No Mercy casts a shadow on all other wrestling games, for years to come.

User Rating: 9.5 | WWF No Mercy N64
By wakasm | Review Date:
In late 2000, the final WWF feather in the cap of N64 was placed. No Mercy hit the shelves, and a much appreciated engine was now built to all-time highs. Very minor tweaks and little things, close attention to detail was what made it so legendary. The game play was astonishing. It was sad that this game didn't continue onto the next generation of consoles...at least not in the same incarnation. The grapple/strike system set a standard for mostly every wrestling game to date. The variety of moves was crazy, and the application of strategy was impressive too. The countering/blocking system was key for expert gamers to come up on top. This wasn't all though. Use of the surrounding environments was impressive: the table, ladders, and backstage areas. The added modes of game play were more than enough to keep you busy. The story mode was also quite a feature. Finally the whole entire world didn't always have to crash down and come to an end when you lost a match, but instead would be part of the story, and in fact sometimes was needed to achieve all there was to achieve. Challenge mode still existed, which has since vanished and has left gamers for years asking where it went, with an unanswered beckon. The CAW was also very straight. It didn't have all the little customizable options that the newer generation games have, yet somehow it took care of everyone, and mostly every wrestler or character was create-able. The graphics for the time were good, not so breath-taking, but they did their job. Games like Attitude and Raw had much nicer character models, but I am more than willing to give up some graphic-art if it allows for better game-play, something that is sometimes forgotten in the gaming world these days. The Sound, for N64, was spectacular. All the entrance themes made it to the game ...and plenty of sounds that sold moves just right. I think anyone who has played that game and received a harsh blow that either made someone bleed or knocked them out has winced at least once or twice. The game was playable over and over again, with many modes to explore and dive into. Multiplayer gave the game almost infinite replay value, as the individual ability of players would never generate the same match twice, nor predictable outcomes between skilled players. As a WWF/wrestling fan, I was completely taken by this game. People who didn’t even enjoy wrestling enjoyed this game, and some even got into it. This game still has replay value even today. I personally still go back to it. It’s not hard to see how much this series, and especially this game has influenced the others. Hopefully the future holds one more big run at this engine, primed and upgraded. Un-doubtably, it would rule the world of wrestling games.

Other Helpful Reviews for WWF No Mercy

Load Comments (0)