WWF No Mercy

"A much improved WM2K with a truckload of new features!"

WWF No Mercy is a continuance of the popular line of AKI released wrestling games, including the most recent WWF Wrestlemania 2000. This is definitely the best of the on-going series, although a few minor flaws prevent it from having the huge impact that something like WCW / nWo World had on the gaming world. The game is a huge step up from the previous titles, including over 50 wrestlers, many different arenas, a backstage area, a much improved career mode, all new match types (like ladder matches and iron man matches), a great CAW system and so much more. Lets get started!
Hey, this is also my first review! It may seem unprofessional at points... bare with me.

Graphics:
9/10

Obviously one of the high points of the game. Comparing it to the graphics of WM2K, it is a drastic improvement. In WM2K there was a truckload of graphic glitches throughout, like floating limbs and such, but it has all been fixed in this game. The wrestlers look so realistic that sometimes if you switch from the game to a WWF match, it is so surprisingly similar that it is hard to believe all the effort that was put in to the game. The textures of the costumes look good as well, especially those of the main characters. They are exactly like the trademark outfits that you would see on TV.
For the arenas, they have also improved a great deal. Instead of cheesy 2D cut outs like we saw in WM2K and Revenge, they have now come in to total 3D, making the areas look much more improved. The backroom areas, most notably the ramp ways, are spectacularly done, with tons of detail put into the sprites. The weapons as well have also improved, looking more real than you would expect in a game.
However, there are a few, if somewhat minor flaws that have remained the same throughout the series. The first one is that the crowd is still a bunch of cut out cardboards. That really doesn’t make a difference though, as there are many different cutouts holding many different signs.
Another flaw that has remained the same since WM2K is the Titantron videos!! Usually consisted of something like 5 frames and many multi colored flashes that could give somebody a seizure, these are grainy and overwhelmingly annoying in most cases, and basically don't add to the game at all. They don't detract a whole lot from it, though.

In a nutshell:
Pluses: Outstanding wrestler rendering, and amazing arena and weapons sprites.
Minuses: Cheesy crowd and poor entrance videos.

Sound Effects/Music:
8/10

While music is not a high point in wrestling games, No Mercy makes it part of the game anyways, which is a good thing. The ''original soundtracks'' are catchy and well done, although somewhat repetitive at times. There is also a plethora of entrance themes in the game, which are slightly better than the poor grade videos, but still lacking at points, like scratchy sound. Oh well, it’s an N64 game. They tried and they still got a decent sound track. The sound effects in this game are still, like all the other AKI wrestlers, lacking. Although they have improved (better sounds when hitting people, excellent explosions, good table cracking), there are still no announcers or anything of the like, making it drift away from the late WWF Attitude. Also, when your opponent is in danger and you lock on a submission hold, they make very gimped, monotone sounds that sound like injured dogs.

Pluses: Catchy sound tracks, improved entrance music, fair sound effects.
Minuses: Lack of announcers, multiple annoying sound effects.

