WWE 2K18 Gets An Update On Switch, But Can It Fix Its Problems?

The only thing that interested me about this game is that a buff Colonel Sanders is playable.

My copy should arrive on the post very soon, but your heartbreaking review of the game just confirmed all my suspicions up to this point: they didn't release any videos and almost made a stealth retail release of the game because they knew the game was not up to industry standards.

Anyway, welcome aboard Dom. I'm the NL resident retro gamer / wrestling expert. Wish you good fortune in the road ahead.

If the games got Really Serious Trouble until being Unplayable, the developers should Re-Release again the Physical retail with Update and Fix Patches inside.

Same case with Harvest Moon Tree of Tranquility Wii with very Infamous Glitch, Freezing Calvin 5 Heart Events before Re-Release. It called the Final version that contain Updates and Fixed version.

@Anti-Matter Speaking of Harvest Moon, do you think that Harvest Moon: Light of Hope (which is getting a physical version I should add) will be successful with Stardew Valley doing so well on Switch?

Patches to fix small problems are always welcome and certainly one of the big advantages of modern gaming, but sending a disaster like WWE 2K18 to store shelves and patching it into playability later is entirely inexcusable.

@19wonders
I have no idea with Light of Hope.
It seems Natsume bring their Harvest Moon became Step Backward, Back to SNES style.
I think it will sold Decently.
Right now, my hope is for Bokujou Monogatari or Story of Seasons for Switch. Because that's the Real "Harvest Moon".

@Anti-Matter To me, Light of Hope looks more like a mobile game. And you are right, Story of Seasons is the "real" Harvest Moon now.

@thesilverbrick I agree. Still hoping for a patch to make the game decent so little Jimmy’s Christmas isn’t ruined.

The fact that multiple reviews are necessary to account for fixes of massive launch problems is beyond sad. This is where we're at with most major publishers.

"Yukes and Blind Squirrel"

I think that about says it all.

I think the score of WWE 2K18 should remain the same. It was released as a broken mess. Publishers shouldn't be given a second chance when they pull stunts like this. Like if we take ARMS for example, that game has had several updates, did things right initially and is striving to be better, yet I don't see anyone in any rush to reassess its score.

My mate has got his son a Switch for Christmas and the wee lad really wanted WWE 2K18.... I found it cheap for him but advised him to seriously consider his purchase. He & his wife looked in to it & decided to hold fire until the games very serious flaws were addressed. So any news on what this patch does or doesn't do will be much appreciated!

Garbage is still garbage, no matter how many times you polish it

@iLikeUrAttitude. That's right. You can polish a turd all you want but at the end of the day shat is shat

Hmm, last I read I heard it would take at least a month for a patch. So either that was wrong, they got it done earlier then predicted, or this really was the best they could "improve" this port.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE that's a great point as with ARMS they weren't even fixing issues but adding plenty of content, so today's buyers are actually getting a much more feature rich experience as opposed to WWE which may eventually just work. Yet this policy would reward 2K and not Nintendo which is bizarre when you consider what their respective updates were trying to achieve.

I hope everyone remembers this situation next time they’re about to pre-order a game.

@SmaMan
Depends on the game though doesn't it. And sadly not unique to the Switch. Many AAA titles released to retail in an unplayable state. Arkham Knight on the PC springs to mind.
https://www.theverge.com/2015/6/25/8843985/batman-arkham-knight-pc-sales-suspended-until-patch

@SLIGEACH_EIRE
@carlos82
I would have used Sonic Boom for Wii U as an example. The game got 4/10 from Nintendolife and later on received a very large update. Does the review get adjusted to mention these changes? No, of course not.

However, this WWE game which is actually worse is getting the "we will change our review when an update comes" treatment.

The game was programmed by a team of blind squirrels, apparently...

@SmaMan That's very foolish to state. Depends entirely on the game. Nintendo and Sony stuff is usually a safe bet, for example. And since I avoid most of the AAA 3rd party mainstream stuff, I rarely have issues.

24GB mandatory download for the physical release PLUS lofty patches.

Where do I sign up for this amazing third party support?!

@EVIL-C
Sony stuff? No Man's Sky would like to have a word with you...

