The Story of Unreleased WWF Backlash - The Lost Sequel to WWF No Mercy

[@TopHatGamingManChannel]

Support me on Patreon www.patreon.com/user?u=4432923

[@deadpilled2942]

What's your finishing move in wrestling, Top Hat?

[@jacobbaranowski]

We need all n64 games on Switch.

[@deadpilled2942]

@@jacobbaranowski I'd immediately buy a FirePro port. They don't even need to have more than 8 wrestlers, a large CAW mode works for me

[@christopherpennetta8973]

Bro it's pretty dope that Justin Whang donated to your Patreon.... I've always thought he was cool and down to earth and this helps confirm that

[@orionassante3386]

When nothing came out after No Mercy I ended up tracking down Virtual Pro Wrestling 2 to get my AKI fix. Discovering Japanese wrestling then led me getting Fire Pro Wrestling G, D, Z, Returns and World as well as the AJPW King's Soul, King of Colosseum Red, King of Colosseum Green and King of Colosseum II. These three franchises have remained my all time favorite series.

[@BigDaddyCola]

Wise man you are. Vpw2 was the best game from the aki engine. So many modes and features were removed for no mercy compared to vpw2

[@bigg_redd_cox1902]

N64 AKI Wrasslin' was THE BEST EVER HANDS DOWN!!! WHY can't Wrasslin' game makers understand this and just make a sandbox Wrasslin' game with the 'easy' style moves and decent counter system. It absolutely could be IMPROVED ON, but the old N64 should be a starting point.

[@drfinest08901]

Was all those games from aki

[@andymcfly]

Some fine games. Did you ever play aspw 3 and giant gram 2000?

[@TaiWoodz]

You nailed it Sir. Same here. This comment is undefeated.

[@DoodlesGaming]

They literally could of just carried on the series on GameCube, just continuously evolving the gameplay and graphics, instead we got the average WrestleMania games

[@chiarosuburekeni9325]

Exactly. I just don't understand what made them go against the grain so much and make their engine wildly different from what was working on the N64. I feel like they literally should have done the exact same thing as they did on N64 but better graphics, speed, sound Etcetera

[@mr.awesome6011]

Umm... Day of Reckoning?

[@cfinchyy6575]

@@mr.awesome6011 horrible

[@CRedd9830]

@@cfinchyy6575 How?!?!? The gameplay is amazing in Day of Reckoning.

[@Zusse]

@@cfinchyy6575 that's definitely your opinion DOR was highly appreciated by a lot of wrestling fans

[@Mateus_Carvalho]

Def Jam Vendetta went on to be followed up by Fight for New York, which is probably the other greatest moment of that engine. ...And then, Icon, but we don't talk about that mess.

[@BabyGangstaDick]

icon wasnt using that engine it has its own original engine but yea def jam messed up with it

[@BryMoon]

I always love that SmackDown 2 & No Mercy BGM in the background. That hit the nostalgia spot.

[@gcgc6381]

I feel like a Hell in a Cell match from aki would've been so f'n sick, even just to see the evolution of tables, ladders and such would've been awesome too, damn shame. 😕

[@mrplow8]

Something about the timeline doesn’t add up here. So AKI was working on Backlash for the N64, which was set to feature wrestlers from the Invasion angle, meaning WWF had to have already purchased WCW by that point. Then, when Backlash was cancelled, AKI parted ways with THQ and went to work with EA Sports on WCW Mayhem 2. But why would they start working on a new WCW game AFTER WCW had already been purchased by WWF? That makes no sense.

[@kwizzeh]

I do remember a vague rumor that EA partnered with AKI for WCW Mayhem 2 on the internet back in the day, and that supposedly eventually got reworked into Def Jam series of games. Apparently a former THQ producer had said THQ and AKI both didn't have plans to make any follow up to No Mercy. But yeah the timeline is kinda wonky here. I do know for a fact after WWF purchase of WCW was finalized, the follow up to WCW Mayhem was cancelled after being put on hiatus from the sale.

[@Cooe.]

7:30 "Ludy-Chris" xD hahahaha. You're killing me man.

