WWF No Mercy
Encyclopedia
WWF No Mercy is a professional wrestling
video game released in 2000
on the Nintendo 64
console
and published by THQ
. It is named after the World Wrestling Federation annual pay-per-view
event of the same name
. No Mercy is the follow-up to 1999
's WWF WrestleMania 2000
, and the last WWF game released for the Nintendo 64. No Mercy was well-received by players and critics alike.
is shown spitting water at the crowd upon entering the ring. The belt options were also changed; rather than creating a belt from scratch, players now have to complete a story mode to win a title.
However, No Mercy features a much more extensive Create-a-Wrestler mode with more moves, more customizable body attributes, better-organized clothing options (No Mercy utilizes descriptive categories and titles for each clothing item, whereas WrestleMania 2000 simply numbers items), the ability to create female wrestlers, which is nearly impossible in WrestleMania 2000. Each wrestler in the game has four different ring attires that could be independently edited, and each attire can be completely changed including name, height and weight, body parts, and music, technically allowing four different wrestlers per slot; although, they must share a common moveset. Several of the game's unlockable wrestlers used this feature, such as Taka Michinoku who has his partner Funaki
in two attire slots. The graphics also were improved significantly over the game's predecessor, and various match types made their debuts in Nintendo 64 wrestling games, including ladder matches and special referee matches. The game also marked the first time on the system in a WWF game that players could fight backstage and also the first time moves can be done on the announcer's table. Many parts of the backstage environment are usable, such as being able to hit the opponent with a pool stick and driving them through the pool table in the bar/lounge.
The story mode is more extensive, compared to WrestleMania' s career mode. Each WWF title features a unique story. For the WWF Championship, players can choose any wrestler to reenact the classic feud between Mankind
and Triple H
that dominated the WWF in early to mid 2000. Other angles include Stone Cold Steve Austin
's feud and The Rock's temporary alliance with Vince McMahon
. After winning a title, the player can replay the story mode and defend the newly-acquired belt in a variety of new storylines. Also, unlike future wrestling games, players are allowed to fight for and defend any championship in the exhibition mode.
The story mode's depth is due in part to its branching storylines that develop based on the outcomes of the player's matches. In WrestleMania 2000, if the player lost a match in the career mode, the game only allowed the player to retry the match, rather than adjusting the storyline accordingly. No Mercy' s story mode offers branching storylines based on the outcomes of matches. The player has to actually play through each story several times and lose matches in order to achieve a 100% completion rating.
Another notable feature that was added to the game is the "SmackDown! Mall." With money earned from winning matches in story mode and playing the Survival mode, players can purchase unlockable characters, clothing, wrestling moves, props, tattoos, weapons, and venues.
Launch copies of No Mercy suffer from a bug that erases saved content, including created wrestlers, championship story modes, and game saves. The bug was corrected in later production runs.
, 7.7 from GameSpot
and B+ from Game Revolution
. Overall, the game had an average score of 89% on Metacritic
. It also received an aggregate score of 85% on GameRankings.
GamePro
stated: "With an onslaught of brawlers, multiple play modes, and a solid create-a-wrestler feature, No Mercy will have you grappling for days on end. It's a definite must-have for wrestling fans." IGN
stated: "A terrific game from top to bottom. The game mechanics are sound, the animation is fantastic, the characters are very responsive and there's a tremendous amount of game modes." While Sports Gaming Network stated: "With such new additions as the ladder match, more in-depth championship modes, and new wrestlers, WWF No Mercy is definitely a good investment even with some of the AI problems found in the game."
(GBC). The GBC version was planned to utilize the N64's Transfer Pak to help unlock more features. This included an extra unlockable CAW slot and an extra GBC option in Championship mode. Unlike the GBC game for WrestleMania 2000, the GBC version of No Mercy was planned to be developed by AKI, rather than Natsume. The game was eventually canceled, but the modes can still be unlocked in the game through a cheat device. A similar idea of linking a portable port to the console port would eventually be used in WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006
, for unlocking Jake "The Snake" Roberts
on the PlayStation 2.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
video game released in 2000
2000 in video gaming
-Events:* May 11–13 — 6th annual Electronic Entertainment Expo ; the 3rd annual Game Critics Awards for the Best of E³* June 26 — International Game Developers Association renamed from Computer Game Developers Association...
on the Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
and published by THQ
THQ
THQ Inc. is an American developer and publisher of video games. Founded in 1989 in the United States, the company develops products for video game consoles, handheld game systems, as well as for personal computers and wireless devices...
. It is named after the World Wrestling Federation annual pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
event of the same name
WWE No Mercy
No Mercy was an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . The first No Mercy was held on May 16, 1999 in Manchester, England. No Mercy was held every year in October and from 2003 to 2006 the event was exclusive to the SmackDown! brand...
. No Mercy is the follow-up to 1999
1999 in video gaming
-Events:*British Academy of Film and Television Arts hosts the 2nd annual BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards*March – Game Over republished as “Game Over: Press Start to Continue”...
