When there’s a sign during one of the matches in this showcase that says “Load the Spaceship with the Rocket Fuel,” you know the folks at 2K had their heart in the right place when putting together the latest content for WWE 2K15. I kind of figured that this DLC showcase was shaping up to be the best of the three, and that’s certainly the case. While it still suffers from some gameplay quirks and a short playtime (around two hours), it’s got some fun matches that are filled with entertaining historical spots. If you were around during this era of wrestling — or if you appreciate the cartoon wackiness that it brought — then you’ll have a good time with the “Path of the Warrior” DLC.

Over the course of eight matches, you’ll relieve some of the Warrior’s most memorable moments, including his title victory over Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania VI as well as the “career vs. career” match against Macho Man Randy Savage. The developers have done a good job of summarizing the high points of the Warrior’s career, and they even manage to tie it back into the modern era with his “comeback” match against HHH at Wrestlemania XII. Honestly, when I was looking at everything, it’s truly fan service done in the right way, as it has fun with that era of wrestling and allows new fans to connect with iconic characters that they may only know in passing.

Things do start a bit strangely, as the first match is a total squash for the Intercontinental Title against the Honkey Tonk Man. It’s great to see HTM in there, but then the match itself is just two or three QTE sequence. I know some of the Warrior’s matches were quite short, but it is funny to have one of the eight “matches” complete in like 15 seconds. Things do improve from there, though, as there are plenty of hilarious, entertaining and dynamic sequences in subsequent bouts. The “career vs. career” match is probably the highlight, with some great spots, including Macho’s repeated elbows off the top rope.

That particular fight does prove slightly annoying for those who want to seek out historical objectives, as there are several cutscenes and QTEs in the match (all well done), and some of them come back into gameplay when you’re being pinned or are quite vulnerable. Some of the later sequences in that match can be tough, and you’ll have to replay the entire match if you want all of the unlockables. It’s good to have replay value, but some of that seemed like kind of a big swing in difficulty. Still, the concept for the match is really fun.

Just the same, the “Body Bag Match” against the Undertaker is entertaining, with some goofy sequences involving the body bag and the great old school costume for Taker. The match against Rick Rude in a steel cage is nicely cinematic too, with some dramatic moments involving climbing the cage and the Warrior using the cage as a weapon. There’s also the “Triangle of Terror” angle, with Macho Man and Hulk Hogan teaming up against turncoat Sgt. Slaughter, Col. Mustafa and General Adnan. All of the costuming and presentation for these matches is terrific, and the folks at 2K have done about as much as they can to transport you back there in videogame form.

I always love when they recreate promos or historical sequences in the engine, and they do a good job of some of that here. It’s fun seeing virtual Honkey Tonk Man call out someone to fight for his belt, and having virtual Sensational Sherri present during the career match also helps bring you back in time. There always could be more of this, but this showcase has way more than either the Mark Henry showcase or the “One More Match” offering.

Gameplay, as you might expect, is quite familiar, with many matches requiring you to go on the offensive quite quickly in order to avoid some late-match screwjobs. By building up a stamina and life lead, you’ll always be in control of the situation (except against Macho). Reversals still happen a little too often for my liking — they’re sort of predictably unpredictable — but it does infuse some drama into certain matches when you kick out of a near fall. A lot of these bouts are filled with QTEs and cinematic moments, which makes sense for the character, as the Warrior was never a tremendous worker. He could move around reasonably well, and got better as his career went on, but he was more of a cartoon character, a la Hogan.

I did find it interesting that they addressed the Ultimate Warrior being inducted into the Hall of Fame and passing away shortly after, and they conclude things with a shot from his final promo on RAW. It’s one of those touches that’s appropriate and a little weird at the same time, based on what we all know about the business, but it’s honestly done quite well.
 

This showcase works as a standalone experience much better than the first two because it is drawing off of actual history (not something that happened two years ago) and has lots of fun characters to work with. Credit to 2K for actually licensing people like Rick Rude, Sensational Sherri, Psycho Sid, Honkey Tonk Man and others in order to make this mode work. The arc actually makes sense in some ways, showing the character as someone who disrupted the Hogan era and ran a streak through many opponents. While I am sad that they didn’t have more fun with Warrior’s insane promo style, I’m glad that there is evidence of some actual effort in this showcase.

Pros: Solid storyline that honours the character; entertaining historical spots; fun guest/unlockable characters

Cons: A bit on the short side; some gameplay annoyances

Verdict: This is by far the best of the three showcases, and it’s pretty easy to recommend as a standalone purchase to those who want a fun nostalgia trip.