[@JacquesVideos7]

Exactly i was like breh who tf is ludy-chris

[@mskisha2sweet]

7:27

[@alec2000]

While the invasion storyline was not good, there was still a lot of classic matches in the year 2001, and the idea of playing as the invasion stars such as Booker T, RVD, etc. alongside the default WWF roster gave us endless possibilities of dream matches, especially in the 2001 arenas which looked beautiful such as Royal Rumble (2001), WrestleMania X-Seven, and of course, Backlash (2001). Also the promise of more match types like 6 man tag, tlc, and hell in a cell sound awesome especially for N64 standards. I wish they moved the development to the GameCube instead of cancelling it. This could’ve been the greatest wrestling game for me had it been finished. Oh well, it is what it is.

[@robertalmagarcia7334]

Jeff hardy n rvd were great.

[@DolFunDolhpinVtuber]

No Mercy was an amazing game, I was playing it recently.

[@chozahfearless7524]

Just re purchased it last year better than 2k20 any day.

[@ojlott-w4n]

I never got rid of mines 😂

[@igorivanov299]

The best was virtua Pro 2 for N64

[@youforget1000thingsaday]

@@ojlott-w4n Still have mine from 2001. :')

[@Evilj82]

I recently found a hacked version of Virtua Pro Wrestling 2, which is the Japanese title in between Wrestlemania 2000 and No Mercy. Having a lot of fun playing this on Series S. It is the best wrestling ever.

[@OldNick999-real1]

All the hours I sunk into No Mercy…

[@kenrickeason]

Me too! That Game was perfectly made..

[@Packnation25]

Faxs

[@OldNick999-real1]

The fact the developers made the WCW games before the WWF games made putting in the WCW guys like Booker T a breeze.

[@NoFraudsTV]

Imagine releasing every N64 wwf/wcw game packaged together on one disc 😭

[@YTkendog]

That would sell like crazy. I would buy it.

[@BalboaBaggins]

You can emulate them. For free.

[@RandomPNW]

Im just waiting to see what AEW is gonna be like since they said it was "No Mercy Inspired"

[@chiarosuburekeni9325]

Omg really?! Ill have to watch for it now

[@stefangrey]

@@chiarosuburekeni9325 Yeah, they have No Mercy creator Hideyuki “Geta” Iwashita working in an advisory role. And OMEGa & The Bucks are huge No Mercy fans. Just a shame they had to go with Yukesinstead of Syn Sophia (fka AKI)

[@Shaggzila]

They’re using yukes so it’s more than likely going to look just like and play just like the wwe 2k.

[@Technosphile]

It’s Yuke’s, they tried this once before with the Wrestle Kingdom/Day of Reckoning games. Surprise: they’re nothing like the AKI games and are forgettable garbage

[@shadowsimarchitect9679]

Plays like Here Comes The Pain

[@bigbenji__]

Playing as RVD with the No Mercy engine😩they robbed us of a game😞

[@BbNaB]

Def Jam Vendetta: Fight For New York is a noteworthy game, a decent follow up to the first one that included character creation and customization.

[@litodat233]

They wasn’t the first with character creations and customization that been around since wwf war zone and attitude lol

[@duffman18]

@@litodat233 I think they meant that the first Def Jam game didn't have create-a-wrestler (or really create-a-rapper) but that the second one did. Obviously it was far from the first game to have CAWs in them, it had been like 6 years and dozens of games since the first one to include that, by then. Was Warzone the actual first one to have that? Or did the Fire Pro series get there first?

[@CheveLoco]

@@litodat233 he didnt say it was 🤔

[@BbNaB]

@@CheveLoco " a decent Follow up to the ;first one that included character customization" Right there. Sure, I didn't include proper punctuation so you might not have grasped my meaning.

[@Anjohl]

Meh, fighting game using the same engine. No other similarity.

