WCW/nWo Thunder

"Look up bad game in the dictionary and you'll see a picture of this."

THQ must have been in a real hurry to get a few wrestling games down our throat in a very short period of time. WCW Thunder was released a comparatively short time after WCW Nitro when you measure it up against other series’ and because of this the game seems to be very rushed. There have been so many details skipped over that it’s actually a decrease in quality over its prequel. The developers were obviously in such a big hurry they forgot something important, actually making the game good.

The graphics of the game are a joke. All of the wrestlers have a blocky shape and a grainy appearance, you can tell which one of the wrestlers you’re controlling but only barely, and from here on it just gets worse. All of the crowds look ridiculous, the shapes up in the stands resemble human beings on no way, there’s just a whole lot of shades of black and grey tossed together.
The ring looks very cramped and has no detail at all except a little wimpy logo in the centre, there’s practically no room for you to move around in. When there is a wrestler outside the ring the camera moves back to a ridiculous distance making it impossible for you to see, let alone control the action.
There are very few games to match the slowdown found in this one, if there is more than two wrestlers on the screen then the game will slow down to a ridiculous pace and become all jerky. The only aspect of the graphics even semi-reasonable are the movie sequences for each wrestler, but they’re not long enough to distract anyone from the otherwise shocking visuals.
Overall, the graphics were a very poor effort and it’s blatantly obvious that there was a tiny amount of work put into them, the whole wrestling atmosphere is marred by these poor visuals. There are few games that are graphically inferior to their prequels, but this is surely one of them.

The sound is just as bad. In every single game of every single mode there is just the same background tune, it’s whiny, repetitive, electric guitar based music. This music, no matter what your tastes may be, is guaranteed to get on your nerves after one session at the game (which is probably all you’ll want anyway). The sound effects are used and sound badly, the punches and kicks sound like you’re slapping a piece of cement with a large bit of fish and the various other moves bear an uncanny resemblance to the sound of a dog chewing on a bone.
The commentary is used terribly, the only thing you’ll hear Tony and Bobby shout are things like “Hogan is getting tired! PILE DRIVER! Oh no, a surprise attack!” The commentary could have been used a lot better and just hearing the names of the various moves and the stating of the obvious gets very old very quickly.
Overall, the audio features show the same tardiness that is so blatantly obvious throughout the visuals and the rest of the game. If you’ve got the nerve to play Thunder then turning the volume ALL the way down will definitely result in an increase in enjoyment (that’s if you’re having any in the first place).

The gameplay is just an absolute joke. There are just so many annoying features contained in this game that’ll make you scream in anger. The modes offered in these game are unoriginal and each of them adds no longevity to the game, along with the normal single games there’s a cage match, battle royal (which is barely playable due to the slowdown), and various title tournaments, at the completion of each tournament a new secret character is unlocked, this is the only reason at all to play Thunder for a prolonged period of time.
The moves offered are slow in execution and look pathetic, they’re filled with glitches and look terrible when they’re pulled off. It gets so bad that sometimes if a move is pressed in, the attacker will just stand still in the ring looking stupid whilst the opponent is thrown through the air and dealt damage. Everything just seems like it was made by a group of amateurs.
The controls are some of the most confusing to be found in any game, if a rookie picks up the game then the only moves they’ll be able to do are simple punching and kicking. To be able to use the moves, the whole list will have to be memorised, and this is a bad mistake on behalf of the developers.
This game is generally a nightmare to play, there is not a single redeeming feature to be found anywhere that might keep someone even slightly entertained. I hope someone got fired over this one.

The replay value of Thunder ranges somewhere between little and none. Wrestle one match and you’ve wrestled ‘em all. Those with stronger stomachs might brave the task of unlocking secret characters, but it’s a lot safer for the gamers health just to use the cheat for this task. The only mode worth a good look is the Battle Royal mode, but only if you can put up with the atrocious slowdown.

Challenge? Huh? Once you’ve learnt how to perform all of the moves then the game is as simple as it comes. The only people that could get a decent challenge out of Thunder would be those in the age bracket of five and under. Even on hard mode the game is a pushover, but at least once you’ve finished it you’ll have a good excuse never to play it again in your life.

The fun factor, just like the amount of challenge, is virtually non-existent. The only enjoyment that a person could get out of this game is when they realise that the disc has a huge scratch on the bottom and doesn’t work, or if the week you’ve borrowed the game for is finished.
Only the absolute BIGGEST wrestling fans and no one else, have a chance of getting some fun out of Thunder. Be warned, this game has the ability to make you hate your friends, your family, yourself and especially anyone associated with the game. It has the power.

Overall, WCW/NWO Thunder is one of the most poorly put together Playstation titles that can be found today. Only those who specialise in self-torture need apply here. If you feel you must own a wrestling game then find ANY game other than this one, each of them do everything better than Thunder and they’re all a much more worthy purchase.
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GOOD POINTS
- I honestly cannot find a single one. I searched for a number of hours to find zero redeeming factors.

NOT SO GOOD POINTS
- The graphics
- The sound
- The gameplay
- The lifespan, the fun factor, the challenge.
- Everything else
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GRAPHICS – 4/10
SOUND – 2/10
GAMEPLAY – 3/10
LIFESPAN – 2/10
CHALLENGE – 2/10
FUN FACTOR – 1/10
OVERALL – 2/10

Reviewer's Score: 2/10, Originally Posted: 05/12/00, Updated 05/12/00