1. WWF No Mercy (N64, 2000, THQ)
One of the few games in history that split game critics and fans, WWF No Mercy stands the test of time and should be heralded as the best example of what the wrestling genre has to offer. More than just a follow-up to WWF Wrestemania 2000, it still sets the bar for all wrestling games to follow, with a storyline that branched depending on whether you won or lost and a comprehensive Create-A-Wrestler mode that rivals similar modes of today’s games in design. Just being able to copy select attributes of a wrestler to another – a moveset or appearance but not both – has yet to grace any wrestling titles today (It sounds minor, but without it, it would be like having to eat everything on the menu rather than ordering just the items you want). The long list of unlockables in the Smackdown Mall also put it ahead of its time in terms of replay, and the dark, sinister color palette made for a great style.
Refining the system brought by WWF Wrestlemania 2000, it capitalized on reversals, rising ground attacks, damage that could be focused on specific body parts (a damaged leg actually meant less speed), and a ladder match where you can climb up the ladder, slam poor souls into the ladder, or just whack them with the ladder – all features that every wrestling title henceforth needed to have if it wanted to be anywhere close to greatness. It did have some issues with slowdown, pixilated FMVs, and wrestler-erasing bugs, but with the lack of competition in the wrestling genre since WWE absorbed both WCW and ECW, it set a standard that not many, if any, have reached thus far. Befitting its name, WWF No Mercy is just about the complete package and remains historically at the top of the wrestling genre without compromise.
