THQ's No Mercy a great N64 game
By JON WALDMAN -- For SLAM! Wrestling
Malenko is stunned after my stalling suplex through
the table. Quickly I throw him back in the ring. While
Malenko tries to recover form the blow, I grab him and
apply my finishing manoeuvre, a leg-trip STO. It's all
but a formality from here. 1...2...3! I'm the new
Light-Heavyweight champion of the WWF!
But wait! Howard Finkel announces that due to Eddy
Guererro's interference early in the match, Malenko
keeps his belt.
Welcome to WWF No Mercy, the latest wrestling game
from THQ for N64.
The follow-up to the highly successful Wrestlemania
2000 has received much hype in recent weeks, with
promises of exciting new features and expanded
options. Let's take a look at the game.
Controls
The one thing that keeps bringing gamers back to THQ
more than anything else may be the simplicity of the
controls. There are no complicated four or five-button
sequences needed to execute a move here, making the
pick-up-and-play ability of this game very high.
Some controls have been altered from previous THQ
incarnations, but for the better. There is now a
single button for throwing your opponent in and out of
the ring, as well as a separate one for getting
weapons.
Graphics and Sound
This has improved by leaps and bounds. The crowd looks
great, the wrestlers are more detailed, and the sound
is amazing. I still think the Titantron videos are a
waste of time, but there have been a few more original
entrance themes added, which is way cool. No
complaints here.
Moves
A huge move set has been expanded greatly. Aside from
the move-list expansion that comes with the new
roster, a new feature as been added, where you can do
a running grapple (eg. Scottie 2 Hottie's face jam).
This feature is not as clean as it could be, but we
should keep in mind that it is a first for THQ. I also
like that they have made certain submission moves
'special' moves, making them feel more like finishing
manoeuvres than before. The only thing I really see
missing here are flying grapples such as Lita's
huracanrana, but that will likely be added in the next
edition.
The most talked about move is being able to put your
opponent through tables. This is an interesting
feature, but the parts disappear after the table has
been broken. I think it would be better if you could
use the pieces to beat your opponents with, and as far
as I can tell, you can't move the tables, so there's
no chance of the 3D through the table.
The move-list has also been edited to make things more
organized. Where WM2K listed each powerbomb/pin
combination individually, No Mercy lumps them
altogether, making it easier to find the move you want
to add to your wrestler's arsenal.
The biggest complaint I have here is that once again
the pre-existing wrestlers cannot have their move set
edited. This is somewhat problematic, as wrestlers are
changing their arsenal quite often now.
Characters
One word defines No Mercy's roster -- extensive. You've
got virtually every wrestler in the WWF here,
including Metal mainstays Taka Michinoku and Sho
Funaki. The good part of the roster is that some
superstars are lumped into one character. For example,
Terri Runnels and Debra share a character. This means
more space for creating characters, which is my
favourite part of the game. In all, there is room for
18 characters to be created, expanded from 16 in WM2K.
Of course, there are also the hidden characters. The
list from WM2K was not impressive, but has been
improved in No Mercy. Thus far I've been able to
unlock Shane McMahon, Mae Young/Moolah, and
JR/Lawler/Patterson/Brisco. Other characters that you
can unlock or buy at the Smackdown Mall include Mick
Foley, Shawn Michaels, Cactus Jack, and Ken Shamrock.
I've heard rumours that you can unlock Andre the
Giant, but I'll believe it when I see it.
Matches
The big additions to No Mercy are the ladder and
hardcore matches. The ladder match is an incredible
feature. Not only can you use the ladder as a weapon,
but you can also do moves off of it. The match itself
is an incredible challenge, as even the slightest push
by your opponent will send the ladder, and you,
tumbling. The hardcore matches have been expanded to
include backstage brawling in several settings,
including a locker-room, a bar, and a parking lot.
Weapons also do not disappear when dropped, though you
can only have 4 or 5 sitting around before the engine
starts slowing.
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Table matches are a big plus.
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Speaking of slowing engines, the tag team matches are
incredibly slow. Anytime more than two characters are
on the screen, the game gets noticeably slow-paced,
and it's at its worst in tag matches. This is a major
drawback for the game, and hopefully it will be
improved.
The championship mode has been greatly improved.
Instead of fighting through a calendar year, you chase
after each belt individually, going through 'chapters'
(a series of matches). Storylines have been introduced
here, and it's a great way to keep a flow going
through the game. You also earn money through each
match, which is used at the Smackdown Mall.
The survival mode -- well -- basically it's a 100 wrestler
Royal Rumble. To put it one way, it took me a half
hour to get to #40 before being tossed. I can't
imagine making it to #100 on only one character. The
challenge to me seems to be as much hoping your
fingers don't go numb, as it is to make your way
through the roster.
I'm still waiting on Hell in a Cell.
The Mall
The Smackdown Mall is an interesting concept. You
collect money through matches, which you use to buy
things such as characters, costumes, and moves. I like
this option because it truly gives you something to
fight for. The coolest part is that some of the
costumes are from gimmicks past, including Undertaker,
Bossman, and Mankind's old gear.
Overall
A great game by any standards, but there are some
things that can be improved. Unfortunately we may not
see those improvements on N64. By the time WM2K hit
store shelves, many were already talking about No
Mercy. In this case, No Mercy may be the last THQ
wrestling game for N64 before all titles are moved to
the GameCube due out in the spring. I'd definitely
recommend picking up this game.
Rating: 4 out of 5
GOT A NO MERCY CREATION? Email it to Jon Waldman, and we'll post 'em on the site at a later date.
