I feel like I should apologize to The Simpsons Wrestling. While I still think it is the worst wrestling game in the PS1, WCW Nitro is pretty terrible. It feels like an arcade game with how stripped down it is.
I remember seeing WCW Nitro and Thunder games in stores while shopping or looking for something to rent. I didn’t know anything about WCW at the time, so I avoided them. After playing this game, I’m glad I didn’t play it as a kid.
For a game released in 1998, I was expecting more. There are very few things to do in this game. It looks good, but that is about it. It is a boring wrestling game.
TLDR: WCW Nitro feels like an Arcade Game that wasn’t finished before release.
History
This game was released in 1998. It was supposed to be released in 1997, but a better game, WCW vs. The World, was still selling well, so WCW Nitro was delayed to the following year.
Inland Productions was relatively unknown and only active for a few years. THQ worked with a few developers, which is similar to what other publishers did. I’ll have to look at THQ in-depth at some point, as they probably have an interesting story.
Back to Inland Productions. They worked with THQ, EA, and Ubisoft. WCW Nitro was the company’s first Wrestling game; they would also make WCW/NWO Thunder. They released seven games, none of which were well-reviewed (Link).
Narrative
There is no story here. This would’ve been fine if the game had been released in the mid-1990s or in the arcades. However, in 1998, I would’ve expected more from a wrestling game.
Gameplay
Awful and clunky are the two words that come to mind. If I had bothered to rent this game when it came out, it would’ve been one of the disappointing weekend rentals. The gameplay is just bad, and it is something that I would’ve expected to see from a game on the SNES or Sega Genesis.
The roster is pretty great. It reflects how many great wrestlers were in WCW. Here is the roster:
- Hollywood Hogan
- Ric Flair
- Sting
- Lex Luger
- Scott Hall
- Kevin Nash
- The Giant
- Diamond Dallas Page
- Booker T
- Stevie Ray
- Alex Wright
- Chris Benoit
- Randy Savage
- Eddy Guerrero
- Dean Malenko
- Syxx
There are five game modes and no stipulation matches. It is pretty barebones and reminds me of a watered-down version of Warzone. Here are the game modes:
- 1 Player Tournament
- 1 Player Exhibition
- 2 Player Vs Match
- 1 Player Exhibition Tag Team
- 2 Player Exhibition Tag Team
The tournament mode is the main draw for the game. It is a ten-man gauntlet match. In this mode, you’re trying to win the championship. The manual doesn’t clarify it, but I’m assuming it is the Heavyweight championship.
Each wrestler has the same set of moves. Each wrestler has three “Signature moves” that they can do. At least there is that because otherwise, this would be depressing. Here is a table of the moves:
| Name | First Move | Second Move | Third Move |
| Hollywood Hogan | Leg Drop Up, Square, Square, Cross. The opponent must be on the mat with low energy. | Big Boot Triangle, Triangle, Triangle. The Opponent must be running at you. | Knee Bashes Cross, Circle, Circle |
| Ric Flair | Figure Four Leg Lock Down, Square, Triangle, Square The opponent must be on the mat with low energy. | Nature Boy Chop Square, Square, Square. The Opponent must be running at you. | Cheap Shot Square, Cross, Square |
| Sting | Scorpion Death Lock Down, Square, Cross, Square The opponent must be on the mat with low energy. | Stinger Splash Cross, Circle, Cross | Reverse DDT Triangle, Triangle, Circle |
| Lex Luger | Torture Rack Up, Triangle, Square, Triangle | Diving Clothes Line Triangle, Triangle, Triangle The Opponent must be running at you. | Atomic Drop Cross, Cross, Circle |
| Scott Hall | Outsider’s Edge Up, Cross, Circle, Cross | Snap Ab Suplex Left, Triangle, Circle | Head Butt Cross, Square, Square |
| Kevin Nash | Super Power Bomb Up, Square, Cross, Square | Choke Lift Up, Triangle Square | Side Suplex Square, Square, Triangle |
| The Giant | Choke Slam Up, Cross, Circle, Circle | Choke Lift Up, Triangle Square | One Hand Pancake Square, Triangle, Triangle |
| Diamond Dallas Page | Diamond Cutter Up, Cross, Cross, Circle | Spinning Back Splash Triangle, Circle, Circle | Reverse Side Suplex Square, Square, Cross |
| Booker T | Big Back Hits Down, Square, Square, Triangle | Harlem Flip Triangle, Circle, Triangle | Scissor Kick Up, Triangle, Square |
| Stevie Ray | Big Back Hits Down, Square, Square, Triangle | Harlem Flip Triangle, Circle, Triangle | Scissor Kick Up, Triangle, Square |
