My take on wcw/nwo revenge.

[Guest Jay]

WCW/NWO Revenge was released in October of 1998 for the Nintendo 64. It was developed by Aki, the same developers who handled WCW vs. the World, and WCW vs. NWO: World Tour. They would later go on to develop WWF WrestleMania 2000 and WWF No Mercy. WCW/NWO Revenge was published by Toy HeadQuarters (or THQ for short.) This was the final WCW game to be developed by Aki, and it is considered by many to be the greatest WCW game ever created. This game marked THQ’s second N64 WCW release, and their third WCW release overall. Their final N64 WCW release was WCW Nitro, a game that pales in comparison in every conceivable way to this game. Unlike the two previous WCW releases, this game did not have a Virtual Pro Wrestling game it was based on. WCW vs. the World was a minutely altered U.S. port of Virtual Pro Wrestling, while WCW vs. NWO: World Tour was an altered port for Virtual Pro Wrestling 64. Because those two games had their roots in non-WCW games, they didn’t fully feel like a WCW game. They had everything that made a great game, they just lacked the X-Factor that made them feel like a WCW game. This game had the X-Factor, and it felt like an accurate representation of WCW in 1998 because of it. Because WCW/NWO Revenge is a WCW game through-and-through, it does a better job at capturing the look and feel of WCW better than any other game before it.

 

Also, unlike the two previous WCW releases, this game doesn’t feature a huge assortment of non-WCW wrestlers that pad the those games’ sub-par WCW roster. The only true-to-life, non-WCW wrestlers in this game are “Dr. Death” Steve Williams and Atsushi Onita. This game features numerous fictitious wrestlers, however, they don’t encompass too much of the roster this time around, so it is somewhat excusable. The lack of a vast array of non-WCW wrestlers in the game isn’t a bad thing, it’s a good thing. Because of this, the game features more of a WCW flavor that the other games lacked.

 

The game’s WCW roster compasses nearly every wrestler that competed in WCW on a regular basis during 1998. This wide roster does wonders for the game. It enables you to have matches that you couldn’t normally have in any other wrestling game. Before this game, main eventers were included, as well as a few mid-carders. In this game, the roster is spread out to include as many main eventers and mid-carders as possible. This diverse roster enables you to have matches you couldn’t normally have in another game. I was a huge fan of Raven’s Flock, and seeing that group replicated perfectly in the game did wonders for my perception of it. This was the first game that gave nearly every wrestler on the roster a chance to shine in a game, and I commend it for that.

 

WCW/NWO Revenge features a smooth, intuitive gameplay engine that does an incredible job of giving each wrestling style in the game their just desserts. High-flying wrestlers, such as the Ultimo Dragon, are represented well thanks to the plethora of aerial attacks featured in the game. Everything from the top-rope hurracanrana, to the Asai moonsault, a move named after the Ultimo Dragon, is included in the game. Technical wrestlers, such as “The Man of 1,000 Moves” Dean Malenko, and “The Canadian Crippler” Chris Benoit are represented just as well as the high-flying cruiserweights, perhaps even more so. The nature of their styles, specifically the submission aspects of their styles, compliments the realistic aspects of wrestling that the game covers. The scientific nature of their moves, especially those that wear down body parts, are shown off wondrously because the game reflects the damage done to body parts.

 

For example, if you play as “The Crippler” Chris Benoit, and you attack the neck in order to set your opponent up for his finisher, the Crippler Crossface, you’ll stand a better chance at attaining victory than if you hadn’t attacked the neck of your foe at all. This game does an even better job of emphasizing the psychological aspects of professional wrestling than WCW vs. NWO: World Tour did before it. Before, a wrestler who has had his leg worked over will have to be cautious when attempting to execute attacks that can be countered into moves that will further damage his already injured leg. If he isn’t careful, he will risk damaging the limb further, and risk losing the match as a result. Here is another example of the old damage system, if you attack a leg, for example, your wrestler will move slower than usual, on top of risking even more damage. The damage system continued on with arm, neck, and back damage; much the same way as in leg damage. This ideal has been furthered in this game.

 

Now, not only will your foe be more prone to losing the match due to a weakened joint, they will also do less damage with moves that involve the injured joint. For example, if you attacked Booker T’s leg, his assortment of kicks, everything from the Harlem Axe Kick, to the Heatseeker missile dropkick, would do less damage than if the legs hadn’t been attacked at all. This refined system forces players to watch what they do in the game, and to think before they act. If someone is playing as Booker T, they will want to make sure they keep his legs strong, whereas someone playing as the Giant will want to keep his powerful arms strong. If you are able to take away your opponent’s greatest weapons, you will stand a better chance at attaining victory. It is the job of the player to protect those offensive weapons, or risk losing the match because of their own carelessness.

 

You will have a chance to show off the game’s fantastic psychology in any one of the game’s vast assortment of modes. You can have a regular exhibition match, just for fun. Or you can go for the gold in the game’s championship mode. In this mode, you go through a chain of wrestlers in your quest for your title of choice. You can unlock new wrestlers, and titles, by winning the belts in this mode. You can also have a handicap match, and have a battle royal featuring up to 40 wrestlers, with four competitors in the ring at all times. The championship mode is great, it gives you a real sense of accomplishment when you win the title. The handicap matches in the game are great, they are full of tension. Just like winning a title, you will feel a sense of pride following a victory in this mode. The battle royal mode is very unique. You can make the match a four-way dance in which just the original four wrestlers compete. This can be a great way to settle grudges, or to start new ones. You can also make the match a full-fledged battle royal, a fight to the finish to prove who can last longer than anyone else. This mode gives the player tons of freedom.

