WWF No Mercy is a wrestling game for the Nintendo 64. It is a follow-up to the 1999 video game WWF Wrestlemania 2000.
Gameplay[]
Some features from the previous WWF game, WWF WrestleMania 2000, were removed in WWF No Mercy. In one case, rather than showing a wrestler's complete ring entrance from stepping onto the stage, walking down the ramp and entering the ring, it was cut to only show the wrestler emerging onto the stage (despite early screen shots showing full ring entrances). The Create-a-Belt (CAB) option was also removed, and only the 7 belts the WWF had in activation at the time were available in the game (though the create-a-belt option would return in future WWF/WWE titles, such as the Smackdown vs. Raw series).
Despite the removal of features from the previous installment, there were several improvements incorporated into No Mercy. It featured a vastly extensive and improved Create-a-Wrestler (CAW) mode with more moves, the ability to create female wrestlers, and a more organized clothing arrangement with articles listed with a title/description as opposed to simply being numbered.
Graphics were also another improvement with a smoother look to the wrestlers, and the addition of various matches not seen before in a wrestling game such as the ladder match. No Mercy was also the first WWF game in which players could take the action backstage and fight it out in 5 more sections all separate to the ring.
The story mode is very extensive and much improved over 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. What gave the story mode so much depth was its branching storylines that developed, based on the outcomes of the player's matches. In the game's predecessor, if the player lost a match in the career mode, the game would only allow the player to retry the match, rather than adjusting the storyline accordingly. No Mercy's story mode is considered revolutionary in wrestling video games for offering branching storylines based on the outcomes of matches.
A notable twist in the WWF Championship story mode was the lack of The Big Show, who at the time was working at Ohio Valley Wrestling at the time of creation. He was replaced with Steven Richards, the leader of Right to Censor in sections of the storyline in which Big Show would be in.
Another notable feature that was added to the game was the "Smackdown Mall." With money earned from winning matches in story mode and playing the Survival mode, players could purchase unlockable characters, clothing, wrestling moves, props, tattoos, weapons, and venues. Characters were extremely expensive and some of them could be unlocked at much less effort by defeating them in special matches in the story mode. The addition of this feature greatly increased the game's replay value.
On an interesting note, although The Big Show is not in the game, his face, attire, taunts, and moves are included in the game. However, a cheat device is necessary to unlock his face.
Memory Issue[]
When No Mercy first hit the shelves there was a glitch/save error in which the whole game data could be simply wiped without notice and restored to the default original set up resulting in all progress being lost and having to start over.
In around March 2001 this issue was fixed in the cartridge and would be fully able to work and anyone who had previously bought the game was able to swap their damaged cartridge for the now fixed version with no fee.
Game Boy Color version[]
A sister game also titled WWF No Mercy was planned for the Game Boy Color (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 cancelled, 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.
Create-a-Wrestler[]
Although practically any person can be made in the Create-a-Wrestler mode, the below list are the WWF superstars that has a real-life photo left in the game, and as such, can be used as the created superstar's selection portrait. In addition, in most cases, the superstar's move set, music, and actual attire is left in the game as well; thus, after creating the wrestler, they can be implemented into the game officially and "blended in" with the other default wrestlers (due to No Mercy's custom selection screens).
Match types[]
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1These match types are made possible by changing rules of any match.
2This match is possible by playing a 4-man Royal Rumble with Count Out turned off to avoid over-the-top rope eliminations.
In-game arenas[]
- RAW is WAR
- SmackDown!
- Armageddon 1999 1
- Backlash 2000 1
- King of the Ring 2000
- No Mercy 1999
- Royal Rumble 2000
- SummerSlam 1999
- Survivor Series 1999
- WrestleMania 2000
1 These arenas must be unlocked to play in.
Backstage areas[]
- Bar
- Boiler room
- Hallway
- Locker room
- Parking lot