Retro Review: WWF No Mercy (N64 - 2000)

Realistically, what more do I need to say in my review for this game other than, despite it being 10 years old, I still play it, every year, for months at a time.
Ok, a little more is needed.

Lets jump in the way back machine, lets travel all the way back to the year 2000. It was a wonderous time. Sydney had just hosted the greatest Olympics of all time. A dashing young man by the name of Vladimir Putin had just been elected President of Russia and the world was a buzz over the newest comedy smash, Scary Movie.

It was also at this time that the World Wrestling Federation was reaching a dizzying height. Riding on the success of Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock, the WWF was doing big business, riding roughshot over its competition, World Championship Wrestling. The WWF had ventured into this console generation earlier with its WWF Wrestlemania 2000 game. Which used the same engine (Developed by AKI) as the WCW games, WCW/nWo Revenge, and WCW vs nWo: World Tour.
This engine had proved wildly popular, as it allowed for a large number of moves, which are easily executed. It allowed moves from the ring apron, moves through the ropes, it allowed back moves from the turnbuckle, putting your opponent in the woe and it allowed two people to work in unison for a 3D or Doomsday device. While they may not seem like much now, it was huge when it launched. No Mercy was also the first game using this engine to feature a ladder, again a fairly standard feature now days, but this was the first, or at least, the first to bring it to the mass market. No Mercy also featured a working backstage area. You fought with your opponent up the ramp, into the back and were then able to fight in any of four backstage areas, a carpark, a bar (with destructable pool table) a lockerroom and a utility area.

What really set the engine apart though was its customisability. Not only did it have an easy yet detailed create a wrestler, it also allowed you to customise the wrestlers provided. Didn't like having the American Bad Ass Undertaker? Then change him to his old look. Didn't want HHH to wear DX colors? Change it. Wanted to make Chris Benoit 400 pounds? Do it. Although there were some limits when editing the established wrestlers (Couldnt change their moves etc). You could change their names and likenesses. When you consider that every wrestler had four alternate identities, and that each id could be customised seperately, you reaslie just how many wrestlers could be created.

The story mode was also revolutionary for its time. Before No Mercy, you chose a belt to go after, fought about 8 people one after another and then bam, you were the champ. No Mercy had actual stories. You didn't have to win every match, the story would change depending on what happened. The stories mirrored some of the ones that were happening in the WWF at the time.

So what happens when you combine the greatest wrestling engine ever made, with the most customisable roster ever. You get fun. You get matches that flow back and forth. You get blood and run ins, you get weapons. You get it all. You get a game that I would suggest over any other if someone wanted to play a wrestling game.