Similar to "General Manager Mode". 4/5.

[Professor Hardknocks]

This game is similar to "General Manager Mode" in some of the WWE Games. The universe in-game is not the "real" universe however some mods exist introducing the 1970's, 1980's, 1990's, and even current day rosters and timelines.

The game is very complex and has a steep learning curve. When creating a new company, you create your audience which determines what kind of TV networks will host your PPV's or weekly shows. You book every single event. Do you just run one PPV every 2 months or do you just do a couple of tours a year? Or are you a national promotion with a major televised show?

You are fighting for ratings, but superstars are fighting for money. You negotiate their contracts, handle their booking and they might refuse to do work they don't like. Wrestlers, TV Networks, Promotions can all be created. Wrestlers have attitudes that make them more likely or less likely to hardball and refuse to job - or be the company man.

The game can take a while to play because setting up 5-6 matches + 3-4 promo shows 1-2 times a week + 1 ppv a month is daunting and the game doesn't remember the selection of last events when you are creating a new event. You also can't auto-generate matches, promo's, skits or cards based on the active feuds.

You can mod every single property very easily. Once you learn the game mechanics a bit, you are in full control of how you play.

I give this 4 out of 5. It is well worth the price if you like Wrestling Games and want to specifically play a game focused entirely on GM Mode. There are mods for every major era, promotions, wrestlers, arenas, networks, titles, everything you can think of.

[suksas]

Is the learning curve steeper the Crusader Kings 2?

[Professor Hardknocks]

Originally posted by suksas:

Is the learning curve steeper the Crusader Kings 2?

I will err on the side of yes, if not very close to the same. Unlike in CK2, you have a fully unlocked Edit Mode. Most people probably aren't gonna wanna play some fantasy Wrestling Universe with the defaulted options. To this, players will go changing every piece of content until the game is fully custom to their liking.

The good news is the information is consistent. Wrestlers take injuries for more dangerous match types. Some wrestlers recover better than others. Some types of matches depending on theme and risk (comedy match, hardcore match, death match, standard match, etc) appeal to some audiences but not others. So the information about injuries, match risk, audiences, all information is consistent with itself.

If you are content to jump in, grab a fun looking promotion and press play, it might feel like learning CK2 because there isn't much in-game help.