WWF Attitude
Publisher: THQ
Console: Playstation, N64, Apple Pippin, and Gameboy Color
Release Date: June 1999 (Gameboy Color), August 31, 1999 (N64), July 31, 1999 (Playstation and Apple Pippin)
Attitude was release a year from it's predecessor and greatly improved it, Attitude feature a new career mode (the first for a WWF game) where players would work from house show jobber to WWF Champion. Create-a-wrestler was greatly expanded to include editable movesets, nicknames, crowd chants, and entrance music, and players can even create arenas, stables, even PPVs (which would be greatly expanded in later SVR titles). The roster was the biggest for a WWF game at a whopping 40 playable wrestlers including; Stone Cold Steve Austin, Hollywood Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, Sting, Owen Hart, The Rock, Triple H, Kane, Shawn Michaels (who had retired the previous year due to a back injury and would return to in-ring WWF competition in 2001), and many more. Besides the usual match types we get triple threat, fatal four-way, gauntlet, battle royal, I Quit, Ironman, First Blood, and Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, and the King of the Ring tournament.
rating: 4.9/5
WWF Wrestlemania 2000
Publisher: THQ
Console: Nintendo 64
Release Date: October 31, 1999
AKI was a hit maker when it came to wrestling games, while Attitude was a great WWF game, AKI's WCW Live was a great wrestling game. THQ decided to partner with AKI yet again, instead with their WWF license. And the result was Wrestlemania 2000, it featured a much simpler grappling and striking system than Attitude's and War Zone's (tap for quick strikes and weak grapples, hold for heavy strikes and strong grapples). The game also out does Attitude with the roster size, having 55 wrestlers; Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Hollywood Hogan, Sting, Undertaker, Owen Hart, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Jericho, and many more. It has more arenas like RAW, Heat, Summerslam, Survivor Series, Royal Rumble, and Wrestlemania 2000 (which was a modified WM XV arena with a WM 2000 sign instead of XV).
rating: 5/5
WWF Smackdown!
Publisher: THQ
Console: Playstation
Release Date: March 2, 2000
While AKI was hard at work for their next N64 WWF game, THQ had Yukes work on a new Playstation game that would out due every other Playstation WWF game. WWF Smackdown was way faster than other WWF games at the time and emphasized arcade-style gameplay over a simulation, slower-paced style. The game has 36 wrestlers to choose from; The Rock, Stone Cold, Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Sting, Ric Flair (whose' last game was Rage In The Cage and had left the WWF in 93 then returning in late 99), Undertaker, Eddie Guerrero, Owen Hart, and many more. The create-a-wrestler features superstar heads which allows you to make a customized version of a particular wrestler like you can make the classic Hogan in the red and yellow or Surfer Sting or having The Rock in his street clothes.
rating: 5/5
WWF No Mercy
Publisher: THQ
Console: Nintendo 64
Release Date: November 17, 2000
The most beloved WWF game ever released and some say best ever, WWF No Mercy was one of the best selling games on the N64 and it was AKI's best work on the console. The game featured a way better option for editing wrestlers than superstar heads, you can have up to four wrestlers in one. The roster includes; The Rock, Stone Cold, Hollywood Hogan, Sting, Undertaker, Owen Hart, Eddie Guerrero, Rob Van Dam, Kurt Angle, and so many more with Andre The Giant, Shawn Michaels, Cactus Jack, Mick Foley, and the classic red and yellow Hogan being unlockable. The game updates the match types from WM 2000 with new matches like Ladder matches, Special Referee, and Table matches. The game has a strong modding scene and that's thanks to how well this game was made and how fun it was.
rating: 5/5
WWF Smackdown 2 Know Your Role
Publisher: THQ
Console: Playstation
Release Date: November 21, 2000
With No Mercy being the smash hit it was on the N64, it seems unfair for anything to have to live up to it. Luckly Know Your Role does, the game was basically an update of the first one but way better. Create-a-wrestler got a bit of an overhaul with the ability to create taunts as well, and Season mode was improved with four players able to play it. The roster is made up of 54 superstars this time with some unlockables as well like Shawn Michaels, Andre The Giant, 80's Hogan, Razor Ramon, Diesel, and Bret Hart (who returned to the company after being with WCW for 8 years and was last seen in Steel Cage Challenge). Smackdown 2 featured Hell in a Cell for the first time and double team moves were added, so the Dudleys can do the 3D to their opponents.
rating: 5/5
