The Best Wrestling Game On N64 And Quite Possibly The Best Game On N64. Nuff Said.
If you liked Wrestlemania 2000, you'll love No Mercy. The game is basically an updated WM 2000, with new wrestlers, new play modes, a better career mode and some new features too. Kurt Angle, Tazz, the Dudleys, Lita, Trish, the Kat, Steven Richards, Bull Buchanan, Linda McMahon and the Radicals all made the cut for this game, while The Big Show, surprisingly, did not. Guest referee and ladder matches are now available, and an announce table on the outside can be used to slam your opponent into or put him through. In the career mode, you choose a wrestler and a belt to pursue, and the storyline leads you into feuds with other wrestlers, their allies and even Vince McMahon, the boss who calls the shots. On occasion the battle takes place outside the ring - in a hallway or a bar. The roster is pretty recent, including two Right to Censor members, Undertaker as the American Bad Ass and Val Venis wearing his white trunks/white boots outfit. Up to four players can battle at once, though a tag team ladder match is not recommended - it's painfully slow.
Graphics : The same as Wrestlemania 2000, more or less. The polygon character design is identical, though the graphics used for some faces (most of the wrestlers from WM 2000, actually) are altered in some way. Every move looks incredibly realistic, with moves such as the Pedigree and Stunner recreated to perfection. When Chris Benoit delivers a German suplex, the opponent's legs sway back and forth slightly as the pin is counted. The out-of-ring areas, such as the pool hall, are decent enough. The only complaints are that some faces look less-than-impressive, and some clipping is still evident. The TitanTron videos, however, are inexcusable. They should have simply been left out.
Sound : The theme music is about as good as you'll get on the N64, and the sound effects are improved as well. Each weapon has a distinct sound, such as the metal thwack of the chair or the dull thud of a broken table. When a weapon is in the ring and a move is executed on the weapon, a clang (or thud) is heard - it's a nice touch. There's still no commentary, but the game is better without it, in my opinion.
Gameplay : 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. Here's where the game really shines. For those that have played WM 2000 (or Revenge), you'll instantly be familiar with the controls. Even those who haven't will become efficient in the ring in no time flat. Once the controls are mastered, gameplay runs amazingly smooth and very much like an actual wrestling match. All the special moves are here, and a variety of moves can be executed from the top rope into the ring or to the outside, from the apron to the outside and using the ropes as a springboard. Irish Whip, corner, reverse, grapple and running moves mean that each wrestler has moves for every possible situation. In a Triple Threat match, one wrestler can hold an opponent so that the third man gets some free shots in. Weapons can now be dropped and picked up again, and the steel steps can be dislodged and thrown into the ring. Special moves are again executed by moving the attaining special, initiating a strong grapple and moving the analog stick.
For those unfamiliar with the Attitude meter: each wrestler has a bar that increases when they execute a move on their opponent and decreases when a move is executed on them. As the bar grows, it reaches a point when the bar disappears and the word ''SPECIAL'' appears; during this period of about twenty seconds, special moves can be executed and your wrestler is more likely to counter and reverse holds attempted by your opponent. After special wears off, the bar ''resets'' and must be built up again.
One person can attempt to unlock all the secret characters and win all the belts. With two or more people, the fun is endless. The guest referee mode will cause some arguments, and the ladder matches bring a new level of fun to the game, as the ladder can be used both to climb to the briefcase and as a weapon. Each wrestler offers a different experience, as they each have individual taunts, special moves, grapple moves and counters.
A near-perfect wrestling game. This game beats Wrestlemania 2000 in every area, and even non-wrestling fans will most likely have some fun with this title. It's definitely worth having a look - if you can only get one N64 wrestling game, get this.