WCW/nWo Revenge - New Features and Additions Since World Tour

New Features and Additions Since World Tour

As the direct sequel to World Tour, Revenge possesses various tweaks and additions. This includes wrestler ring entrances, a larger roster, ringside valets and managers, brighter more colorful graphics, a cartoon referee modeled after WCW referee Mark Curtis, and real TV and pay-per-view arenas. It also boasts EEPROM, which eliminates the need for a Controller Pak. In addition, there are new gameplay mechanics such as more frequent reversals, the introduction of multiple reversals, tall wrestlers stepping over the top rope, and being able to run and slide in and out of the ring. Also, Instant Replay was included.

New post-match features include replays of the last moments of the match, as well as a scoring system for wrestlers' performance. During gameplay, players can for the first time "steal" their opponents taunts, as well as perform their "down" taunt more easily. Also, certain wrestlers cannot ascend the top rope unless they are in "special" mode (the time when a player's spirit is maxed out and can perform their finishers).

For the first time, THQ introduced actual arenas into a game, such as Monday Nitro, Starrcade, Bash at the Beach, Souled Out, SuperBrawl, and Halloween Havoc. The new Championship Mode also enables the player(s) to select a belt held by a silhouetted wrestler and then defeat various opponents until eventually facing the mystery champion. Successfully completing a title mode unlocks the toppled champion. Titles include the Cruiserweight, World Television, World Tag Team, United States Heavyweight, and World Heavyweight Championship.

In addition, Revenge introduced a combo system where some wrestlers could execute a combination of strikes followed by a grappling move. The system was criticized as doing more harm than good as it is awkward to use and eliminated about half of a wrestler's strong front grapple moves. For example, popular WCW wrestler Goldberg is only able to perform strong grapple moves using the A and directional buttons. The combo system would be excluded from future THQ/AKI wrestling games.

Revenge also saw many new moves added since World Tour, as well as existing moves improved or made more accurate. For instance, in World Tour, Kevin Nash's finishing move is a generic powerbomb; in contrast, Chris Benoit has a kneel-down double under-hook powerbomb for a weak move. In Revenge, however, it is unmistakably Nash's Jackknife Powerbomb, complete with trademark Nash flourishes during execution. Other moves which were improved included the Stinger splash, the Outsider's Edge, and the Diamond Cutter. Also, certain characters like the aforementioned Chris Benoit were given their real finishing moves for the first time. Each wrestler also possesses more than 700 frames of animation.

Revenge has an expansive collection of wrestlers, as almost every WCW/nWo wrestler of the time was included in the game. Added since World Tour were such superstars as Bret Hart, Bill Goldberg, Harlem Heat, British Bulldog, Jim Neidhart, Konnan, Curt Henning, Brian Adams, Chris Jericho, and many more. One notable omission, however, who actually was in World Tour, is Ric Flair who was fired from WCW for no-showing an episode of WCW Thunder in early 1998; although, he would be rehired later in the year. By then, though, Revenge was in the final stages of production, and it was too late to add Flair to the game.

Also included is the ability to interchange wrestlers' costumes and apply different colors to them. Masks and other headwear are also interchangeable for wrestlers that possess them. This limited feature would be heavily advanced in future THQ wrestling titles which would boast the acclaimed Create-a-Wrestler mode