@SLIGEACH_EIRE @carlos82 @RadioShadow A review score isn’t intended as a punishment for the developer. It’s an assessment so that the consumer knows whether or not to purchase a game. At this point, the game absolutely deserves its score, but if it becomes a compelling experience post-patch, the consumer deserves to know. Keeping a low score simply to “punish” the developer is childish and may cause gamers to miss out on what could wind up being a fun experience. The game may very well still be awful even after the patch, but if it becomes something worth playing, we should be made aware of it. Vindictiveness is unbecoming and not particularly helpful to anyone.

@thesilverbrick I get your point but it's not about punishment, by all means report any updates and even add them to review so that consumers are more informed. The point about changing the score is then why not do it to games that add content after launch too? ARMS and Bomberman R aren't the same as they were at launch and not because the devs were happy to sell a broken product to consumers and see if they can fix it later. These games have had plenty of content added, so for me you'd have to look at doing the same for everyone or not at all

Sooo any updates is the game any better... I sold my copy in cex for £35 voucher after spending £30 cash for it so not to bad nonetheless

@carlos82 I completely agree. Games like Super Bomberman R, ARMS and Splatoon 2 are so different from what they were at launch and people who buy those games now are getting a fundamentally different experience than those who bought them in March, June and July. Games like those should get updated review scores once support for free content has stopped and the game is complete (though Splatoon 2’s score wouldn’t likely change). I’ve seen some sites do that. Nintendolife should do the same. My point is, review scores serve the purpose of educating people who are considering buying a product. When possible, the review score should change to reflect what the product is like at the moment, not stick to a low number just to punish a developer.

@SmaMan And Uncharted would gladly have a word with you. Don't be ignorant.

Why do I feel like all future 2K Games will be like this. They should get rid of all the broken versions of this game at retail and replace each one with a patch physical version.

@EVIL-C Yeah but those blind squirrels did a good job still, if only WWE didn't force them to rush the game out this would had been at least decent.

I think Take-Two is generous enough to fix a few issues and release it again for 149,99 as a "WWE 2K19 Gold Edition".

@SLIGEACH_EIRE I agree. Revising scores only encourages developers to keep churning out bad/incomplete/broken games.

@EVIL-C
Look, the point is, why even pre-order in this day and age? It's not like running out of stock on launch day is a concern anymore thanks to digital downloads. Are carved-out unlockables or cheap plastic tat that may or may not live up to expectations really that big of a draw?

Pre-ordering, like loot boxes and other AAA trappings, is a gamble. You're putting up cash in advance on a game being worth it, and in this case, it was a total wash. We're lucky 2K is even paying attention and attempting to fix things this time.

All I'm telling people is to be smart with their hard-earned cash. You can wait until the review embargo lifts to see if a game is good or ridiculously flawed, then make your decision. In my opinion, you have far much more to lose on a bad pre-order decision than missing out on the chance to play a game on Day One-ish. But hey, it's your money.

/soapbox

@SmaMan NMS was from an indie studio, not Sony. Btw, NMS is pretty cool now that they've revamped everything. I just don't have the time anymore to sink into it.

@onex
Sony published it, (hence why it's a PS4/PC exclusive) therefore it's not really "indie" anymore as far as I'm concerned.

But I agree with you on the revamps. I bought that game for $15 used after those revamps happened. I'm certainly glad I didn't blow $60 on a pre-order for a game that's just now getting finished.

Sadly it was an empty patch that did absolutely nothing, the game is still running the day one 1.01 Patch. Hopefully they get it up to patch 1.05 and fix the FPS issues soon.

@SmaMan

I pre-order to save money. First party Nintendo titles rarely, if ever, drop in price. I want to play them now. Not 8 years from now. I also pre-order stuff that won't get large print runs, such as many 3DS games. Running out of a stock is a huge problem for LE, and while I don't buy many, I buy the odd one. And I always buy physical games. I know my own buying habits well enough to judge what is worth ordering for launch, and what is worth waiting for a natural price drop. Also, I rarely play online, so loot box crap means f-k all to me.
If a game is bad, return it to the store. You can refuse a pre-order if it's unopened.
I follow this pattern, and I rarely, rarely have an issue. Maybe I just have exceptionally good taste.

