Retro Review: WCW/NWO Revenge – N64

Wrestling games have been an integral part of video gaming. They’ve just always been there. I remember feeling the breakthrough in WWF/WCW games back when Nitro was released on PC, and when World Tour came out on N64. After playing World Tour, I was still craving that little bit more. I wanted behind the scenes fights, I wanted trash talk, and I wanted more characters. Of course this may have been a lot ot expect in 1997, but in 1998 THQ must have thought the same thing when they released what is known to a lot of people as the best wrestling game of all time.

Yes…I said it. I would have to say I’m included in the group of people that make that claim. Even against the graphics of today, THQ and AKI made a wrestling series with such a solid control system (which was later used in the Def Jam series), I would play any of their games for days before I’d even pick up a copy of WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010. The game had made a massive character and graphical upgrade, adding in many different groups of the organization, including a much needed NWO Wolfpack and  Raven’s flock. Pay-Per-View venues and a new Championship mode were also added, giving more in a basis of story-line for the single player mode through-out the game. Although it lacks the new-age voice acting and and intensely  realistic graphics, the wrestlers still went into in-depth smack talking (in text) along with dishing out challenges to one another.

Another great addition to this game was the weapons you could pull out from behind the guard-rails.There were stop-signs, baseball bats, trash cans, 2×4’s, and all sorts of other goodies to smash your opponents faces in. Not only was this a blast, but the N64 also gave you the advantage of playing with four players in the ring at the same time. This was one of those party games that never got old, and everyone could enjoy at once. Each individual wrestler had his/her own taunt. The more you taunt, the brighter your spirit meter gets. This can also happen by just opening up a pretty good ass-kicking on your opponent. When your spirit meter starts flashing red, this means you can grapple your opponent and commence with a usual match-ending finisher. With submission finishers, you’re going to want to make sure you weaken that opponent’s limb before you hit them with the special. The finishers make this game a lot more realistic than most. In fact, even in a lot of the newer games I can hit someone with a finisher four or five times in a row and you still won’t be able to pin your opponent. Yeah…that makes sense. This was also the first wrestling game to include managers or tag-partners to enter the arena with their clients/partners. A lot of times the managers will get involved, and you’ll have to smoke an extra head or two into the turnbuckle…even if it does happen to be a wrestler’s wife. The soundtrack was a little bland, not involving any wrestler themes, but more of a generic rock beat played on a loop. The coolest feature to the game has to be the create-a-wrestler option. Even if this game doesn’t include all of your favorite WCW/NWO wrestlers, you can take a few minutes and create the few that have been left out from the game. This included their physical features, and all the moves.

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Considering you can pretty much find this at any local flea market or book and movie exchange for about $4.99, there is absolutely no reason to not own this game. It makes a great addition to your N64 collection, even if you’re not a wrestling fan. Even my non-wrestling fan friends would have hours of fun playing the multi-player, even if they were just making themselves as a wrestler. Like I said in the opening, I’ve yet to find a wrestling game out there that I enjoyed more than this one, and I don’t know that I ever will, considering the way wrestling is now. Do yourself a favor, and shovel out the extra $5 to test out quite possibly the best control scheme ever in a wrestling game. Enjoy!

Tags: AKI N64 Nintendo Nintendo 64 NWO THQ WCW WCW NWO Revenge Wrestling