With the return of 2K Games' WWE series comes the return of one of the most-wanted modes in wrestling game history: GM Mode. In previous installments, the feature allowed players to step into the role of general manager to book shows and try to get better ratings than the other WWE programs. Renamed MyGM, WWE 2K22 attempts to bring back the beloved mode and give it a huge facelift. 2K Games gave us an early look at this mode, and while it is a success in many ways, it left us wanting more.

　　In WWE 2K22 MyGM, you are tasked with becoming the general manager of Raw, Smackdown, NXT, or NXT UK. You play as Stephanie McMahon, Shane McMahon, William Regal, Sonya DeVille, Adam Pearce, or a created wrestler--the latter option was not available for us during our time with the mode. You and a rival compete by booking your shows to gain a bigger audience.

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　　Now Playing: WWE 2K22 MyGM First Look Gameplay

　　The audience watching your show demands certain things. They want a great opening match, a lower-rated mid-card match, and a great closing match, along with various promos. Within these matches, you need to have a Rule Breaker and Fan Favorite fight each other. Popularity levels come into effect, and so do various wrestling styles--giants and cruiserweights put on a good match for example, but giants vs. specialists do not. There are also rivalries between wrestlers that can be built up throughout the weeks. However, you'll have to watch out for the wrestlers' stamina because if it gets too low, they can become injured.

　　In order to put on a good show, the show has to look good, too. You can choose between various upgrades for the arena, as well as lighting, pyro, backstage crew, and advertising for the show. Choosing higher levels will give your overall show a boost, but it will cost you, and the money you spend here could take away from signing new superstars or spending money on gimmick matches, so you have to budget carefully. Additionally, there are power cards to keep track of, which give you a boost for every show, the ability to veto the other show from using certain wrestlers, or discounts on weekly expenditures. Compared to previous incarnations of this mode, MyGM does a great job at explaining to the player how to be successful. It does take some time to learn these mechanics though.

　　There are three areas where this mode is really lacking: number of matches, match types, and titles. There are only two titles available for your wrestlers to battle for: men's and women's championships. So if you have hopes of giving your favorite tag team the gold, think again. And each non-PPV event only has three matches on the card, while PPVs have four. Adding one more match--or the option to at least--to each show and PPV would make the mode feel a bit more full and allow you to utilize more of your roster. Finally, you can only choose between one-on-one and two-on-two tag matches. From there, you can choose various match stipulations like Hell in a Cell, TLC, etc, but no triple threat, fatal fourway, and so on.

　　These limitations are a tad frustrating, but what makes things even worse is the push by the game to do more tag matches. Why? Having more tag matches in the game won't make a team #1 contenders for the tag titles because they don't exist here. So when you receive weekly emails from Triple H and other wrestlers asking to be put into tag matches, what's the incentive to do so other than the hope it will fit into the mold of a good show? Tag teams can have rivalries, but without a goal outside of "beat up the people you don't like" tag teaming as a whole feels hollow.

　　Due to the low number of matches each week, a few wrestlers on your roster will become benchwarmers, and you'll never have a chance to put them into a good match or rivalry, unless you need cannon fodder for a tag team match Triple H demands you book. That part feels all too real for WWE programming.

　　The rivalry system has been completely revamped and streamlined. Rivalries don't fizzle and die if they're not on your program each and every week--rivalries can be started and advanced by run-ins, call-out promos, or sometimes, even during matches. You can find which wrestlers are in a rivalry when selecting people for a match, as each rivalry is prominently listed on the character's card. This means you no longer have to back out three menus to find rivalries like in previous incarnations of this feature.

　　WWE 2K22's MyGM Mode is a huge facelift. Previous versions featured a lot of text on screen for booking matches, whereas MyGM uses images of the wrestlers you're choosing and features a good-looking overall design and easy-to-navigate UI. It's easily the best-looking version of GM Mode to date, and the best-looking feature in a WWE game to date.

　　However, MyGM feels like an appetizer rather than a main course, and it's not going to fill you up. That may not be as big of an issue as it sounds, because it's just one of the many modes in WWE 2K22. That being said, MyGM is an entertaining return to the franchise that has extremely high replayability.

　　To hear more about MyGM, check out this week's episode of Wrestle Buddies, GameSpot's professional wrestling podcast. This week, Chris E. Hayner and Mat Elfring breakdown their playthrough of MyGM and hit on the hits and misses for the mode.

　　WWE 2K22 releases on March 11, 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X.

　　Mat Elfring on Google+