| Alex Wright | German Suplex Up, Square, Triangle, Square | Side Pancake Triangle, Triangle, Square | Reverse Arm Flip Right, Cross, Circle |
| Chris Benoit | Flying Head Butt Up, Square, Triangle, Triangle The opponent must be on the mat with low energy. | Double Arm Clothesline Square, Square, Square The Opponent must be running at you. | German Suplex Square, Triangle, Square |
| Randy Savage | Flying Elbow Drop Up, Triangle, Circle, Triangle The opponent must be on the mat with low energy. | Atomic Head Butt Triangle, Square, Square | Face Smash Square, Cross, Cross |
| Eddy Guerrero | Frog Splash Up, Triangle, Circle, Circle The opponent must be on the mat with low energy. | Spinning Head Scissors Triangle, Square, Triangle | Torso Flip Left, Cross, Square |
| Dean Malenko | Texas Clover Leaf Left, Triangle, Square, Square The opponent must be on the mat with low energy. | Snap Suplex Cross, Cross, Square | Back Pancake Down, Triangle, Circle |
| Syxx | Buzz Killer Left, Triangle, Triangle, Square | Power Slam Cross, Circle, Cross | Back Suplex Up, Cross, Square |
Each of the special moves requires a condition to be met. This can be having an opponent on the mat or having their energy low. The game does not have stun conditions or lock-ups, which is bizarre.
I found these moves to be a major pain to perform. The controls made me wonder if my controller was broken. I assume I wasn’t doing it right, or my timing was off. I had the same issue with other fighting games, even if this isn’t supposed to be a fighting game.
Many wrestling games toe the line between sports games and fighting games. In the case of WCW Nitro, I think they leaned too far toward the fighting game side of things. It is a bad game.
I don’t like the gameplay at all. It makes me wonder if I’m terrible at the game, if my controller is broken, or if the controls are that unresponsive. I’m not ruling out that it could be some combination of all three things. I had an abysmal experience with this game.
Visuals
This is the best part of the game. It is the only part about which I have anything positive to say. Granted, it is limited to the PS1 version of the game, and when I try the N64 version, I know it will be tempered down due to technical limitations.
The first thing I can mention is the short videos from each wrestler. They give you little promos on the character select screen. Two characters have alternate versions of their promos. Alex Wright speaks German, and Eddy Guerrero speaks Spanish. It is fantastic to see.
The character models are outstanding. They look more like their real-life counterparts than the other games I’ve played recently. The Giant and Kevin Nash are taller than the other characters. It is a little thing that either couldn’t be done or was overlooked in different games.
The ring and crowd look good for the time. However, the wrestlers do not have ring entrances, which is highly disappointing for a game from this time. Even if the entrances are bad, they’re better than not having them.
The animations on the moves look great. They also create some hilarious moments as several wrestlers perform moves they would never do. For example, Seeing Ric Flair, Hollywood Hogan, and others perform a hurricanrana is funny.
WCW Nitro is a good-looking game for 1998. The graphics are very good for the time, even if the gameplay doesn’t hold up. It does add some comedic value to the game.
6.5/10. The only reason the score is this high is because of the graphics. The gameplay is shallow, and there are few game modes. I would rather play one of the other games, like WCW vs. The World, WCW Mayhem, or WWF Attitude.
Pros
- The graphics are good
- It has a good roster
Cons
- Poor Controls
- Few game modes
- Boring
Conclusion
I’m glad that I didn’t play this game as a kid. I didn’t miss out on some hidden classic or some game that needed another look. Some games out there look better in retrospect, but this isn’t one of them.
Maybe this would’ve been fun for someone. Who knows, it could’ve been someone’s first wrestling game. If you had never played another game before, you might think WCW Nitro was great back in the day. This is an important thing to try and keep in mind for me as I work through these games.
While I didn’t like this game much, someone might have fond memories of it. Looking at it retrospectively, I think the graphics are the only good thing. The gameplay isn’t very good at all.