[@warlord1873]

that no mercy glitch was disgusting back then swell, I got the game for xmas and was not impressed one weekend when all my data cleared itself I was not in a position to get a new copy , but factoring that the new copy of no mercy that didn't glitch took the blood out but left the animation in ...all the real ones know what I mean if you don't ........ah smh

[@rust-0hspray156]

I hear people talking about this recently I got my no mercy at the mall when I was a kid and I never had a problem saving it, but I heard the version that didn't have the glitch is worth more

[@domgarner1173]

Day of Reckoning series on the Gamecube was on point.

[@thehound1359]

I was a bit disappointed playing that. Was hoping for it to be better after playing no mercy, but it was ok

[@Jay_Digital]

One of the producers of No Mercy said Backlash was never a thing. After Aki completed No Mercy they wanted to work on WWE's PS2 titles but that spot was promised to Yukes so they left to work for EA. On the WCW game that eventually turned into Vendetta.

[@hoodninja734]

No Mercy was ahead of its time.

[@DaKidd]

That Smackdown 2 BGM.. perfect choice brother.

[@joesshows6793]

Def Jam Vendetta was FANTASTIC

[@hemmel2261]

No mercy was the best game ever. Backlash would've been so good!!

[@loslakers530]

Here the comes the pain is the greatest wrestling game of all time

[@Stevenirons]

But what about that game killing glitch?

[@steelcurtain187]

This was a real tragedy losing out on this one. I love your wrestling vids. I think I am probably one of the few who actually preferred wrestlemania 2000 to no mercy.

[@Rschr101]

I hear ya, faster gameplay in 2000. No Mercy arguably had a better roster but with CAW you can create those characters in 2000. Cant go wrong with either one.

[@shawnmoney8055]

WrestleMania 2000 is my favorite of all time

[@amanteheru8572]

You missed out on WCW world tour and also WCW vs NWO world tour which both came out before WrestleMania 2000.

[@dexxxhundo1365]

@@amanteheru8572 those were awesome

[@jiminycricket9857]

@@amanteheru8572 wcw vs nwo world tour and wcw vs nwo revenge

[@nefariousmex2352]

Back when this game came out I created a nearly exact copy of Roman Reigns with pretty much the same moveset with the Spear, jumping forearm(for the Superman Punch), Bossman's Riotgear, Long Hair, and a Powerbomb Finisher I even named him "Reign" the only difference bein that I gave him a Du Rag but took it off sometimes lol.

[@ninjax1983]

I'member the name change from WWF to WWE because they got sued by World wild life Foundation to change the name So they change it from World Wrestling Foundation to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)

[@juliusharrell8166]

WWE was previously known as the World Wrestling Federation not the World Wrestling Foundation you got the name wrong

[@warlord1873]

AKI need to come back and do this a new no mercy but still call it backlash and use the ideas originally planned with added polish for current gen consoles and pc

[@charlesleeiii]

I just love the shot of Stone Cold deliverin' a chair shot to The Rock. Look like Stone Cold was gettin' his Superman on.

[@willamlholla]

DJ FNY is possibly the greatest Wrestling game ever created

[@bigg_redd_cox1902]

N64 AKI Wrasslin' was THE BEST EVER HANDS DOWN!!! WHY can't Wrasslin' game makers understand this and just make a sandbox Wrasslin' game with the 'easy' style moves and decent counter system. It absolutely could be IMPROVED ON, but the old N64 should be a starting point.

[@ready2rumble661]

I had more memories on wcw nWo revenge

[@Dan-ch8kv]

I played that too, and it was comparable to Wrestlemania 2000, but neither of those held a candle to what NM64 brought to the table.

[@TimeCenaPSW]

Trump lost bozo

[@Dan-ch8kv]

@HitlerDid NothingWrong In a way yeah, though NM was slightly more polished. But they were both a progression of the WCW game engine, so they were comparable.

[@joandarc441]

A different timeline TophatGamingMan is not a KZbinr but became a famous WWE wrestler

[@burninghammer83]

Also this engine is just the best period. You can’t convince me otherwise. Sorry Yukes.

[@playerroku4412]

Dude it's outdated .

[@burninghammer83]

@@playerroku4412 agree to disagree lol

[@1roundleft821]

@@playerroku4412 that don't mean anything.

