There are four key issues with this game which lead me to not recommend this game:

1 - Performance: even after months of patches the performance of this game on PC is subpar. Matches feel choppy with sluggish pacing. My first two matches were unplayable due to incredibly slow performance. I had to drastically reduce the graphics settings to get any decent performance in matches. My rig consists of a GTX 1070 and a Ryzen 5 2600X processor. This rig is more than capable of running this game, which leads to me to believe the game is poorly optimised.

2 - Controller Restrictions: this game shipped with the ability to change controls for keyboard users which is much appreciated, but where are the options for people using a controller. Most people who purchase this game are going to use a controller because games like this are built with controllers in mind. This begs the question, why are controller users limited to one control scheme? There is no option to remap the controls or to use an alternative control scheme. Not providing these key settings limits the user to the default control scheme.

3 - Controller Scheme: with this new edition to the franchise, the developers decided to drastically change the control scheme for controller users. This was an unnecessary change and has made playing this game on an Xbox controller objectively worse. Key controls for reversals, signatures, finishers, paybacks and dragging opponents were changed to button combinations that make playing the game incredibly cumbersome. For example, to perform a finisher in 2K19 all you had to do was press Y, but now you have to press X + A, making what was a simple process in the previous game slightly more difficult in the new game.

4 - Character Models: some of the character models seem incredibly rushed. Models for superstars like Roman Reigns feel polished, but models for other superstars seem to lack quality control. For example, I was playing a match with Elias in it, while his entrance was playing out I had to witness one of the most wonky set of facial animations. The eyes on Elias looked demented and deranged and his teeth were unnaturally white. The taunt audio with certain superstars are out of sync with the superstar animations.

Conclusion: this game is still a long way away from being a polished, well performing game which I can recommend anyone purchasing even at low sale prices. I'd recommend skipping this instalment and waiting for next years.