@retro_player_22

Not for the Switch version, they didn't. There is no excuse for such bad performance. The other versions run fine. Don't support this kind of crap.

I bought this Day 1 on ps4 and that was a mistake
but i do that every year, they would crash on xbox and ps4 over the years. its odd how this series gets worse over time and they still haven't fixed issues from the past.
my CAW is still a part of the Acolytes and the whole "he" during women matches is bad.

The patch was probably to get ready for the first DLC pack like they do on the other systems.

Im fine with a downgrade in graphics but this game was a mess months ago when it came out.

I usually wait til all the DLC is out before i'd start playing but it doesn't really seem to matter anymore.
they need a new company to get a fresh start on WWF Smackdown ps1 version 2018

@w00dm4n smackdown 1 on ps1 was god awful and what you see in recent WWE games in a descendent of that trash.

People want to make a QUALITY wrestling game. They need to start with No Mercy and work from there. The last greatest wrestling game ever made

Fire Pro. That is all.

@JJ286 Exactly.

I almost wonder if 2K is deliberately releasing bad ports to discourage people from buying so they can ignore the Switch. WWE 2K18 was so bad I do not believe anyone familiar with games could have play tested it and called it okay for release.

@EVIL-C Actually I hope Naughty Dog eventually patches some gameplay into the Uncharted series.

@Lizuka Fair enough. I only read reviews for the Switch version because I wanted to know how the porting went. I couldn't care much less about the game itself. Zero interest in WWE.

Look, I have WWE 2k18. No, the game is not perfect, but I still like to play it on the go. They just use the latest patch, and they will have more patches. This also happened with NBA 2k18 and it works better and better.

@JimmySpades

Oh yes, because every Nintendo game is 10/10 flawless perfection, right?

It's impossible to say anything positive about rival hardware on fan sites; you just get blasted by fanboys everywhere. Sigh...

@EVIL-C Then choose quality games to speak well of. Speak well of Ico. Speak well of Catherine. Speak well of Persona. Speak well of Yakuza. But don't mention a series which is focused 100% on production values and doesn't bother with gameplay and expect to get a free pass. Hell, the only reason The Last of Us is worth playing is because at least they developed an interesting world. But that's all that Naughty Dog does, develop worlds. They haven't developed a game worth playing since Sony gave them PS3 dev kits.

@JimmySpades Your opinion isn't fact. Learn the difference. I love Uncharted, as do millions of others. Get lost.

2K has been an embarrassment on the Switch. I got NBA 2K18 and I just find it amazing how they have never managed to get the game to look or perform properly. I mean it takes up nearly 30GB, they have a ton of money and resources, and they can't even keep the players limbs from going through their clothes. It's just ridiculous, and WWE being awful is just another embarrassment. 2K really needs to get it together.

@ekwcll Not exactly true with NBA 2K18, it seems like the 1.05 update brought in a lot of issues that weren't present in 1.04 and now 1.06 seems like it isn't much better.

I already deleted this game. Won't be going back.

@thesilverbrick Was just about to say the same thing. What they should be doing with games that are struggling to get optimised for Switch is to delay them. If you can release a patch that fixes a broken game (like NBA 2K18) a month after release, then why not delay the release until you have the game patched and then make that a mandatory patch on day one? I understand that they need to get their stock ready for release, but surely a slight delay until the game is playable would be preferable to all the bad will that releasing a turd generates? We live in an age where you can fix a broken game after release, and that's great, but there are much better ways to go about it.

@SpeedRunRocks This boy knows his wrestling games

@EVIL-C No.

@SmaMan I only pre-order when i know the game will be worth it like Monster Hunter World i played the bete loved it and pre-ordered it my internet is a f disgrace and i like to play the day it launches so i don't see why not pre-order it.

@thesilverbrick

Well said. Assassin's Creed Unity was an unfortunate casualty of review spitefulness at launch. It deserved to have its review scores updated after it was patched and expanded with a free DLC campaign. It's currently my favorite game in the series even as I play through Origins (awesome game too).

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Well, I guess Hell has finally frozen over, because I actually found myself agreeing with you for once...

