I didn’t like the PS1 version of WCW Nitro, so I’m not expecting much from the N64 version. This is the first wrestling game for the N64 that I’ll be looking at. It might be a little strange to start with this game, but that is what I want to do.
The same development team worked on this game. Due to the technical limitations of the N64 at the time, some changes needed to be made to this version. We won’t have the full-motion video (FMV) like the PS1.
WCW Nitro was initially released in 1998 for the PS1, and the N64 version was released in 1999. It took a little over a year to complete the port, so maybe some of the bugs had been worked out of this one. Let’s see if I’m going to be disappointed or not.
TLDR: This was a terrible game. It is much worse than the PS1 version of the game.
Narrative
This is an arcade game with no storyline. WCW Nitro doesn’t have a create-a-wrestler or a career mode. This was fine for a game released in the 1980s and early 1990s, but it is rather disappointing for a game released in 1999.
Gameplay
This is abysmal. WCW Nitro is an arcade-style wrestling game. This would’ve been fine for 1997, but this version of the game was released in 1999. I can see why THQ pulled the plug on a WCW Thunder release for the N64.
The controls are the worst. After playing this for a while, I wondered if my controller was broken. It felt very unresponsive. I won’t rule out both of my N64 controllers being broken, but that is a little suspect.
This is a little thing, but I didn’t see a way to change the controls or see what they are in the game. Thankfully, you can look them up on the internet. This isn’t a problem now, but it would have been an issue if you were collecting games.
Edit: I found the controller layout in the options menu.
I had to look up the controls in the game’s manual. Thankfully, you can find it online (Link). This is very useful as you can find the special attacks for the playable characters.
WCW Nitro has a decent roster of wrestlers. The game has 16 playable wrestlers, which is nice. There could’ve been more, but the initial roster is great. Here is a list of the wrestlers:
- Hollywood Hogan
- Brett Hart
- Sting
- Lex Luger
- The Giant
- DDP
- Raven
- Perry Saturn
- Goldberg
- Kevin Nash
- Scott Hall
- Kurt Henning
- Randy Savage
- Rick Steiner
- Scott Steiner
- Chris Jericho
Because the N64 version came out in 1999, the roster differs greatly from the PS1 version. The N64 version was updated after the release of WCW Thunder. This is one of the only things I like about the game.
The game doesn’t have a grapple system, which is the same as the PS1 version, and I still think it’s stupid. It makes the gameplay like a terrible fighting game instead of a wrestling game. I can’t describe how awful the controls are in this game.
WCW Nitro does have a bunch of game modes. Unfortunately, you always end up fighting the awful controls. Here is a list of them:
- Tournament
- Single Match
- Tag Team Match
- Two Player vs Match
- Two Player Tag Team Match
- Battle Royal
This is a terrible port of an awful game. The gameplay is horrible. WCW Nitro on the N64 is very close to being unplayable.
Visuals
The game looks nice. While it lacks all of the FMV from the PS1 game, it still looks good for its time. The characters, animations, and the ring look good. This is the only bright spot in the game.
2/10. This game is a mess. There are a bunch of wrestlers to unlock and it has a bunch of game modes, but I don’t think anyone would want to play this long enough to find them.
Pros
- Decent Graphics
- Large Roster
Cons
- Awful Controls
- No FMV
- No Grapple System
- No Create-a-Wrestler
Conclusion
I was struggling to find something nice to say about this game. WCW Nitro on the N64 is an awful game that makes me think I was too hard on the PS1 version. There are very few things I liked about the game.
This isn’t a good game to start with if you want to explore the N64 wrestling games. I’m glad I got it out of the way early, and I hope this one will be the worst. It is very sad to see how the WCW games dramatically dropped in quality, almost like the video games followed the company’s example.
For other wrestling posts, check out my ranking lists of the SNES, Genesis, and PS1 games.