Gameplay:
9.5/10

This is definitely the defining feature of the whole series. The controls are very simplistic and easy to learn, making it a fun and enjoyable experience for newbies and pros alike. It initiates a system of basic strikes and grapples, though all of the grapples' animations are unique and entertaining, with differing power levels as well to make each character unique. Also, the controls themselves are very responsive, making use of the whole controller (sans the Z button.), including a use of both the control stick and the control pad. The unique moves and animations are certainly astounding. There is something like over 300(+) unique moves and animations for countering and executing them on your opponents. There have been new additions to NM since WM2K, along with old favorites, like Stings Death Drop, Hall's Outsiders Edge, Goldberg's Jackhammer, etc. The previously said statement is what spills over into the rest of the game, making it constantly unique and exciting. There are well over 10 modes of play, including all sorts of single matches (1 on 1, 2 on 1, Three Way, Fatal Four Way) and the returning cage matches and Royal Rumbles, that haven't changed from WM2K (and that is not a bad thing mind you). But new improved matches, such as Iron Man Matches (Set a time limit, and win over opponents as much as possible during the set time), being able to fight in backrooms (such of these include places like the ramp, the locker room with a breakable table, a parking lot where you can climb into a truck and fight, the APA sports bar with a breakable pool table, and a boiler room), and of course the new ladder match. They put a lot of work into the ladder match, although don't expect on re-creating the TLC-esque matches or the ladder matches between the Dud/Hardyz/E&C. You can pick up the ladder, whack your opponent with it, do your special off the top of it (one memorable moment I had was when I was my created guy with the Stardust Press / Phoenix Splash on the top of the ladder, the other guy was on the announce table and I was about to waste him with it, until he stood up and I hit the table. It didn't break though :( ), and also do your grapple moves onto the ladder for supposedly extra damage. You can also knock over the ladder when somebody else is on it, which is pretty cool as they take extra damage.
The next aspect is of the revamped Create-A-Wrestler (CAW) system. It has somewhat improved from WM2K, allowing you with around 100 faces, many body types, hair types and colors, costumes, weapons, and many more things to make a character unique and interesting. However, one thing that does annoy me with the CAW system is that it does not allow you to change permanent wrestlers Ally / Enemy standings, and it is quite annoying to see Trish still come out with Test to the ring.
Another mode that has improved so much is the career mode. You may choose a path to get a certain belt, and then you can go through the whole thing, while not only fighting matches, but listening to the storylines that come with it, which really is a revolutionary bonus: no other wrestling game thus far has had such an elaborate story mode. During the Career mode you also get WWF Dollars, which are used to be spent at the Smackdown! Mall, allowing you to buy new attire, wrestlers, moves, etc. There is also a brand new ''Survival Mode'', a grand Royal Rumble that makes you eliminate 100 characters for big WWF dollars and secret characters.
All of the above said was the positive points about No Mercy's game play. Now I will mention a few of the very infinitesimal negative points of the game. For one thing, the AI on the hardest difficulty is very good for a challenge. However, it gets really frustrating at points when you are at the top of your Attitude Meter (getting ''SPECIAL!'' - being ready to do a special move) and having your opponent at the lowest he can get (DANGER!) and then you do a strike or a grapple and he counters it. This has to be the main thing that deducted the .5 from the Game play is that they counter you too much. That’s my major miff about the gameplay. There are also some things that annoyed me, like people of the same tag team not coming out with each other, having a $500,000 Ho at the Smack down Mall, a *very* limited quantity of masks (I wanted to make Hayabusa but I couldn’t... no good masks.) and some choppy storylines, but these are very minor annoyances that will not affect gameplay.

One more note: This game is a GameShark bonanza, being able to create new matches if you have the hacking power!

Pluses: Tried, tested and true method of gameplay, easy control, much improved story mode, great CAW system, many modes of play, ladder match is awesome as well.
Minuses: Too often counter attacking from the computers sometimes, and some very minor miffs as you may see above. But these are very small and do not effect gameplay.

Replay Value:
10/10

There is definitely no possible way that this game could get repetitive over the time you play the championship modes, because they differ greatly from each one. If you get 100% on each one and are still somehow bored, then play the exhibition mode to your hearts content! There is many ways that you can do a match. Also, the CAW system never gets tired, and keeping up with the WWF and making the new characters is challenging as well. There is also the Smackdown! Mall, so you could spend your days doing the infinite Survival mode to eliminate all the opponents and get mucho money to get the Ho or the $800(00) shirt, or any of the other things there.

Buy or Rent?

Most certainly a buy if you are a wrestling fan, and if you aren't a wrestling fan or haven't tried the series yet, still go ahead and rent it to try - after one time you will quite possibly enjoy it and want to play it over and over due to the elaborate set up - it is great fun.
I was actually going to give this game an 8.5 out of 10, but then i realized that you can't the decimals, so .5 rounds up, doesn't it? ;)

So go ahead, make a character, smash the championship modes and then go to the exhibitions - it will keep you occupied for days, weeks, months... you'll have a ball.
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Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/25/01, Updated 03/25/01