>>13726047The gameplay is different and not as intuitive in some ways. You will likely need to tweak the gameplay sliders to suit your style. Thankfully there's a ton of customization in the game. You can change gameplay settings (strength of submissions, impact of stamina, et. al.), but you can also change the AI tendencies for each wrestler on an individual level. This level of control is awesome if you're trying for a more realistic style in how a particular wrestler would work a match. And of course you can edit the stats of any wrestler too (strength, speed, durability of each body part, recovery time, et. al.). The CAW options are well beyond what we had in No Mercy too. And we can create our own arenas too.
As for the modes in the game, they aren't as good as No Mercy in my opinion. The match types are varied and some are really fun (such as Royal Rumble), but the "story" mode (My Rise) is ass. Far too linear and restrictive. WrestleMania Showcase is even more restrictive and includes cutscenes from matches but without crowd noise or original commentary so it literally ruins it. GM mode is fun but you don't get enough freedom. Universe mode has tons of freedom but feels like a play box not really a fully fleshed mode.
So it's a mixed bag. But the customizability is a big selling factor along with the match types and the matches themselves. You may spend more time in exhibitions than universe mode et. al. Though.
That said I need to play more GM and Universe since I haven't played as much this year. I'm extrapolating based on the little I played so far and from 2k23. YMMV
Pro-tip: get it for PC. Mods are incredible and can add more to the game, such as custom entrance themes, new wrestlers you can't get as CAWs, and new arenas not possible to make in game.
