WWF No Mercy

Can this latest WWF game really be that damn good? Hell yes! Right, we want you to have a long, hard think about this question – what's the biggest bone of contention between you and your friends? Clothes? TV shows? Girls? Yes, we understand all of those. Here at the offices of 64 Magazine though, the biggest argument going around at the moment (besides Roy's taste in free T-shirts) is about wrestling. While a small rabble – so that's two people then – think that wrestling is the best thing since sliced bread, the majority of the team believe that wrestling is wrong. Oh, and unnatural. Therefore it must follow that if all wrestling is bad, then all games based around wrestling must also be bad... right? Well, perhaps. But then if that is the case, you wouldn't have that rather lovely picture of The Rock on the front of this month's issue...

You see, having bombarded everyone with a selection of video footage, dodgy merchandise and a variety of catchy slogans and phrases over the past weeks, we (the wrestling-loving types) seem to be winning the important people on 64 Magazine round. Paul no longer strolls around the office but instead has a Too Cool-swagger in his step. Nicky has taken to referring to herself as the "Ninth Wonder Of The World" and even Roy keeps asking if we can smell what he's cooking... and then threatens us with a Stinkface if we say no. Make no mistake – we will turn everyone into wrestling fans sooner or later and if WWF No Mercy is anything to go by, it shouldn't be all that difficult!

Just Bring It On!

Following on from last year's smash hit title WWF Wrestlemania 2000 (it stayed in the N64 Top Five chart for the best part of six months), WWF No Mercy looks set to top what was already being heralded as the best wrestling game ever... at least by us and the rest of the gaming press. Of course, this isn't just your regular update of adding a few new characters and changing some stuff around... oh no. Rather than trying to con people into buying what is ostensibly the same game as before (WWF Attitude, anyone? No? Thought so), THQ and Aki have totally overhauled the original game and managed to bring us something which while remaining recognisable, offers plenty of new goodies to keep everyone entertained.

Okay, so by now you've probably cheated and had a quick flick over to the last page of this review to check out what the final score is. If you haven't, you might want to so we don't spoil it for you... because it's 95%. That's a Gold Medal Award-winning score, in case you didn't know – something that very few games actually manage to get. So why, oh why have we added a full two percent onto the score of Wrestlemania 2000 and given No Mercy such a prized accolade? Well, if you hold your horses we'll tell you, and believe us, it'll be worth it. Honestly, you lot are just so impatient...

Prove Me Wrong!

As you can probably tell by looking at the various screenshots dotted around these pages, one of the things that has improved more than anything is the look of the game. Whereas with Wrestlemania 2000 the characters looked slightly blocky in comparison to previous wrestling games, No Mercy manages to step things up a notch – the wrestler models have been smoothed out and made bigger, the animation on each one has improved and everything has a much more high-res look about it. The arenas also look much more realistic with more detail added to each entranceway (of which there are now more to choose from) and bigger crowds; it might not sound like much but when you compare them to the older arenas, the new ones look like they're packed to the rafters.

The sound too has been made even clearer and sharper than ever before. Those of you who played Wrestlemania 2000 will know that while each wrestler's theme was replicated fairly well, there were occasions where they sounded slightly muffled and not exactly like the real thing. Somehow, THQ has managed to get around that this time and now every single theme is recreated perfectly (with the exception of The Undertaker's... flippin' music license laws!). Again, with pleasure – it's called Hardcore. With a constant demand for more and more violence in their entertainment diet, the WWF have delivered with Hardcore wrestling and not surprisingly it's found its way into No Mercy. As well as the weapons found in the ring area, you can now go backstage and fight in locations such as the locker room, the parking lot, the boiler room and even a bar stocked with liquor and a pool table (that you can smash your opponents through!). Ever fancied giving a steel chair to your friends in all the wrong ways? Here's your chance – enjoy.

Think Of The Children!

If you're playing the game on your own though, you'll probably want something a bit more satisfying than just your average one-off match. Thankfully, there's also the obligatory Career mode for you to play through... but again, they've gone and overhauled that as well (is there nothing they won't do?) After the introduction of interactive storylines by WWF Smackdown on the PlayStation, No Mercy manages to set the scene of a career across a number of WWF television shows. Rather than just playing through a year of events as in Wrestlemania 2000 though, you can choose which of the Championship belts you compete for. Each one has its own set of matches and stipulations that need to be adhered to before you can emerge as a champion.

For example, say you take up the challenge for the Intercontinental Championship – not only do you have to win the belt, but you also have to defend it. When opponents challenge you, you have to follow whatever stipulations are thrown at you in order to keep the story going your way. It could be something as simple as just winning the match... or it could involve winning in less than three minutes, coming out on top of a Ladder match or even interfering in another person's match so that they lose. Throw in the between-match interviews, choices to make along the way (do you pay people to protect you... or let them beat you up?) and even the option to link-up the Game Boy Colour version of No Mercy for an extra Championship challenge and... well, you begin to see that there's just so much to this game!

