I've abstained from WWE games since SDVR 2011 due to seeing how much the 2K Era leaned into overcomplicated game play mechanics for the sake of "realism." So I'm very happy to say 2K22 feels very much like the arcade-y days of Smackdown vs. Raw 2007: Easy to play, tough to master.

Everything I could personally want from a WWE game is featured...just not ENOUGH of it. Rey Mysterio's career mode is really interesting, and the way the matches unfold through a blend of objective-based gameplay mixed with documentary style presentations is really cool. That said, a number of big moments in Rey's career are missing due to wrestlers that WWE don't have the rights to feature. It's a true shame Rey's Mania 22 match against Orton and Angle isn't playable, among other examples.

MyGM is back and I was SO HAPPY to be able to book fantasy shows again and play them out. However, there's a brutal lack of variety here. No secondary championships to book, no multi-man match types. It's just singles and tags until you finish.

MyRISE is a fun choose-your-own path story mode and I mostly enjoyed taking my created wrestler through several big career milestones. That said, the story options are not as open ended as presented. I went in desiring to be a career-long bad guy, but several story paths are locked behind a wall unless you accept an option to turn face. The story missions also lock you into mandatory match outcomes. SDVR 07 had enough story content to give you on-the-fly variations based on whatever choices you made 16 whole years ago, yet 2K22 feels stiff and restrictive in comparison.

These criticisms aside, the bulk of the game is still enjoyable enough that I never felt bored. Plentiful game modes, an impressive creation suite, and some hilariously cool community creation showcases make this the best WWE game in ages. It gets the job done, but it needs to improve going forward.

A simple and heartwarming organization sim that quietly tells a very personal story of growing up and changing as a person in the background of every puzzle. I legit fell in love with characters I couldn't even see, feeling like my actions had a huge impact on their evolving lives.

The only sore spot is the sometimes arbitrary restrictions on where some items HAVE to be placed. Sometimes it has a logic to it, but other times telling me "The coffee mug can't go on THAT table" just feels like it restricts creativity.

Also, the end credits song is one of the best pieces of original music in gaming history. So adorable.