WWE 2K19

WWE 2K19 is a rebound in the right direction, but it is held back by many long-standing issues.

While not much has changed between the ropes, WWE 2K19 gives you more reasons to play by featuring a plethora of new modes and content.

A spectacular throwback to the era when wrestling games were must-own. Add live – or even quarterly – updates to 2K20 and it'll be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

The quality of any given WWE 2K game is a gamble year to year, but 2K19 manages to claw its way up from being buried alive by the travesty of last year's entry. Daniel Bryan's Showcase is a clear highlight as are the mostly welcome mechanical changes. Here's hoping they don't regress again in 2019.

WWE 2K19 hasn't changed much at its core, but the smaller alterations to the overall package make it a vastly more enjoyable experience to previous instalments. Introducing a proper story to MyCareer gives players an actual reason to play it this year and it's a genuinely engaging experience. The increased depth of the player creation suite means each superstar feels different from the next, while quality of life improvements in Universe will be music to the ears of diehard fans. All of this adds up to make WWE 2K19 the best entry of this long-running series.

Is WWE 2K19 championship material? Not quite, but developers Yuke's and Visual Concepts have made some important strides in the right direction. WWE 2K19 hulks up with some smart new mechanics, a well-produced Daniel Bryan Showcase, and a much-improved MyCareer mode. Does the game still suffer from some in-ring issues and a general lack of polish? Yes, but WWE 2K19 feels like it might just be the first chapter of an inspiring comeback story.

There's no doubt that WWE 2K19 is the best series offering of this generation.

WWE 2K19 rises above its ridiculous grinding requirements and bugs to deliver an otherwise high quality professional wrestling experience with plenty of content.

2K19 may not be the best wrestling game in WWE franchise but it provides players with a decent enough wrestling simulation that they will be appeased for the current year.

For all you wrestling fans out there I would seriously consider having WWE 2K19 on your Christmas list as it is great for both solo and multiplayer gaming, just what you need in the festive period.