WCW/nWo Revenge
North American Nintendo 64 cover art featuring Hollywood Hogan, Kevin Nash, Raven and Goldberg
Developer(s)Asmik Ace Entertainment
AKI Corporation
Publisher(s)THQ
Director(s)Geta San
Producer(s)Takeshi Kajii
Programmer(s)Hiro Abe
Artist(s)Kenji Kimura
Composer(s)Kouji Niikura
Yukie Sugawara
Platform(s)Nintendo 64
Release
  • NA: October 26, 1998[1]
  • EU: November 30, 1998
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

WCW/nWo Revenge is a professional wrestling video game released in 1998 for the Nintendo 64 game console. It is the sequel to 1997's WCW vs. nWo: World Tour. Like its predecessor, Revenge features AKI's proprietary grappling system; as well as heavily improved graphics, a championship mode, and a large roster of wrestlers (real and fictional).

Revenge gained critical praise and tremendous commercial success. According to a 1999 article by IGN, Revenge was the best-selling wrestling game for the N64 console,[2] and at the time, was the top selling third-party Nintendo game ever.[3]

Revenge was the last AKI-developed WCW game for the Nintendo 64. The next AKI wrestling game released for the console, WWF WrestleMania 2000, sported THQ's newly acquired World Wrestling Federation license.

Background

The Revenge grappling system is part of what ensured the game's success and popularity. The system was simple to learn and allowed for a variety of moves to be performed depending on the character. The graphics were improved from World Tour, and many new features were introduced to expand the popular series.

Reception

WCW/nWo Revenge surpassed the success of its predecessor, World Tour. Within a month, it became the highest selling console game in North America.[8] Like its predecessor, Revenge also won "Console Fighting Game of the Year" by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences at the 2nd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, marking the second consecutive year an AKI/THQ title achieved the honor.[9] It would quickly reach Player's Choice status and become heavily responsible for THQ's profits in late 1998 and '99,[10] eventually selling 1.88 million copies in the US and ranking substantially among the best-selling N64 games.[2]

Next Generation rated it four stars out of five and commented that the full exhibitionist phenomenon of professional wrestling was better presented in Revenge than in other similar titles.[7]

Revenge's main competition that year was WWF War Zone by Acclaim, based on WCW's rival promotion, the World Wrestling Federation. Due to War Zone being delayed into 1998 Bret Hart and "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith make appearances in both titles (both men having departed from WWF in late 1997).

The game achieved critical favor for its numerous improvements on World Tour. Matt Casamassina of IGN commented that Revenge is better than World Tour in terms of gameplay, graphics, wrestler roster, atmosphere, controls and the ability to play the game with four players.[6] In IGN's 2008 "History of Wrestling Games" article, Rus McLaughlin also commended Revenge for its expanded roster, authentic venues, and "style to burn".[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ "PR - 12/2/97 - TTHQ JUMPS INTO SQUARED CIRCLE FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF WRESTLING MAYHEM WITH 'WCW/NWO REVENGE™,' ONLY ON NINTENDO 64". March 3, 2000. Archived from the original on March 3, 2000. Retrieved March 18, 2023.((cite web)): CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. ^ a b "US Platinum Videogame Chart". The Magic Box. December 27, 2007. Retrieved August 3, 2008.
  3. ^ IGN Staff The History of Wrestlemania IGN.com (September 24, 1999). Retrieved on 2-13-11.
  4. ^ "WCW/nWo Revenge for Nintendo 64". GameRankings. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019.
  5. ^ Green, Mark (December 1998). "WCW vs NWO: Revenge". N64 Magazine. No. 22. Future Publishing. pp. 73–76.
  6. ^ a b Casamassina, Matt WCW/NWO Revenge IGN.com (October 26, 1998). Retrieved March 22, 2008.
  7. ^ a b "Finals". Next Generation. No. 48. Imagine Media. December 1998. p. 126.
  8. ^ IGN Staff THQ's Revenge Explodes in the Charts IGN.com (November 13, 1998). Retrieved on 2-13-11.
  9. ^ 'Revenge' Tastes Sweet Reward IGN.com (May 24, 1999). Retrieved on 2-13-11.
  10. ^ IGN Staff THQ Posts Pretty Penny IGN.com (October 27, 1998). Retrieved on 2-13-11.
  11. ^ McLaughlin, Rus IGN Presents the History of Wrestling Games IGN (November 12, 2008). Retrieved on 2-03-11.
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