"Best Wrestling Game.... Ever?"

Introduction: Currently it is 3 A.M. I have been playing WWF No Mercy for at least 5 hours straight now. I must admit, I am not even that much of a wrestling fan. I actually have not started really watching it until recently. In fact, the first wrestling game that I played (besides the infamous Tecmo Word Wrestling for NES) is the reason why I have become a fan. This game was WCW/NWO Revenge. After reading that WWF No Mercy uses the same grappling engine as Wrestlemania 2000 and WCW/NWO Revenge, I knew that I had to get this game (I did not own WCW/NWO Revenge, but recalled countless hours of gaming bliss at my friend's house--the 4 player tag team match in which I would dominate with 1 of 2 characters: Chris Benoit or Rey Mysterio Jr.) Now, after purchasing this game three days ago and playing it to death, I can honestly say that I am still just as interested in playing it as before--It is that good. This game takes the genre of wrestling games, and elevates the standards to a new level (at least in my opinion.) The Following is a review of this wonderful, addictive game.

Graphics: Wow. This is really Impressive. The graphics in this game are some of the best I have seen on the N64. The graphics are crystal clear, and well done. Unfortunately, there are some flaws that I must point out. For one, the women's arms seem to pop out of the sockets completely when they are grabbed sometimes (I know this is a bit picky, but hey, that is what a review is for.) Secondly, the opening movies seem too stretched out, and would have been better if they were playing on the actual screen in the game, and not full-screen scenes. And Third, the shadows were not done very well. Otherwise, this game is incredible. The rings are incredibly detailed. The Crowd, although not amazing, is very adequate. The environments in this game are very nice. Whether it be the ring, the parking lot, the bar, the boiler room, all of the environments are very well put together. Weapons look very nice as well. The Wrestlers, although they have blocky shoulders, are still very nice and resemble their real life counterparts.
-9/10

Music and Sound: Not Much to say here. I actually turned off the BGM because it reduces slowdown. The sound is pretty basic for fighting, although the sound they used for submission holds (the stretching sound) was a pretty nice touch. Character themes have been put into this game, and add a lot to it. It was a very nice touch to have theme songs playing as people strut down the walkway, as they do in real-life wrestling. These songs are actually pretty decent quality, and I was pretty amazed they jammed them all onto this cart. Although they have many individual themes, the sound and music in this game are still nothing more than decent.
-7/10

Gameplay: This is probably the part of the review you were looking for. This game, as I stated above, uses basically the same Grappling system as in WCW/NWO Revenge and Wrestlemania 2000. In case you have never played these games, this system allows for beginners to get into this game quickly, but still allows veteran players to show their skill. The Controls were developed very well, and nothing seems uncomfortable with the controller. Players use simple taps of buttons to grapple with, execute throws and pins, hit, reverse, or dodge other players. One thing that I really noticed, which is a definite improvement over the old engine was that Joystick does not get you out of submissions anymore! I remember many times in Revenge when a devastating submission special would amount to nothing because your opponent was tapping the joystick. This Problem was fixed. The added modes (ladder, etc.) are very fun and really add to the game. And some of the specials are amazing! I was very impressed that they got Scotty Too Hotty's Too Cool Special in the game! My Only Gripe: SLOWDOWN! Although it is not unbearable, the pace of the game gets very slow in matches involving 4 people. 2-3 people are fine, but ones there are four wrestlers on the screen at once, the game slows down a lot. This detracts from the fun a little bit, but the game is still an amazing multi-player one. The single player 'Championship Mode' is amazing with multiple belts to go for, each with a branching story line... very Impressive. If only the game didn't suffer from slowdown :(
-9.5/10

Bells & Whistles: What makes this game stand above the rest? What extra quirks allow for this game to be this good? 2 things come to mind. Smackdown Mall, and Create-a-Wrestler. The Create-a-Wrestler in this game is amazing, and easy to use. As you read this, I am currently winning the Heavy Weight Championship with Mr. Satan, my light weight, high flyer who can do lots of damage :) There is an incredible amount of options and appearances you can cycle through (almost endless!), with even more stuff to buy for your characters at the Smackdown mall. This game will keep you playing for hours if you want to get everything, and will be fun the whole way through!
-10/10

Overall Score (NOT AN AVERAGE): 9/10

Final Word: This Game is a definite must own for any N64 owner. If you are not a fan of wrestling, you may want to rent it, but be warned, this game is incredible. In fact, it is one of the reasons that I have become a wrestling fan. This is the best Wrestling game to date! Buy it!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/24/00, Updated 11/24/00