Triangle X Squared O

WWF No Mercy is often regarded as the single greatest professional wrestling video game of all time. It's the pinnacle of AKI Corporation's prime, it's the perfect snapshot of the WWF's Attitude Era, and it's the star of many of our favorite, most important childhood memories. With a roster comprised of Stone Cold Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, The Rock, Kane, Undertaker, The Hardy Boyz, Edge and Christian, Mankind, Trish Stratus, Lita and more, it really doesn't get much better than this. If you owned a Nintendo 64, WWF No Mercy was a must have for your collection. If you were a PlayStation kid like I was, you were excited to head over to an N64 friend's house, because you knew you'd get to play No Mercy. This retrospective has been a long, LONG time coming, and I promise, it won't let you down. Let's get to it!

The WWF SmackDown series of video games made its big debut back in March of 2000 and for many years, across half a dozen sequels, the franchise called Sony’s PlayStation consoles home. From the PlayStation to the PlayStation 2, from WWF to WWE, from The Rock’s catchphrases serving as subtitles to an eventual switch into brand warfare territory, one thing never changed: for PlayStation gamers, SmackDown was our series. When the Nintendo kids had No Mercy, we had SmackDown. When the GameCube and Xbox kids had WrestleMania and RAW, we had SmackDown. SmackDown was our series. That is until WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007 hit the scene, a game that would indeed see a PlayStation 2 release, but for the first time, a SmackDown title would cross over into Microsoft territory, launching on the brand new Xbox 360. Join me for a brand new episode of Triangle X Squared O: The Wrestling Game Retrospective Series where I'm diving deep into SVR 2007. Let's get to it!

In the long and storied history of video games based on professional wrestling, we’ve got a little bit of everything spread across the all time tier list. Titles like 2003’s WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain on the PlayStation 2 or 2000’s WWF No Mercy on the Nintendo 64 can be slotted anywhere around the very top, I mean, that’s where you’d put them if you have a brain in your head. Today, for the first time ever, Triangle X Squared O crosses the line into Microsoft territory with the very first wrestling game ever released on the XBOX, WWF RAW. Does this 2002 title find itself near the top with the No Mercy’s of the world? There’s only one way to find out.

In 2002, the World Wrestling Federation made its debut on Microsoft's brand new console, the Xbox. 'WWF RAW' released to middling reviews (at best) and lukewarm sales figures, leading developer Anchor Inc, publisher THQ, and parent company WWF, back to the workshop. In 2003, the sequel would hit store shelves. 'WWE RAW 2' promised to provide Xbox owners the game they were promised the first time... but not all promises come true. Even with an extensive list of speciality matches, updated roster and deeper customization modes, WWE RAW 2 failed to deliver the goods as promised.

Across the last two episodes of Triangle X Squared O, we’ve gone deep on WWF RAW and its sequel, WWE RAW 2. Neither game is particularly good, with RAW 2 falling far, far short of expectations. After these two failures, developer Anchor Inc. would be relieved of their WWE duties, with the keys to the kingdom being handed over to Studio Gigante, a team lead by Mortal Kombat co-creator John Tobias. On today’s episode of Triangle X Squared O: The Wrestling Game Retrospective Series, we close out the Xbox Trilogy with the third and final exclusive entry, WWE WrestleMania 21. You thought RAW and RAW 2 were sights to behold? You ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Business is about to pick up!

This is Triangle X Squared O: The Wrestling Game Retrospective Series. We’ve covered some of the classics on here, haven’t we? From the SmackDown vs. RAW games to WWF No Mercy, Showdown: Legends Of Wrestling to the Def Jam series, we’ve had variety on variety. 4 years ago I did an episode on Backyard Wrestling: Don’t Try This At Home. A game that promised the insanity you couldn’t find in WWE as well as traditional wrestling in the confines provided, should you decide to go that route. As we all know, Backyard Wrestling is not a good game. It sucks. It over-promised and under-delivered in practically every area. Today, we turn our attention to the sequel. Backyard Wrestling 2: There Goes The Neighborhood. It can’t be worse than the original, right? Right? Well, let’s find out.

WWE aren’t just a pro wrestling powerhouse, they’ve not only been the undisputed industry leader for 25 years now, but they’re a merchandising titan as well. T-shirts and action figures are one thing, but on this show, I focus on the video games. In March of 2009, for the first time ever, WWE focused a brand new video game on their storied history with Legends Of WrestleMania. With a roster comprised exclusively of stars from decades past, going as far as to adorn the game with the classic block logo, this brand new title looked to land itself firmly in the digital Hall Of Fame. Today we’ll look back on this one off Legends entry and either place it amongst the brightest of stars of its time… or toss it in the dumpster like Cactus Jack on Sunday night. Let's get to it!

Over the last several years, I’ve covered just about every Acclaim wrestling game there is to cover, at least when it comes to PlayStation. WWF War Zone, both ECW Hardcore Revolution and its sequel Anarchy Rulz, onto Showdown: Legends Of Wrestling. I created a bit of a problem for myself in that, I jumped all over the place, I didn’t produce these retrospectives in order. So now here we are in 2024, and I’ve stil got one more on the list. Today, we finally knock it out. One year after the release of WWF War Zone, the sequel would arrive. WWF Attitude promised more wrestlers, more action and more, well... ATTITUDE. Today, we’re gonna go all in. Get it?

The Nintendo Gamecube. Home to classics like Super Mario Sunshine, Resident Evil 4, The Legend of Zelda: Windwaker and more. Today, we turn the page and begin the next chapter of the WWE’s tag team partnership with the Nintendo's boxy console: WWE Day Of Reckoning. Are we about to discover the next legendary main eventer? Or is this an overrated, over-appreciated, midcarder at best, thrust into the spotlight before it was ready? There’s only one way to find out. Welcome to Triangle X Squared O: The Wrestling Game Retrospective Series.

In 2005, the Nintendo Gamecube was not only an official disappointment from a sales perspective, but it was on its last legs, as well. Rumblings of the mysterious ‘Revolution,’ were getting louder and louder, while the PlayStation 2’s numbers soared to record heights and the Xbox 360 was nearing its launch. Nintendo’s boxy little boy was on its farewell tour, and with World Wrestling Entertainment by their side, they were looking to close out their in ring career on a high note. With an impressive trilogy of games already in their wake and a fourth on the horizon, the trio of Yuke’s, THQ and WWE knew one thing: this final entry had to be a banger. On today’s episode of Triangle X Squared O: The Wrestling Game Retrospective Series, we dive deep into WWE Day Of Reckoning 2.