Pimpin' Aint Easy

The final thing that has received a complete makeover since Wrestlemania 2000 is the bread and butter of many sports games today – the Create-A-Character mode. Making your own wrestler is something that many people buy these games for, simply because it means they can personalise things to their own tastes and, of course, put themselves into the game. Yes, it sounds odd but believe us: people like to do that sort of thing. The editing functions in Wrestlemania 2000 were good but they pale in comparison to the ones in No Mercy – yep, it really is that comprehensive. You name it and you can most likely play around with it (ooer!). Every little detail about your created wrestler can be chopped and changed to your heart's desire, and of course, it doesn't stop there. While you can pick and choose from the various clothing, weapons and other items on offer from the start, there's always someone out there who wants more – you know, the kid who means that there aren't enough hairstyles or wristbands... stupid stuff like that. You want more? Well, fine – have some more. By paying a quick trip to the SmackDown Mall (yes, we laughed too), you find a whole selection of new items on offer for you to use when making your own wrestler. Everything from old-school costumes, snazzy lycra pants, weird and wonderful new moves and even weapons like a bazooka can be found in the mall... as long as you've got the cash. Haven't earned enough yet? Well, you'd better go back to winning those belts then...

That's The Bottom Line...

Okay, so we've probably heaped more praise on No Mercy than any game we've reviewed in recent times – so we really should try and find something wrong with it as well. Hmm, tough task... okay, we can think of one or two things.

Perhaps, for starters, you've got to go with that old chestnut that we all know and love – it's a WRESTLING game. It's well known that not everyone likes wrestling (really) so there are quite a few people out there who are going to hate No Mercy with a passion for just that reason. Then there's the fact that despite the additions and tweaks, No Mercy is essentially more of an update of Wrestlemania 2000 than a totally new game. Granted, this is true – of course, the counter argument is that people would buy this game even if it only had very minor differences simply because they love wrestling games. Thankfully, there's plenty of new stuff to experience in No Mercy, making it a worth successor to Wrestlemania 2000 and a good purchase for anyone looking for a good fighting game. Apart from that though, there just isn't anything we can fault about WWF No Mercy. All the things we complained about in our review of Wrestlemania 2000 (muffled sound, slightly dodgy graphics, missing moves and so on) have all been fixed... and don't start about there being no commentary to complement the action because to be honest, we all know that having some rambling bloke shouting out the same four phrases over and over gets very annoying. This is, quite categorically, the BEST wrestling game to ever come out!

It's New Faces!

As you'd expect from any game based on a real-life sport, WWF No Mercy is packed to the gills with wrestlers for you to take into the ring. Some of them have been here before – old favourites like Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Undertaker and The Rock are back to kick more ass than ever before. However, plenty of new talent has joined the WWF since and so to keep things up to date, all of them now appear in No Mercy. Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle, Tazz, The Dudley Boys... they're all here. Now you boys play nice, okay?

It's True! It's True!

The next thing that strikes you about No Mercy is the sheer number of wrestlers available for you to fight with – indeed, the first thing that any true wrestling fan asks about a game like this is whether their favourite superstar is in it or not. Well, don't worry: THQ have done an incredible job of keeping things up to date so that the character roster in WWF No Mercy is as current as it possibly can be. With 55 wrestlers to choose from at the very beginning, you can bet your bottom dollar that there's someone here you'll want to wrestle as. Everyone from fan favourites like The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin to newcomers like Steven Richards, Too Cool and The Dudley Boys are here in all their glory. What's more, even those that have been around for a while but have changed gimmicks can be switched between – prefer the old Undertaker-look to his new 'dustman' style? Just press a button and it's done. Want the Godfather to go back to his pimping ways rather than censoring everything? No problem. They've included so much here, it's scary that it all fits onto one cartridge!

But that's not all of it – not by any means. If you can play well enough and complete the various modes on offer, you get to unlock one of the 18 secret characters hidden away inside the game. We say 'characters' and not 'wrestlers' because most of them aren't actually wrestlers – taking a look at the list, you'll see that people like Vince, Shane and Linda McMahon, Cactus Jack and Mick Foley, Mae Young, the Fabulous Moolah and even one of the Godfather's hos are available to play as. Whether you'd pick one of these people out of choice is for you to decide... we'd rather stick to someone with a few more muscles, thanks!

Oh, You Didn't Know?

To keep up with developments on the wrestling side of things, a number of new playing modes have been added to No Mercy for you to try out. That's not to say they've ditched the ones that were there before – the usual mix of singles, tag team, triple threat and other matches are still here, as well as specialist bouts like the Cage match. However, new specialist matches have also been included such as the Guest Referee match – while two people fight, a third can act as the referee and choose to either call it down the middle or favour a particular person... to the point of kicking the opponent's ass!

