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A.P.I Review:	WCW NITRO
Developer:	Inland Productions	OPTIONS:	SCREENSHOTS: No.1   No.2   No.3
Distributor:	THQ	1-2 Player
Game Type:	Beat-em-up	Memory Card
Review Date:	June 1998	Standard Joypad

Setting the Scene

Professional wrestling is seriously in danger of breaking into as 
many factions as the world of boxing has deteriorated into.  
I mean, come on!  Who can name all of the current Heavyweight Boxing 
Champions of the world?  
I also wonder if anyone out there knows who is the current WWF, WCW, 
or NWO champion?  
More importantly does anyone really care?

I think I've got this right, but if I haven't don't pester me because 
it doesn't really matter.
  
Top dogs for many years were the WWF (World Wrestling Federation).  
That was until a certain WCW (World Championship Wrestling) star, 
Hollywood Hulk Hogan (formerly plain Hulk Hogan in WWF), joined forces 
with former WWF (World Wrestling Federation) star, Scott Hall (formerly 
Razor Ramon in WWF), and former WWF (World Wrestling Federation) star 
Kevin Nash (formerly Diesel in WWF) to form the NWO (New World Order).  
Now, the NWO (New World Order) has nothing to do with the WWF (World 
Wrestling Federation), not the WI (Woman's Institute), but is in fact 
an organization within the WCW (World Championship Wrestling).  
Although the NWO (New World Order) is marketed as a rival organization 
to the WCW (World Championship Wrestling), all of the wrestlers within 
the NWO (New World Order) are in fact employed by the WCW (World 
Championship Wrestling).  

There you go, crystal clear.

Genre

WCW (World Championship Wrestling) Nitro is a beat-em-up wrestling 
game that includes some ex WWF (World Wrestling Federation) stars, 
current NWO (New World Order) stars, past and present WCW (World 
Championship Wrestling) stars, future WNCFW.....

Oh, let's just get on with it.  
This is the PAL version of WCW Nitro.

Graphics

WCW Nitro opens up with a thunderous welcome in the form of a selection 
of live action highlights showing characters, who I assume to be, stars 
that appear in telivised wrestling.  Of course not being an avid watcher of 
this savage TV 'entertainment' I could hardly say that they are all 
household names in my neck of the woods but I am sure that many of their 
masks will be familiar to the millions of fans across the globe.

Having already witnessed the dour WCW vs the World I was pleasantly 
surprised with the appearance of the digitally mapped characters in 
Nitro.  Their skin has a realistic glow to it while their faces look as 
if photographs of their real-life counterparts have been wire mapped and 
wrapped around the characters head.

Outside of the ring there is very little detail to report because the 
baying crowds are nothing more than a few colorless cardboard cut-outs 
that fade into a grey background mist.

The game's frame rate is quite decent during a one on one contest, but 
the minute another character runs down the aisle to help out, the frame 
rate drops way, way down. Adding a fourth character makes the bad situation 
even worse. 

Sounds and Effects

The game's sound effects are reasonable, although the commentary is 
very sparse. The announcers remain fairly quiet although they occasionally 
call out the name of a move or mention that someone is running down to 
join the match.

On the musical side, all of the canvas thumping action is backed by the 
obvious heavy metal guitar thrashing sounds that you would expect to 
accompany this type of game.

Playability

WCW Nitro includes all of the standard options that one would come to 
expect from a beat-em-up.  Match lengths can vary between 3 and 10 minutes 
with a side option for unlimited time.  There are three modes of difficulty 
and an option to include surprise attacks.  These involve each player being 
allowed to press the select button once during a bout to summon up help from 
the dressing room.  As soon as activated a new character will charge from the 
dressing rooms, leap into the ring and begin smashing into your opponent.  
These surprise attack fighters cannot be damaged but will eventually leave 
the ring and return behind the scenes. 

Gameplay modes include a selection of one and two player Exhibition matches, 
Tag Team events and Tournaments.  Tag Team matches are basically two against 
two bouts where only one person from each side is supposed to be in the ring 
at a given time but we all know better than that, now don't we?

Where Nitro differs from many other beat-em-ups is that you don't need to 
have fast fingers to perform the more elaborate moves.  On the joypad the 
face buttons perform chops, punches, and kicks while combinations with the 
action button will see your wrestler perform a multitude of amazing moves 
and throws.  Don't be fooled as there is still a bit of button pounding in 
the game, but not nearly as much as most other wrestling titles out there.  

While most of the action takes place within the enclosed ring it simply 
would not be a wrestling game if the contestants could not enter into a 
bit of rough and tumble on top of and outside of the ropes.

Initially there are 16 selectable characters including Sting, Lex Luger, 
Macho Man Randy Savage, Syxx, Booker T and the awesome Giant.  As you 
proceed through the competition a further 30+ characters will unfold 
ranging from the bizarre Ecto the ghost to the ridiculous Santa Claus.

Value for Money

Younger wrestling fans will love this game and will be glued to 
their Playstations for many weeks while older gamers should go and do 
something more interesting and worthwhile - like mow the lawn.