Still, credit where credit's due: you're absolutely right. No publisher/developer should be awarded for such behavior in any capacity.

@thesilverbrick I get what you're saying, but I think that @carlos82 already gave the answer that I was thinking about. Those other games, although equally updated quite extensively after release, never started out as a broken mess, and WWE 2K18 did.

I am however in agreement with giving that updated review/opinion to the public, but the initial score doesn't necessarily have to be revised, otherwise there will just be more and more publishers that might get the idea that they can get away with stunts like that, and that is a situation that we should really want to avoid at all costs.

Next thing you know, if we do start to accept such behavior, we're going to be charged for those updates at some point in the future, in the form of a new service called "pay to (actually be able to) play"...

So, if a blemish on their reputation in the form of a 3 out of 10 score is what it takes to achieve that, then so be it.

@ThanosReXXX This whole scenario is living proof as to why a number-based review system is broken. Trying to quantify enjoyment with a numeral is ridiculous and causes people to get hung up on comparing games via aggregate numerical scores and using low numbers as a form of punishment instead of a way to recommend or disrecommend a piece of software. If the original review simply stated that the game isn't worth playing and then was revised to say that it is heavily improved via a patch, we wouldn't have this problem.

Also, you're looking at a review score as a means of communicating to the developer, when it's actually a means of communicating to the gamer. The reviews are for us, not for them. If it's worth playing after the patch, we should be made aware. simple as that. Being punitive defeats the purpose of a review to begin with.

@thesilverbrick Well, what would you use instead of numbers, then? Stars? Alphabetical grades? A review needs a conclusion and a verdict, and that has been this way ever since the first computer game/console game magazines, so why change that because it doesn't sit well with some individuals like yourself?

On a side note: I never let reviews bother me that much, to be honest, although in some instances, I will take them into account to some extent, if the reasons for condemning a game are eloquent and elaborate enough, and hold up against further scrutiny.

Over here, we luckily have a lot of game shops were we can test run a game before we buy, and the people behind the counter mostly know their stuff, and their customers, so if I would be looking for the best wrestling game around and this just isn't it, then they would most definitely advise me not to buy it, but in the end, it's still up to me.

And over the years, I've actually bought quite a few games that got bad reviews, but I enjoyed them anyway, because I personally didn't mind the supposed flaws or missing features in them, so I'll still make up my own mind about them. If people allow themselves to be influenced too much by a single online review, then that's up to them, or their loss, maybe...

Oh, and trust me: those publishers/developers are watching gaming sites like a hawk. They probably even have a person or two in charge of online and/or social media surveillance to see how their products are received, so if one of their titles is universally panned by all kinds of media, then the message will DEFINITELY come across...

EDIT:
And I did agree with you that the message should be shared with the customer/gamer, if a game has received an update/patch that makes it a better experience, so no argument there. The only argument that could once again come from that is if that patch just makes the game playable or actually great. It probably isn't all that hard to make a broken mess into something playable with a huge patch, but that still doesn't make it a great experience, even with that patch/update, so in the end, it could still end up being only marginally better, and as such still a decidedly average title.

@ThanosReXXX I think games should be reviewed in a more organic way. When someone asks you what you thought of a movie or game, you don't naturally reply with a number. You say things like "I loved it" or "I liked aspects of it" or "I enjoyed it, but it's not for everyone" or even "I wouldn't recommend it". That's a far more organic and natural way of summarizing someone's thoughts on a product of any kind. Arbitrarily assigning a number, letter or emoji to a review is unnatural and invites unnecessary comparisons between things that aren't even quantifiable. I think reviews should end with a summary of the reviewer's thoughts on something with a recommendation to play or to steer clear. Just leave off the numerical score. It's entirely pointless and only creates drama.

The sad thing about this is that the WWE games have been broken messes for years and they they still sell well.

My Wwe 2k18 crashed at the "don't try this at home" screen. This happen after i installed the patch. Redownload or restart the console won't solve the problem

@thesilverbrick Well, sorry but I don't agree, at all. The review itself and the conclusion/summary at the end is already exactly formatted in the way you described, so if that works for you, then stick to that, and skip past the number of stars or whatever grade is handed out.

