Summary
Wrestling fans got a bit more than they bargained for with the cold open for the latest NXT No Mercy event, which featured a loving homage to the classic Nintendo 64 wrestling gameWWF No Mercy. Released on the Nintendo 64 in late 2000 and still regarded as a high-water mark for wrestling games by many fans,WWF No Mercy’s lasting legacycontinues to heavily influence the genre to this day.
Created by Asmik Ace Entertainment and Aki Corporation, developers acclaimed for their work on wrestling games throughout the 1990s and 2000s,WWF No Mercywould become one of the highest-selling wrestling games on Nintendo’s legendary console. The enduring influence of features likeWWF No Mercy’s single-player Championship mode, which let players experience a branching story where wins and losses determine the outcome, can still be felt in many modern wrestling games. In recent years games likeHyperfocus Games’Ultra Pro Wrestlinghave attempted to recreateWWF No Mercy’s winning formula, offering players arcade-style action with stylized, decidedly old-school graphics.
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Showing that love forWWF No Mercyreaches far beyond the world of gaming and even extends to the biggest wrestling events of today, the intro forWWE’s latest NXT No Mercy match paid homage to the beloved game. Opening with a player loading up a cartridge bearing an artfully obscured version of its logo, the footage transitions to a near picture-perfect recreation ofWWF No Mercy’s intro video. As the names of modern wrestlers including Becky Lynch and Trick Williams scroll past, swapped in for icons like Kane and The Undertaker from the original, the NXT logo swirls in where the WWF logo once stood.
This delightfully retro callback isn’t just limited to the intro, though. As the trailer shows real-world footage of the various wrestlers taking part in NXT No Mercy’s headline matches, it’s interspersed with the competitors being chosen from a character select screen identical to the one inWWF No Mercy. Completing the clever homage are the bulky and angular, Nintendo 64-era character models displayed for each wrestler participating in the event. Given the fact that manyfans ofWWF No Mercystill sing the game’s praises, this impressive callback is sure to bring a smile to plenty of people watching the match at home.
The throwback intro for this year’s NXT No Mercy is a wonderful tribute to one of the greatest wrestling games of all time, showing how popularWWF No Mercyremains over two decades on from its original release. And while fans of the title may not see anewNo Mercygameany time soon, at least this intro shows its legacy still lives on.
WWF No Mercyis available for Nintendo 64.
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