 

You can select from a number of arenas to hold your epic wrestling matches. The arenas are based on arenas used for WCW events, and they look spectacular. The Nitro arena is, by far, one of the most detailed venues in the game. You can see the metal WCW logos in the distance, and you can even slam your opponents into the metal grid of the entrance way. You can also throw your opponent backstage at this venue, as well as in the Superbrawl venue. Each venue has it’s own unique look and feel to it. The Halloween Havoc arena features smoke billowing out, and tombstones littering the entranceway, just like at the real event. Each event has a true-to-life font and graphic that keeps the feel of the event intact. The venues are some of the most detailed I have ever seen, and they do a fantastic job at creating a mood for the game.

 

The control in WCW/NWO Revenge are smooth and intuitive, just like those in WCW. vs. NWO: World Tour Each and every move can be done easily each and every time you attempt it. This is one wrestling game with a control scheme that works with the player, not against it like some other wrestling games on the market. Thanks to the smooth controls, you will be able to pull off any move you want to whenever you so desire. The graphics in the game are fantastic. The wrestlers look just like their real-life counterpart. Their costumes are perfect, and the little things, such as Hollywood Hulk Hogan’s amazing technicolor beard, and Booker T and Stevie Ray’s breathing strips on their noses are included. The move animation in this game was custom-made. Unlike in WCW vs. NWO: World Tour, where the wrestlers were given generic moves that resembled their finishers; in this game, they are given a perfect representation of their finisher. “The Macho Man” Randy Savage’s flying elbow looks perfect in this game, as does “Big Sexy” Kevin Nash’s Jacknife Powerbomb. Bill Goldberg’s Jackhammer looks picture perfect, as does Buff Bagwell’s Buff Blockbuster. The Giant’s chokeslam looks devastating, so much so that it causes the screen to shake when it’s executed.

 

The sound is the weakest aspect of the game. While the sound effects for moves get the damage of the moves across, everything else sounds sub-par. The sound effects for weapon attacks are all the same. Considering the vast array of weapons in the game, this is very disappointing. The game’s music is even worse. The only licensed WCW song is a poor version of the WCW Nitro theme. None of the wrestlers feature their actual theme music, and the in-game music is horrible. Thankfully, the poor sound doesn’t detract from the game too much.

 

WCW/NWO Revenge features nearly limitless replay value thanks to the game’s battle royal mode, as well as it’s costume change mode that allows you to keep the look of every wrestler in the game up-to-date. These modes do wonders towards giving the game a timeless charm. No matter how old the game is, these modes will always give you something to do.

 

Overall, WCW/NWO Revenge is the finest WCW game ever, and is one of best wrestling games ever made. The only games that top it were games made later by Aki, not too shabby. This game is responsible for so many little things that we take for granted in today’s wrestling games. This was the first game to feature a prominent amount of mid-carders, something that people expect nowadays. It was also the first game to give players freedom with a battle royal. The gameplay is second only to that of later Aki releases, but the controls are still amazing. The graphics are fantastic, as is the replay value. The only black mark on the game is the sound, and even that doesn’t detract much from the game.

[Guest Jay]

Feedback is appreciated.

[Guest dreamer420]

Good review of the game.  I agree that the sound is the weakest aspect of the game and it really could have used some official themes.

[Guest Cataclysm911]

I, personally, thought Revenge was better than both No Mercy(NM) & Wrestlemania 2000(WM2K). I was burnt out on the games by the time WM2K came out.

 

WM2K had a pretty crappy Create-A-Wrestler (CAW), so other than a roster change from WCW to WWF, it was just about the same as Revenge. NM had a good CAW, but the multiplayer slowdown killed the entire game. More than half of the fun of the AKI/THQ N64 wrestling games was because of the multiplayer option.

 

Revenge = Best Wrestling game ever. My opinion.

[Guest]

Although I like No Mercy better (more modes, more moves, and a CAW) Revenge remains one of my favorite games and one that I revist often. The roster is great and the battle royal remains the best in the business. There's just something about squashing an nWo member as Sting or simulating a cruiserweight match that still keeps me coming back no matter how long it's been since the game was released. The fact that I've played it more the Capcom vs. SNK is a testament to it's greatness.

[Guest Matt Young]

That was an excellent review.  I'm not sure if revenge is my favorite wrestling game of the Aki series, but if not it's a close second.  I love both Revenge and No Mercy about equally.  No Mercy has the ladder matches, better story/championship mode, and awesome SD Mall and CAW features.  It's just that... I don't know.  Revenge has this feel to it that just makes it special.  It also has some badass cruiserweight action not found in the WWF games.  If they added a few featrues here and there, got official music in the game, and took out the annoying kickout/joystick glitch, it'd be damn near perfect.

[Guest KOR420]

This game is beyond sweet,I had it,someone stole it,but i bought it used for $2.99 at babbages,it keeps you playing for the score ranking,cruiserweights,and all that shit,I like the fact that when you highlight the champions they wear the belt and everything