WWF No Mercy

"A great sequel to a great game"

Back in 1999, THQ released WWF Wrestlemania 2000, a great game that used the award winning grapple engine from WCW/nWo Revenge. THQ then announced they would be releasing a sequel, which would have all new modes, characters, and more. Does No Mercy live up to it's hype: YES

Graphics
The first thing you will probably notice is that the wrestlers look better than they did in WM2K. They still look kind of blocky, but not as much as in WM2K. The arenas have been updated, and they look excellent. The moves have been reanimated as well, so they look less ''robotic'' and more natural. The only real bad thing about the graphics are the TitanTrons. Like WM2K, the TitanTrons are basically pictures taken from the videos, that come up one after another. They are pretty bad looking, but it's not a big deal, because you can skip them. There's also some slowdown when there's 4 people on the screen, but it's not too much of a problem.
Score: 8/10

Sound
The sound is mostly the same. There's no commentary (like last year's game), but after a while, commentary gets repetitive, so it's not a problem. The sound effects sound just like the original. The wrestlers don't talk in this game, they have speech bubbles above their heads that has what they're saying. The wrestler's theme music has been slightly improved, but still sounds a little muffled.
Score: 8/10

Gameplay
This is where the game's strength is. In the ''Multi Play'' section, You can choose Single, Tag Team, Triple Threat, & Cage Matches, like the original, but can also play in 4 new match types: Ladder, Guest Referee, Handicap, & Iron Man Matches. Some matches, like Ladder Matches, can be played in tag team, handicap, and triple threat matches, as well as a normal Single match. You can also select a Royal Rumble and King of The Ring to compete in. In ''Single Play'', you can choose Championship Mode and Survival Mode. The Championship Mode is similar to Revenge, since you compete for different belts instead of WM2K's Road To Wrestlemania Mode, where you would wrestle through one year. The Championship Mode has one thing that most wrestling games lack: a story. For example. In your first match, you win the belt in the mode you selected. In one of your title defenses, the former champion interferes. Later, he ambushes you in the hall. All this leads up to a title match (also the final match in the mode), which you have 3 continues to try and beat. In order to get 100% for one paticular belt, you must go back and redo the quest for the belt. If you lose a match, you may open up a different storyline. The Survival Mode is like the Royal Rumble. You start out with 4 people in the ring, and you eliminate people by pinfall, submission, or being knocked out of the ring to the floor (the apron doesn't count). The only difference is that there's over 100 superstars that come out to try to eliminate the others. It's one of the ways of unlocking hidden characters, including a very ''large'' superstar from the 1980's.
Score: 10/10

Control
No Mercy uses the award winning grappling from WCW vs nWo: World Tour, WCW/nWo Revenge, & Wrestlemania 2000. Most people who have played these games will be able to play like a pro without even reading the manual. There are a few changes to the controls (throwing people out of the ring with C-Up, picking up weapons with C-Right), but it's not hard to get used to.
Score: 10/10

Story
Most games in this genre lack a story. It's normally just to win the championship. The game's Championship Mode is different. Like the WWF on TV, there's a storyline involving each belt. I've already given an example in the gameplay section. Eventually, the storyline builds up to a title match, between you, and any number of opponents.
Score: 9/10

Final Score: 9/10
Any wrestling fan should buy this game. They won't be disappointed.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/19/00, Updated 01/11/01