doesn't make any big, drastic changes, but its smart gameplay tweaks have revitalized match types I'd ignored the past few years. I really miss 2K Showcase, and 2K17 is still weak in areas that I feel should have been shored up by now, but its excellent combat, and generous amounts of customization...

I'll admit that when I was younger, I absolutely loved watching pro wrestling. The pageantry, the athleticism, the larger-than-life characters; it was hard not to be completely drawn in by it all.

WWE 2K17 is the latest entry in the annual franchise and is a bit of a mixed bag. There is a MyCareer mode that you can sink your teeth into where you start at the WWE Performance Center and work your way up the ranks.

It's that time of year again where WWF – sorry, I mean WWE – hounds grab their copies of the latest wrestling game from a company so big it has bought and absorbed its competition. Welcome to Suplex City where most of the moves your character can do are, in fact, suplexes!

A definite step in the right direction. A sense of nostalgia with it's Here Comes the Pain style backstage action, with RPG style elements

S! A! W! F! T! You are logged out. Login | Sign up You can actually cut promos in MyCareer, which is a cool idea that would hypothetically allow you to flesh out your custom wrestler.

Another year and another WWE 2K game. This one is better than last years, comes with more wrestlers than you can shake a kendo stick at and plays very well. The options for customising the game and characters is great and you could spend more time creating than actually playing.

Last year's WWE 2K16 is a tough act to follow, having substantially built upon the barebones foundation set by the first current-gen pro wrestling game. There was definitely room for improvement though, but between the plethora of little details and the Showcase Mode, it was a great experience for...

Great wrestling game

Over the past few years, the WWE 2K series has implemented numerous fixes and changes to improve the wrestling action. One of the most important additions is undoubtedly the counter gauge. Blocking a punch or reversing a grab costs a portion of the meter.