WWE 2K18

This sports sim brings wrestling excitement home to gamers with a championship title that's packed with more finishers than a pay-per-view event. The WWE is what happens when the over-the-top drama of a soap opera meets the adrenaline-fueled action of a live stunt show. It's wild. It's crazy. It seldom makes sense. But most importantly, it's a lot of fun to watch. WWE 2K18 includes a massive roster of superstars, the largest of any WWE game to date, filled with a diversity of characters from nearly every era of WWE's history. With just about every championship belt, television show, event, and match type represented in the game, WWE 2K18 has no shortage of content to keep fans busy. But just in case that's not enough, just about every part of the game can be customized and personalized with its in-game editor. If you've got the time and patience, there's very little to stop you from creating some insane wrestling matches. In fact, in an odd bit of product placement, the game already includes KFC's Colonel Sanders as a playable character. But that's nothing compared to surreal characters you can download from the game's online community ... which can be both a good thing and a bad thing.

While WWE 2K18 might be the reigning, defending, undisputed champion of sports entertainment video games, that doesn't mean there's not still some room for improvement. For starters, the AI in the game can sometimes leave you scratching your head, especially in situations where your opponent climbs out of the ring and then, well, just stands there. It's almost like the game is waiting for you to make a specific move, and when you don't, it takes a few seconds to come up with a new plan ... sort of like when a GPS recalculates your route after you take a left instead of a right. The announcers are another slight irritation. While the bulk of the ongoing match commentary isn't bad, they occasionally cut themselves off mid-sentence or repeat the same lines over and over in a single match. Finally, while the depth of the game is great for veterans of the series, it's a wealth of options that can be a bit overwhelming to newcomers or casual fans. These are minor frustrations, though, and not enough to keep the game from being a blast to play. When the final bell rings and the winner's arm is raised, it's still WWE 2K18 that takes home the belt.