It’s that time of year again – the nights are drawing in and we’re already sick to the back teeth of hearing about bloody Christmas, but on the bright side the Survivor Series is just around the corner and the latest WWE game has arrived on Xbox 360 and PS3.

With Take Two Interactive acquiring the WWE license from THQ earlier this year, developers 2K Sports have only had seven or eight months to put together this year’s game. The latest launch trailer seems to highlight a handful of possible shortcomings, but at the same time it presents us with an enticing look at some of the new features that are on offer.

The much-hyped “30 Years Of Wrestlemania” mode is 2K14’s trump card. Taking its cues from the history of WWE’s annual specatacular mega-event, the single player mode invites gamers to take part in over 45 matches taken from three decades’ worth of iconic wrestling moments.

At least one match is included from every single Wrestlemania event, and each match includes historical objectives for players to complete. Fingers crossed for Sgt. Slaughter having to choke out Hulk Hogan with one of the camera leads at

Wrestlemania 7… The huge amount of matches on offer truly means there’s truly something for everyone – older fans will be able to relive some of their favourite memories, and with video packages introducing each one there’s a fascinating history

lesson in store for younger players.

The nostalgia doesn’t end there though – it even extends to the actual arenas, with each one being reproduced as faithfully as possible from their real-life counterparts. As far as presentation goes, 2K seem to have done an amazing job with the short time that was available to them.

They’ve also made a sterling effort with the roster, using the Wrestlemania theme to include over 80 Superstars from wrestling’s past and present. Current top stars like Randy Orton, CM Punk and John Cena are joined by new faces The Shield, Damien Sandow and the Prime Time Playas, with additional current wrestlers to be released as DLC in the near future. The real treat here though is the “retro legends” section – we

don’t want to spoil anything, but let’s just say it’s difficult to come up with any true “dream matches” that you won’t be able to play out in the game with this roster of stars.

WWE 2K14 sees the return of Universe Mode which has had a minor facelift since last years game, as well as an expanded character creation suite and a new “Defeat The Streak” mode where players are challenged with defeating The Undertaker at Wrestlemania. Even though the graphics could possibly have done with a little more polish, and there haven’t been any major changes to the gameplay so it still plays the same as the last few entries in the series, WWE 2K14 certainly appears to be the total package as far as fan service goes. Anyone up for a bit of Wrestlemania 30 fantasy booking?

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