WWE 2K’s simulated grappling can be fun, but there’s something gratifying about booking your own shows, managing contracts, and drafting wrestlers, that’s why 2K22’s MyGM mode is attractive again. I got to sit down with the latest invention of the fan-favorite mode, guiding my chosen brand through a 15-week ratings battle.
Conceptually, this mode has always been an interesting conundrum. Pro wrestling is a scripted sport by design and involves characters portraying authority figures who run everything on TV but have no actual power in real life. That begs the question: do you put the programs from a real-life perspective, i.e., decide the outcome of the match and who gets that coveted “kick,” or do you run things from a kayfabe perspective less realistic? MyGM’s answer is “Yes.” While you manage the contracts, budgets, and presentations and alignments of superstars like a real-life manager, you can also become an on-screen character and be directly involved. TV antics.
From a thematic point of view, I find it odd that a superstar would make a practical request, such as permission to change their personality from heel to babyface, only to have another wrestler text him. you and offer to team up to take over the brand as if they were really evil. As a GM, you can stay neutral or become a corrupt character who can unjustly sabotage some careers and help others. That includes going with them to interfere in their matches. If you like being a boss in the style of Mr. McMahon, let’s get started. But you can also remain an equal, less visible figure of authority (think old-school Jack Tunny or NXT-era William Regal), which is what I went with. Playable GMs include Adam Pierce, Sonya Deville, Stephanie McMahon and Shane McMahon. You can also use custom GMs using generators.
For 15 to 50 weeks you can run Raw, Smackdown, NXT (pre-2.0) or NXT UK. I took the original black and gold NXT branding and chose to go head to head with the Monday Night Raw show hosted by Stephanie McMahon. My first business order was to sketch my superstars. The initial draft runs for eight laps, though you can go on to sign more wrestlers if you have enough budget (otherwise, you can save your money for other things). Generated asterisks can also be uploaded as part of a draft group.
Building the team of my dreams is exciting, specifically because of the strategy that goes into it. Each superstar has a rating for their stamina (how often they can perform before getting injured) and their popularity, style in the box, as well as current face/heel alignment their. Just signing with big and expensive names is not enough. Having a balanced roster of heroes and villains along with a healthy variety in wrestling styles is key. After all, style makes the fit. For example, Giants work well with the Rank of Cruisers, and Specials can go with anyone. I like that this has encouraged me to avoid just signing on to my personal favorites as some of them have similar or conflicting styles. I also find it wise to invest in cheaper, lesser-known talent and build them into the next Cena or Rock. Don’t break a sweat trying to attract people. Throughout the season, you can grow your roster by signing free agents as well as bringing in Legends part-time deals.
After putting together my initial list, it was time to book my first gig. Knowing how to get started can be overwhelming, so I’m grateful to have some starting tips from my boss, Triple H. The game regularly texts players to offer advice and feedback on the program. Yours that I see is a good barometer for what I should become doing. He will also make specific requests, known as Trustee Goals, like knocking out a certain talent for a week in exchange for valuable Power Tokens. These purchasable perks grant useful abilities like instantly healing burned stars, boosting match ratings to win championships, or ruining competitive brands by temporarily doubling down. production cost. You will earn money to buy new Power Cards by playing and I find their use invaluable for helping my program.
The spirits of superstars fluctuate depending on how you book your tickets, and they will make requests that you can fulfill and ignore at your own risk. One of my top names lost a streak and became frustrated, demanded that I give her the win and threatened to give up when she lost again (even kept me for 100K). dollars). She hates it, but in my mind, it gives me the perfect catalyst to turn on her heels. My NXT champion Roman Reigns got tired of the villainous Tribe Leader’s routine and asked if I could turn him into a good guy in three weeks. Knowing when to accept and when to put your feet down and stay on track, despite the wrestler’s objections, is as difficult but enjoyable exercise as a promoter as it is a power outing. interesting strong. When a wrestler has a lower hand that’s too big for his health and unreasonable demands for a raise, I have no problem getting him to walk. Dissatisfied superstars on competitor shows can claim to be transferred to your brand if you play your cards right.
A good program depends on a number of factors and the right placement is the biggest one. Ideally, a strong opener and a good main event can overcome a dull midfield. However, a bad start can cause viewers to change channels even when the rest of the show is great. Mixing match types from week to week by adding rules or promotions also prevents your brand from becoming stale.
As I mentioned earlier, placing matches that please the audience largely depends on style. Some styles blend better with each other and, therefore, have a better chance of producing higher quality displays. This is where my personal biases often have to step back. For me, Bianca Belair vs Shayna Baszler was a great match, but their style spoke otherwise and often resulted in a mediocre reception by the fans. It’s not that “bad” pairs never produce a good outcome. But it’s much harder, though a well-constructed rivalry can generate interest and turn a warming show into a blatant feud.
Once the feud is started, the superstars are immediately compared with each other when booking them (although you can change this) and their matches receive a rating boost because of the many more attention. Confrontations begin at Level 1 and explode at Level 4. In true but unintentionally hilarious WWE fashion, having two hostile superstars constantly grapple with each other from week to week seems to be. pleases the fans even though it’s a huge criticism of the real product and goes against everything. represent the individual when it comes to competition. Thankfully, you can also build a feud through promotions and keep relevant talents from touching each other until the match goes big. Whether either approach is more viable remains unclear, but it meets my personal preference if nothing else. Superstars can also feud with multiple people simultaneously, allowing me to seamlessly differentiate from one opponent to the next.
You can play the preset matches yourself, thus determining the winner directly, or you can speed things up by simulating the results and pre-ordering random outcomes. You can also follow the matches, a new option that allows players to watch the action from a productive vantage point. This mode gives the player control over the camera angles so you can present the match as impressively as possible to raise the rating of the match. Regardless of how you execute your tags, the post-match summary will give you a star rating along with a detailed breakdown that details what elements of an action click and which don’t. You’ll also get a report detailing business stats like revenue profit/loss, new viewers, fan retention, along with a social feed with viewer reactions. for your program.
You can also increase awareness of your show by upgrading its presentation. By default, your show is held in a free high school gym with minimal bells and whistles, but you can end up paying for larger venues, complex staging/pyro sets complex, larger production teams, and more comprehensive advertising campaigns. You’re on a budget, though, and hosting weekly WrestleMania-caliber events can boost ratings, but it doesn’t come cheap, so know when to cut corners and when to splurge ( as above pay per view premium live events) is important. That said, I find it frustrating to have to re-select these options for each program instead of having the format I selected earlier.
After 15 weeks, I headed for a critically-acclaimed WrestleMania weekend show, but I narrowly lost the overall ratings battle to Raw. That’s okay because I had a pretty good time with MyGM. Looks like it’ll be scratching the surface of fan management, and I’m looking forward to discovering the complete version when WWE 2K22 launches on March 11.