's WWF WrestleMania 2000
WWF WrestleMania 2000
WWF WrestleMania 2000 is a professional wrestling video game released in 1999 on the Nintendo 64 console. It was based on the World Wrestling Federation's annual pay-per-view, WrestleMania. Released at the height of the WWF's Attitude Era, WrestleMania 2000 marked the start of THQ's relationship...
, and the last WWF game released for the Nintendo 64. No Mercy was well-received by players and critics alike.
Gameplay
Some of the features included in WrestleMania 2000 were removed from No Mercy. First, wrestlers' entrances were cut short to showing the wrestler only appear on the stage/entrance ramp, and players never see wrestlers actually enter the ring (despite early screen shots showing full ring entrances). For example, Triple HTriple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
is shown spitting water at the crowd upon entering the ring. The belt options were also changed; rather than creating a belt from scratch, players now have to complete a story mode to win a title.
However, No Mercy features a much more extensive Create-a-Wrestler mode with more moves, more customizable body attributes, better-organized clothing options (No Mercy utilizes descriptive categories and titles for each clothing item, whereas WrestleMania 2000 simply numbers items), the ability to create female wrestlers, which is nearly impossible in WrestleMania 2000. Each wrestler in the game has four different ring attires that could be independently edited, and each attire can be completely changed including name, height and weight, body parts, and music, technically allowing four different wrestlers per slot; although, they must share a common moveset. Several of the game's unlockable wrestlers used this feature, such as Taka Michinoku who has his partner Funaki
Shoichi Funaki
is a Japanese/American professional wrestler best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he was a one-time Cruiserweight Champion and a one-time Hardcore Champion.-Early years :...
in two attire slots. The graphics also were improved significantly over the game's predecessor, and various match types made their debuts in Nintendo 64 wrestling games, including ladder matches and special referee matches. The game also marked the first time on the system in a WWF game that players could fight backstage and also the first time moves can be done on the announcer's table. Many parts of the backstage environment are usable, such as being able to hit the opponent with a pool stick and driving them through the pool table in the bar/lounge.
The story mode is more extensive, compared to WrestleMania
Mick Foley
Michael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he...
and Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
that dominated the WWF in early to mid 2000. Other angles include Stone Cold Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler...
's feud and The Rock's temporary alliance with Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
. After winning a title, the player can replay the story mode and defend the newly-acquired belt in a variety of new storylines. Also, unlike future wrestling games, players are allowed to fight for and defend any championship in the exhibition mode.
The story mode's depth is due in part to its branching storylines that develop based on the outcomes of the player's matches. In WrestleMania 2000, if the player lost a match in the career mode, the game only allowed the player to retry the match, rather than adjusting the storyline accordingly. No Mercy
Another notable feature that was added to the game is the "SmackDown! Mall." With money earned from winning matches in story mode and playing the Survival mode, players can purchase unlockable characters, clothing, wrestling moves, props, tattoos, weapons, and venues.
Launch copies of No Mercy suffer from a bug that erases saved content, including created wrestlers, championship story modes, and game saves. The bug was corrected in later production runs.
Reception
No Mercy received generally positive reviews, receiving scores of 9.0 from IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, 7.7 from GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
and B+ from Game Revolution
Game Revolution
Game Revolution or GR is a gaming website created in 1996. Based in Berkeley, California, the site includes reviews, previews, a gaming download area, cheats, and a merchandise store, as well as webcomics, screenshots, and videos...
. Overall, the game had an average score of 89% on Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. It also received an aggregate score of 85% on GameRankings.
GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
stated: "With an onslaught of brawlers, multiple play modes, and a solid create-a-wrestler feature, No Mercy will have you grappling for days on end. It's a definite must-have for wrestling fans." IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
stated: "A terrific game from top to bottom. The game mechanics are sound, the animation is fantastic, the characters are very responsive and there's a tremendous amount of game modes." While Sports Gaming Network stated: "With such new additions as the ladder match, more in-depth championship modes, and new wrestlers, WWF No Mercy is definitely a good investment even with some of the AI problems found in the game."
Game Boy Color version
A sister game also titled WWF No Mercy was planned for the Game Boy ColorGame Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
(GBC). The GBC version was planned to utilize the N64's Transfer Pak to help unlock more features. This included an extra unlockable CAW slot and an extra GBC option in Championship mode. Unlike the GBC game for WrestleMania 2000, the GBC version of No Mercy was planned to be developed by AKI, rather than Natsume. The game was eventually canceled, but the modes can still be unlocked in the game through a cheat device. A similar idea of linking a portable port to the console port would eventually be used in WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006
WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2006
WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 , is a professional wrestling video game released on the PlayStation 2 console and the PlayStation Portable handheld console by THQ and developed by Yuke's. It is part of the WWE SmackDown vs...
, for unlocking Jake "The Snake" Roberts
Jake Roberts
Aurelian Jake Smith, Jr. is a second-generation American professional wrestler, the son of former wrestler Aurelian "Grizzly" Smith...
on the PlayStation 2.