[@apri1979]

No Mercy for me was the best wrestling game… Wouldn‘t there be the save bug. Okay, there was a second revision, which i never had, but then without blood. The thing that impressed me most was the amount on ways you could follow. Today you have to win a match with some restrictions (mostly) to continue the story. Back then for example you haf three ways after Royal Rumble; first when you win, second when you get second place, third everything below.

[@AbbasKhan9364]

It's always an awesome day when Top Hat reviews a Wrestling game. I still play SD! 2 and No Mercy on the phone to this day. Heaps of fun

[@nickwilliams6062]

Ahhhh that smackdown ps1 background music 😍 haha

[@chunky9791]

2:00 when you find out Grand Master Sexaaay is Jerry "The King" Lawlers son.

[@dizzle1119]

Those N64 wrestling games are legendary. The WCW and WWF ones. I can remember my friends having 4 way matches that might last an hour.....because nobody would take a "cheap" win. Nothing short of hitting your finisher dead in the middle of the ring for a 3 count.....or a submission dead in the middle of the ring would be enough. With 4 players it may take quite a while for a scenario to occur in which either of those 2 things may happen...

[@MikeDeeJackson]

These ports are awesome but I wish they could make a port of WWF Wrestlemania the arcade game with current superstars

[@nicksrandomreviews]

If you want a true sequel to No Mercy, Ultimate Muscle: Legends vs. New Generation is probably the closest thing. Which reminds me, the AKI made a plethora of excellent Kinnikuman games on the Gamecube, PS2, and PSP. In fact, I would say Muscle Grand Prix 2 might even rival No Mercy.

[@kwizzeh]

Kinnikuman games are all highly underrated wrestling games from AKI and more people should know about them!

[@jamesbounds]

Those No Mercy Mods are pretty awesome looking.

[@JustinLeeper]

Don’t sleep on Ultimate MUSCLE on GameCube, which is also developed by AKI and features amazing moves like the Muscle Buster.

[@jeremy85]

def jam is an amazing game as well

[@LordDeBahs]

it is

[@jasonpdsi]

That 80s WWF Mod is amazing

[@denknugz87]

i ate up the invasion angle as a teen, now though, i see why it gets panned so hard

[@SharifSourour]

More great proof among countless examples of where getting the details right is more timeless than the resource limitations of the time.

[@DayLateGamerWill]

Fascinating! WWF No Mercy was my absolute favorite N64 game!

[@robertalmagarcia7334]

So many hours flow like nothing.

[@NoMercyFederation1]

Im one of the people that really really wishes this would of came out. Love no mercy so much i created a fantasy league for it.

[@josephpiedmonte]

Imagine if WWE understood how well an official release of this game with an updated roster and slight graphical upgrade would do. The story behind it never being released until years later would sell alone and everyone that grew up with the original THQ/AKI games would buy it and introduce it to a new generation.

[@chasecharney2581]

Okay I need someone to dumb this down for me - A LOT please. How do I get these mods, what do I need to get them and how do I use them? Thanks so much in advance!!

[@Skuldug]

You could probably find a rom online and download it

[@Flyboy520]

HUGE thumbs up for using the InVasion mod in your video! That project holds a special place in my heart 😇

[@itsdoomedjack9774]

VPW 2 Freem is the best No Mercy mod out there

[@andrewg-man7623]

No mercy was the greatest game ever

[@TheLegendofRenegade]

That Smackdown menu music is so nostalgic holy shit

[@dannythedon82]

The problem with the WCW Feel The Bang Mod is no Royal Rumble or Battle Royal. All the mods are pains in the ass to install and keep running properly though.

[@nightnight4575]

N64 WWF Wrestlemania and WWF No Mercy are both my favorite wrestling games of all time WWF No Mercy N64 is the GOAT 👑

[@clintoncronin2504]

That was, again, a mad story! Good video, I may just download a few of these to the good ol everdrive this week and give them a go. Cheers ! Rick Rude in WCW was underrated btw. Glad you had him in the video

[@Dream11KaBoss]

Where to download mods please tell me website name or link . And is it free or paid? Thanks in advance

[@CoreDreamStudios]

Thank you Top Hat Gaming Man, this is a great piece of gaming history for sure.

