WCW/NWO Revenge

"Welcome to the world of tights, steroids and the staged beating of muscular men."

WCW/NWO Revenge

I remember the good ol’ days of WCW. It was never quite as risky as the WWF (now the WWE because that damn panda loving, tree hugging corporation that had the same name), but still some good entertainment nonetheless. There were some great performances put on for the fans that loved to see steroid-fueled men pretend to beat the living crap out of each other. Revenge captures this essence and puts it in your hands. Granted, there were many wrestling games released both before and after WCW/NWO Revenge, but none that were released prior to Revenge even came close to matching it. Revenge had a short-lived reign as the kingpin of wrestling games (because THQ cashed in with the WWF shortly after with WWF Wrestlemania 2000), but it still will hold a place in all wrestling fans’ hearts as the game that was both addicting and spectacularly fun at the same time.

Revenge was released during the NWO Wolfpack (lead by Kevin Nash) feud with the NWO Hollywood (lead by Hulk Hogan), so the game actually has the wrestlers broken up into their respective stables. You will find Konan, Kevin Nash, Sting, Lex Luger and the rest in the NWO Wolfpack stable, the NWO Hollywood members separated from them. The game even has Raven’s Flock as it’s own stable, which is great. The wrestlers not associated in a stable are divided amongst a few WCW stables. This separation of wrestlers makes the game more relatable to the current state of WCW (well, at least how it was when the game was released). There are so many wrestlers to choose from (there are even fake wrestlers added on to give the game more diversity in the gimmicks of the wrestlers).

The match types are not diverse at all, in fact there’s only about 2 different matches. The other selections you can make from the main menu just alter the amount of participants. Where the variation in the matches come is the ability to modify the match options. This can make it so the match can be a No Holds Barred match, or a First Blood match and so on. The other match type is the Battle Royal, where a set number of participants battle it out until only one is left (how they are eliminated is your decision).

The moves are very easy to execute, which gives the game more excitement and makes the gamer more energetic because they don’t have to do much to carry out a rather complex move. You first grapple an opponent (by pressing or holding the A button). Once in the grapple, using a direction on the D-Pad and either the A or B button, you do a move. The weak moves are separated from the powerful moves very sensibly. By simply tapping A, you get access to all of your weaker moves. By holding A, you perform a strong grapple and you are able to do all of your more powerful moves from this position. The ease in performing moves makes this game more appealing to those who don’t want to sit down and memorize movelists.

Unfortunately, this game has no story mode whatsoever. The mode in which you go on a quest for a championship is, coincidentally, called “Championship Mode.” What do you do in this riveting mode of play? Why, you face 9 or so random opponents of course! That’s right, you face opponent after opponent, therefore earning you a title shot. Original, eh? This disgusting Championship Mode brings the appeal for this game down. Of course in 1998, there wasn’t any demand for any Championship Mode that had deep storylines, but almost anything would be better than just facing random opponents in a row until you have a title match. A poor effort, to say the least.

There is no ''Create a Wrestler'' mode, which is extremely disappointing. Instead, we get a crappy ''Costume Change'' mode. OMG! If you put Goldberg in short, black tights he kinda looks like Steve Austin! Disappointing, to say the least.

The graphics are surprisingly decent for a game this old. True, the wrestlers aren’t great looking, but they look enough alike the actual people they represent. You can tell Kevin Nash from Juventud Guerrera (I know I spelled that wrong. Cut me some slack). The environment in which you wrestle in is pretty amazing. You can change the backdrop with various sets from the likes of WCW Nitro to Starrcade (and many other unique Pay Per View settings). Some arenas come with a different layout around the ring, which can be a little refreshing I guess.

The music in this game is dreadful. From the menu music to the music that drones on in the background of all the matches, you will get sick of the monotonous tunes…and fast. The sound in this game isn’t one of the strong points in this game.

Revenge is definitely a classic wrestling game to be enjoyed by both long time wrestling fans to gamers who like fighting games like this one. The gameplay is innovative, and WCW/NWO unquestionably beats WWF Warzone and WWF Attitude. THQ certainly made an extraordinary game, and you should definitely check it out.

Final Score: 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/29/03, Updated 03/29/03