But in all honesty, I find it a bit weird that you pick this specific article to bring this up, since you've been on this site for much longer than that, and although I'm not exactly following your every comment, I don't believe I've ever seen you mention it before.

The reason of why a certain number/grade that is given, should be eloquently described in the article or review itself, so that readers can understand what the verdict is based upon.

Merely handing out an "organic" judgment just doesn't suffice to tell people what's what. Quite regularly, you read a review on here, thinking it's going to be a high grade, only to find that it is just a 6 or a 7, and sometimes it's the other way around.

That also has to do with the genre and which games have gone before that in that same genre. So a game that could be a decent game in general, could very well only be a decidedly average game in its own genre, simply because there are much better ones that it has to compete with, and any article or review describing that, should give it a grade based upon that, and not just a "recommended" or "steer clear" label.

People will not just want to know why but also how good or bad a game is, and a number or a star rating is the perfect means of representing that.

But I could on and on and give dozens of examples, but I'm afraid that we're not going to see eye to eye on this one, so I guess we're going to have to agree to disagree. No offense, though.

@ThanosReXXX To each his own. A numerical score is divisive and pointless in my experience. People seldom read the actual reviews in their entirety and instead assign way too much gravity to the arbitrary number. You can describe the degree of quality far more accurately and specifically with words than you can with a single digit between 1 and 10.

@thesilverbrick I never said it should only be numbers OR reviews, but a combination of both, because that is way more complete.

And that people seldomly read reviews (I don't even think that is the case, so you'd have to back that up with some proof instead of just claiming this to be a fact, because my experience is completely different) and look straight at the final verdict, that sounds more like a problem that those people have/pose, but that's not my own experience, nor my own way of going about it.

I think that, as I already quite eloquently explained, the combination of the why and what WITH the number makes plenty of sense. Just like in school: if you get your grades, whether they are numbers or A's, B's and C's, I would dare to bet that you would still like to know WHY you got those high or low grades, and THAT is what the accompanying review is for, to make clear what made the reviewer decide to either praise the game into the heavens with a 9 or a 10, or condemn it to the darkest pits of Hell with a 3 or lower.

A story alone isn't enough, and a number/grade alone doesn't give a reason, so to me it sounds no more than logical that they are used in combination, to back each other up and give us the reader a complete picture.

And personally, I read the whole article/review first, even if (as is the case on some websites) the grade is displayed at the top or somewhere on the left or right of the review so you can immediately see it. I always want to know WHY a game gets a 9 or a 10, or a 3 as is the case with this game.

And even with a low grade, some of the better reviewers will always point out whether or not there are still some saving graces, regardless of a low grade, and that might still convince me to try the game out, if those things that save it are things that I might be interested in.

Like I already said in a previous comment: I've bought plenty of "bad" games in the past, and contrary to their harsh reviews back then, I still had plenty of fun with them, so a review or a grade isn't the end all and be all for me.

I can't help it if other people only look at numbers and don't care about the reasons or background of why it has been given that report card, nor do I care.

And again, no offense, but like I said: we probably better agree to disagree, and keep it friendly, as per the holiday spirit, because continuing this discussion while both sticking to our guns isn't going to do either of us any good.

@ThanosReXXX I completely respect your opinion as you stand behind it with confidence and solid reasoning, but even after your compelling argument I still firmly believe that a well-worded review can convey a sufficiently clear message about the overall quality of a game without a numerical score and I’ve experienced that such a numerical score often does more harm than good. Again, to each his own.

@thesilverbrick Well, that is why I said let's just agree to disagree, I'm sure you're familiar with the concept, so I'll leave it at that.

I just bought this game and the Switch four days ago. It's the first time I've played a console since PS2. I really enjoy this game. I'm currently downloading the update, but it's taking forever because of my slow internet.

Pls give us a Update soon.

having problems with this game running slow or freezing while playing it during a match.....how can it be fixed??????????? we have paid $95.00 us dollars for it and not happy with it right now

I hope they will have new version of wwe game and add in new characters for Nintendo switch but the old wwe2k18 not do not have much character now wwe have new people hope they can update it.