 2 exclusive, is Motion Madness, which is a no DQ match where you use your joycons and can use power-ups in matches. It's okay at best and I didn't find the motion controls factored that much aside from grabbing power ups. Speaking of Switch 2, why can't I capture images or video when 2K25 was free to? I thought maybe it was an issue regarding the pre-release week, but it's still there almost a month later. The Switch 2 port in general is solid, save for some graphical issues where clothing absorbs into wrestlers' bodies and some notable slowdown in multi-man matches like 8-man tag.
As for the modes, I haven't bothered much with MyRise, since I don't really care for the story modes in the recent games. They all feel very similar each year and by what I've heard this is the blandest. Made no better by having to stop the story in spots and do side-matches to collect match stars to progress the plot. The CM Punk Showcase was good, chronicling many of Punk's classic matches. But by the time they went into dream matches, you could tell the ideas were gone to make these matches interesting, save for the recreation of the Montreal Screwjob match with CM Hart in the Bret role. The Island doesn't interest me. I dabbled a bit more than I did last year, but not to the point of really trying too hard with it. I didn't touch Universe, but given it was apparently extremely broken on launch, I dodged a bullet. And I don't really bother with MyGM. Sim games like that aren't to my style. Love watching NewLegacyInc play those, that's enough for me. So what did I play? Well, it was MyFaction, to my constant frustration and dismay.
MyFaction, for the uninitiated, is the game's ultimate team mode. You collect cards and form teams, which can be used in matches. These include World Tour, a set of matches in different locations, Weekly Towers, which are a series of matches to unlock certain items, and Faction Wars, which are a series of matches using randomized (at first) cards through multiple ladders, each ending in an 8-man tag match. There's Ranked and Quick Match, but I hate online so I barely tried. But the main selling point is Live Events, special limited time matches where you have to use specific cards to win certain prizes. These include Persona Cards, which are usually unique attires of superstars. And while most can be manageable, this is where 2K lost the effing plot. See, the way to get said cards needed for the matches can come through certain rewards throughout the game, but the main ones are from the packs, which can be bought with real currency or the game's MyFaction Points, earned through matches. And while older games didn't have the best pack odds, these are the dirt worst. A mere 9-10% odds in getting the best cards in the set, which are currently Sapphire, not strong at all, many of which are needed for live event matches.
But it gets worse. Three of the matches out of the gate at launch featured challenges to earn Personas for Dominik Mysterio in a Mask, Brock Lesnar 2001 and Triple H's WCW gimmick of Jean Paul Levesque. So how do you get them? You need to collect a specific collection subset, often being said sapphire cards with the shit odds. These unlock the cards needed for the events (Triple H 99, Je'Von Evans and Jacob Fatu) And given you aren't guaranteed a card from the set you buy, you'll go through multiple packs with no chance of finishing the required set. This trend continued with the fourth set, Touch of Madness, which had the same bad odds, but only two sapphire cards. A ton of Emerald cards that can be a pain to get as well given the awful odds. All for a The Fiend 2023 card to get Alexa Bliss 2025. But it gets worse. You need all four of the bonuses and all four of the live event cards to get another Persona card for 2009 Drew McIntyre. It doesn't help that most of those said live Event matches are so frustratingly hard that it makes for the worst experience, and most you need to pretty much cheese with count out wins to even stand a chance. Now, the cards will be available in the card shop later this week and the events are going to be back soon, but this remains testament to what is the shady business practices of 2K at their worst.
Or I would say that, if the Ringside Pass didn't exist this year. Because yep. There's a season pass this year. Play through matches in all modes and you'll unlock tiers which can unlock certain items. Not the worst idea, but progression is slow, making time spent on the mode a slog. It doesn't help that the DLC for the game is locked to Ringside Pass in seasons, and, before the recent announcement, were grind-heavy. It also doesn't help that many of the wrestlers you could play as from the get go in games of the past are now locked to the free tier of Ringside Pass, which means you have to grind to unlock WWE legends. And yes, there are paid skips, which is scummy but not required. You'll just have to slog through it. There was an exploit to get the RSP points early, but of course 2K patched that quick as a whip because "players just want to speedball". No, I want the content I paid for up front. Now 2K has stated that the next Ringside Pass and all going forward will have the DLC wrestlers up front and the grind isn't required for them, but we'll see how that goes when the second pass is set for mid-April.
So yeah, 105+ hours deep and still playing it. So for all my issues, I still play the game. Though I've definitely slowed down more. I've recently gotten into the RetroAchievements scene (might talk more about that next month with a more normal month blog), and the bloom of the game's rose fell off ages ago. But I will say the recent patches have improved the game a bit. The game added a submission slider that can be used instead of the more painful button tap system. It actually makes many of the more frustrating MyFaction matches more bearable to play. And while MyFaction is a pain in the ass for a whale like me (I admit it), it does at least offer me some stuff to do in the game, especially with stuff that isn't just locked to pointless grindfests. So would I recommend 2K26? Not really. 2K25 is still right there and will still have working servers for the rest of the year and it offers most of the basic stuff that makes for a good game without some of 2K's worst traits in motion as seen this year. Will I play 2K27? I don't know at this point. My frustrations with this game might finally be enough for me to just be done with modern wrestling games and spend my remaining days just playing No Mercy or HCTP instead. There's hope that the game will keep improving on QOL fixes but we'll have to see. This game is, at its current state, far from the Best in the World. If I rated it, I'd give WWE 2K26 a 3 out of 5.
And that was really my month for the most part. I do finally plan to play Pokopia next month and I already have Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream preordered. So hopefully those will finally be the much needed breathers for me when dealing with 2K26's nonsense. Also Wrestlemania's in April and I'm mixed on the show as a whole, so that's wonderful. Hopefully April's more eventful. Until then.
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