[@robertalmagarcia7334]

A classic that never was.

[@generalkenobi7148]

*"Hello There!"*

[@TopHatGamingManChannel]

General Kenobi!

[@generalkenobi7148]

:)

[@dannythedon82]

If they come our with an N64 Classic system they should release Backlash like they did with the other unreleased game Star Fox 2 on the SNES Classic. They definitely need to add one if not all of the AKI games on the N64 Classic or it will be really disappointing because there is no way you can ignore how impactful those wrestling games were for the N64. They were the reason I even bought an N64.

[@EliteEasyE]

Def Jam Vendetta was a great game. It's sorely missing a create-a-fighter, because EA gave them 8 months to complete it. Def Jam Fight for New York is even better, but it's a MMA title. AKI's Virtual Pro Wrestling 2 had it's flirtations with MMA rules matches and might actually be the first MMA game, as according to Nikateen it beat UFC by a couple of months. We've seen what AKI could do in 11 months under THQ. Yuke's was always one step forward two steps back, but AKI was always full steam ahead.

[@TheViper4Life]

In all seriousness, I kinda wish Mayhem 2 happened as well. Mayhem is no Revenge, but it was a decent game that could be much better with improvements. I can only imagine if we had Backlash, Mayhem 2 and Smackdown: Just Bring It to play in 2001.

[@NewLevel84]

I have the Feel The Bang mod and the Old School mod. They're pretty awesome. I was in and out of the modding deals back in the days with No Mercy and recently dove back in to it. 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@danwaleby]

I always heard the lost No Mercy sequel was gonna be based on the Invasion angle

[@avace917]

Is this what became Def Jam Vendetta? That was originally supposed to be a WWF game

[@AcornElectron]

Always interesting and informative keep up the good work fella and stay safe. Although, and this might not be what you wanna hear, LD is absolutely smashing the f**k out of it with the variant vids. Not saying you shouldn’t be the main focus but……. 😂😂🕹🕹🕹. JK fella, love both of your content.

[@Fre4k4life]

You missed out on AKI’s Ultimate Muscle: kinnikuman legacy when you time skipped to Def jam, since that game was in 2002 before Vendetta in 2003.

[@TopHatGamingManChannel]

It never came out in Europe. Did not touch on much of the Japan only stuff either.

[@ivanmcgann1989]

Still hold out faint hope a somewhat playable build will appear someday. If it happened with Goldeneye for the 360 & Dinosaur Planet for N64 it can happen any game

[@emobassist]

Wow those mods look totally legit the no mercy community is really talented it looks like aki made them

[@ari-dynamicarchive]

Supposedly they're looking to use the old No Mercy control scheme for WWE 2K22; I dunno, man, gonna take a lot more than nostalgic gaming control schemes to fix that 2K20 blunder.

[@burninghammer83]

VPW2 is honestly the 🐐

[@barr0571]

How do you get the mods for no mercy. What do I need?

[@seanducharme413]

I was wondering the same thing?

[@vanglorious2708]

I hope theres an alternate universe that WWE went with AKI instead of yukes! The SmackDown games were INFERIOR. Imagine if they kept AKI to this very day and how the engine couldve evolved!!

[@eddiemarin2984]

what game with all these wrestlers of different promotions is This? and what does it play on?

[@TheJrockfreak]

I think I only played No Mercy a handful of times because I didnt have a N64 so for me Smackdown Know Your Role is the best game

[@kingeatking]

WWF Royal Rumble was the best wrestling game on the Dreamcast......... Fire Pro Wrestling D says hold my beer 🍺

[@martynodonnell8467]

I have fonder memories of WM 2000 than No Mercy. Although the options were a little more limited. I unfortunately had a copy of No Mercy which randomly erased all the memory when you got so far into the game. Backlash would have been amazing I’m sure. However it would have been too far into the lifecycle of the N64 to have been a huge hit. Like the previous wrestling games for the N64, in my opinion.

