| WCW vs. NWO - World Tour |
| THQ was a company long associated with a series of SNES, Gameboy and NES disasters. Veterans will be familiar with the likes of Home Alone 1 and 2, and Ren and Stimpy's Veediots. However, towards the end of the 16-bit console era, THQ showed a marked improvement, making the intelligent decision of publishing games from other programming houses such as Black Pearl, and above average games like The Mask began to surface. Now they have made the transition to the N64 with a wrestling title from Asmik - does it mean a return to square one or have THQ finally learned their lesson? |
| This game came along at just the right time, as I was riding a wave of nostalgia, thinking of the days we used to beat the living shinola out of people with moves we'd been told not to copy learned from the WWF. Previous incarnations on older formats did little to capture the true element of wrestling, being very repetitive and restricted affairs with limited moves. Hence, we had to make do with performing the latest moves on each other. WCW vs. NWO however, is a different kettle of fish altogether, and does away with the lack of variation, offering over 40 wrestlers with individual moves and techniques. Some are from the WCW, some from the NWO (a number of WWF cast-offs including 'Hollywood' Hulk Hogan) and the rest coming from two leagues I've never heard of, the DOA and IU. Each league also has a 'boss' who can be accessed after their defeat. |
| Visually, it's also a million miles from the jerky, badly animated sprites of yesteryear, although the wrestlers do have a tendency to moonwalk around the ring in a sort of Michael Jackson tribute fighting style. They're also very glitchy and the joins between body parts is very noticeable, even on the shadows, but this is (hopefully) a method of keeping the speed up whilst maintaining the excellent animation on 4 people simultaneously. |
| Access the secret Lambada mode |
| It's the little touches that really give a sense of proper wrestling - everyone has around 4 taunts or appeals to the crowd, that can be used anytime with the 3D Stick (the game is D-pad operated), some of which are absolutely hilarious - like the Claw's gyrating pelvis routine. Also, when you miss a move, the wrestler grabs the affected area and rolls around in agony, or when you do a dirty move, your wrestler shakes his head in denial. Great! |
| The whole feel of the game is akin to an ancient SNES game called Super Fire Pro Wrestling, which although having some of the most awful graphics seen on the machine, was also one of the funniest games ever. The game itself had a shedload of moves that beat the likes of Super Wrestlemania into submission, and classic sound effects (such as a bell for when a wrestler was hit in a 'sensitive' area). In a way, this is that game with a number of new touches and better graphics, right down to the bell sound. |
| Unlike your average wrestling game, there are actually two strengths of grapple, each of which offers around six different moves. The weaker grapple moves are used for wearing down the opponent and are either impossible or very difficult to counter, whilst the strong grapple moves do a lot more damage, but are much easier to stop. Grapples are activated with the A button and from here moves can be activated with the A or B button alone or used in combination with up or down. Opponents can also be thrown into the ropes or turnbuckles for high flying moves. There's also a good range of standard punches and kicks and each character has at least four submission moves or stomps for grounded opponents. To be honest, I doubt that half of the moves would actually be used in a match, but they're there all the same. |
| As mentioned, there are also counter moves. With careful timing of the 'R' button you can dazzle your opponent by switching the move to your benefit, and there are hundreds of ways of doing so between all of the characters. |
| Sound is disappointing, with CD quality guitar rawk, and the crowds range is limited, although they boo, cheer or gasp in awe in all the right places. |
| However, the big problem is that wrestling is not everyone's bag, and this is more a sports simulation than beat 'em up. Matches can last between 2 and 25 minutes and the overall pace is quite slow. The computer is also quite easy in Normal mode, and playing in Hard reaps no extra rewards. |
| The biggest reward is probably the multiplayer mode, which is a treat in four player, where cooperation is of paramount importance. You can double team, set up opponents for off-the-shoulders clotheslines and drag people out of the ring to cause major havoc with an array of weaponry, including chairs and baseball bats. |
| As I said, the game arrived at a good time, and for that reason I enjoyed much more than I probably would have without my memories. For other people it would depend on if you were at least interested in the sport(!), or had others available for multiplayer combat, where it shines the most. |
| THQ (and Asmik) have done themselves proud with this, as it really is an accomplished representation of the real thing. Even after a month of owning it, I'm still finding new moves, and to me that makes it a good game, and the four player mode could last forever. I wait in anticipation to see if Acclaim's WWF game can match up. |
| Graphics - 7
Excellently animated, but very glitchy. Sound - 6 Music's a noise, but the crowd are alright. Playability - 8 Thousands of moves and counter move, all easily executed. Lastability - 8 Single player modes will be finished in a few days, but multiplayer games could last forever. Overall - 7 A brilliantly playable game, let down by it's limited appeal. |