The most stupendous addition of all though has to be the Ladder match – an object is hung directly above the ring and a 10ft ladder placed outside. The only way to win? To climb up on the ladder and grab the prize... without getting knocked off by your opponent. We've seen violent matches before, but this one really takes the cake – you have to see it to believe it.

Speaking of ladders, there's a little thing that crops up in WWF No Mercy that'll have the wrestling fans out there dribbling with pleasure – it's called Hardcore.

Someone We Made Earlier...

Wrestler mode is back and this time, it's better than ever. Talk about being able to change pretty much anything you choose about your new guy – plus extra goodies on offer from the SmackDown Mall...

The Moves Editor lets you see exactly what moves are allocated to each wrestler... Just in case you're interested in that sort of thing.

You can even decide which of the other wrestlers your man likes or hates – ours loves all the ladies, but that's just the way he is.

Not Wrestler Squad

Or is it? Without a few extra wrestlers for you to find along the way? Rubbish, that's what! No Mercy is packed with more secret fighters than a very large box stamped "Secret Wrestlers", as the owner of the WWF, one of the commentators or an eighty-year-old lady... but have we – still, it's nice to have the option. But how do you release each of these fighters? Well, we could tell you but then we'd have to kill you... so it looks like you'll have to find out yourselves. Sorry.

Laying The SmackDown

What's the most important thing in wrestling? Crowd pleasing, that's what. There's no doubt that the impressive finishing move of each wrestler is what the crowd waits for... so THQ have included all of them. Yep, ALL of them. How great are they?

Tables, Ladders And Chairs... Oh my

Of course, any WWF fan will know that no amount of metal signs, fire extinguishers and baseball bats can provide the same satisfaction as the staple diet of the hardcore wrestler – tables, ladders and chairs. Ladders only turn up during the Ladder matches (well, duh) but pay a visit backstage during any hardcore-rules fight and you find all the tables and chairs you need to cause more mayhem than is humanly possible. There's even a Spanish announcing table by ringside if you can't wait to smash someone through some wood. D'Von... get the tables!

WWF: No Mercy is a classic wrestling game that is still popular 25 after its debut. The game is celebrated for being possibly one of the best wrestling games of all time. Although the graphics aren’t amazing, it does have a lot to offer those who are a fan of the genre. The game features an abundance of options depending on how you want to play. There’s both single player and multiplayer. Single player has two modes, Championship and Survival. Championship is the career mode that lets you work your way up from the beginning. Multiplayer has a wide number of different modes depending on how you want to play.

The Championship mode is very well done, with multiple, branching stories that go into the details of your chosen wrestler. This keeps the game fresh and entertaining for many hours of gameplay. The game also offers varying levels of difficulty, but be advised it’s a challenge to complete even on the easiest level. Gameplay is very similar to WWF Wrestlemania 2000, but it’s a lot more polished and has a few added moves.

Fun New “Ladder” Mode

Wrestling is all about a spectacle of violence. Ladder mode adds to that feeling by bringing a literal ladder into the match. Players can take the ladder and use it to hit other players, or climb up it to dive down on top of them. The game is fun in single player, but it truly excels as a fun game to play with friends. Landing a great move is incredibly satisfying, and if you happen to miss, it can be hilarious.

New Backstage Area

Another new addition to WWF: No Mercy is the backstage area. The backstage has a bar, locker rooms, and the actual back of the stage. This area isn’t just for relaxing or waiting your turn in the arena. You can turn these areas into an all out brawl as well, complete with creative weapons. Certain items such as the pool table in the bar can also be destroyed, adding to the feel of destruction in the game.

Unlockable Items

WWF: No Mercy also has an in-game shop where you can purchase new items with money earned from Championship mode. Items include new wrestlers, weapons, and moves for your wrestler. This helps give the rest of the game replayability. Every new wrestler gives you the opportunity to replay old areas to see how the new wrestler performs.

Rating: 9/10

This is an incredible game. There’s a reason why it is still as popular as ever a quarter of a century later. It is creative, with a huge variety of things to do in the game, captivating story, and of course, copious amounts of violence.

Pros:

• Hours of gameplay
• Unlockable content
• Destructable objects

Cons:

• Graphics are dated

Tack on another couple hours to your Monday night wrestling stint. When THQ releases No Mercy this November, dorm rooms and living rooms alike are sure to be packed with mat maniacs looking to take out some aggression in the ring.

Choose one of the 65-plus brawlers in a single, tag or survival match and watch the personalized intro as he/she makes his/her way to the ring. Use a ladder to flatten your foe, or mix it up Andy Kaufman-style and take on some of the ladies who frequent the circuit. If you get bored of the Squared Circle, toss your opponent backstage and fight it out behind the scenes in one of three different scenarios.

To really get folks roped in, Aki is adding transfer Pack support for compatibility with the GBC version, as well as an option to create your own wrestler if you've exhausted the WWF superstars.