[@GuiOmania]

Even if they said that i dont think the N64 will have been able to have 6 wrestler at the same time even with the expension pack !!!

[@retrocysper3709]

If this game is 30% Finished then there should have a Prototype Build of this game existed.

[@highnmighty1981]

Hey all! Love your channel Top Hat! I've been trying to download the ECW Barely Legal Mod but can't seem to find any working links. Not sure if it's against KZbin terms and conditions to post them here. If it is, please disregard this post outside of the first two sentences. If not, could someone please help me out?

[@ZachAttackIsBack]

Why don't modders alter Def Jam Vendetta rather than No Mercy?

[@cowboyvenus]

It's not as moddable as the N64 games. Source: I made Showdown 64

[@ZachAttackIsBack]

@@cowboyvenus That's disappointing. The graphical ability of the N64 is so crude compared to GameCube.

[@AshVPW]

Where do you get your information? WWF Backlash was never gonna be a game. This was confirmed by No Mercy producer Sanders Keel. The ill-fated WCW game mentioned in this video was always meant to be their next title.

[@jesswilson8205]

I watched you wrestle on 21st of July -yesterday

[@michaelvandoran1377]

Some of the no mercy mods are absolutely awesome idk how they do it

[@chrismangrum1283]

Well, that's because it's NOT the ultimate wrestling game on N64. That'd be VPW2.

[@DJObiSmalls]

WCW DROPPED the ball... They should have never given up their relationship with THQ/ AKI

[@gabrielguzman6018]

I wish they would of made backlash I can only imagine it surpassing wwf no mercy

[@wrestlemaniamachine4life]

7:27 Lewdie Chris lmfao

[@feodiente9460]

Meanwhile Def Jam 2 Fight for NY was the greatest used of this wrestling engine..

[@iKhonGamin]

Wwf no mercy is one of the best, i wanna play wwf backlash now...

[@ExplodingMusicSyndrome]

Those mods look great, im sure i aye some years ago, I cant remember how, was it just download them on n64 emulators? Wonder if you can play them from the everdrive lol An agw mod would be good lol

[@richardtheconquerer]

You cannot unfortunately. I assume the actual N64 hardware can't handle the upgrades.

[@Ttw1976]

One day I will beat the Battle Royal 99 man Gauntlet match, The closest I've got was eliminating 98.

[@derrickvincent8184]

How do you get these mods, I’ve wanted to play these for years

[@jonasgoat9538]

'Virtual Pro Wrestling 2 Freem edition' - Need an Everdrive 64 to play on the N64 console.

[@DJAxeTheChampIsHere]

Only drawback to No Mercy? That damned GLITCH that reset your progress

[@ashleyandre5567]

I’m glad someone said it. I only found out last year that the first batch of cartridges all had the same problem and when the newer batches came out, so long as you had your receipt, you’d be allowed to exchange your old one for the new one.

[@RazorShalom]

Vince McMahon is my uncle we got this game.

[@bigg_redd_cox1902]

Why can't we have games like N64 Wrasslin' and Timesplitters on the new consoles but on steroids with all the great sandbox features. I don't understand why developers IGNORE such classics

[@jrr7031]

My nostalgia just got me all in my feels

[@J-D-P]

Please do the Def Jam series, Vendetta etc. As that is the best wrestling game of all time. Also vendetta is just a port of a Japense wrestling game. Interesting stuff with great history

[@jrr7031]

Fight for Ny....man......I love to help ppl catch the 2 train(subway finisher)

[@J-D-P]

@@jrr7031 For sure! That game looks so nice too. Vendetta had better mechanics but the overall visual feel and polish of NY is insane. Total step up in that department.

[@chrisman2500]

How did you get these games to look so crisp and clean??

[@boblewis9226]

Can you download the new rosters on the n64? Or only on a pc?

[@juststatedtheobvious9633]

Some of those mods only work on emulators, due to high resolution textures that shame any wrestling game on the Gamecube. WWF Legends, for example. But some of them look like they respect the N64's limits. It's worth a try, at least.