10 Landmark Wrestling Video Game Firsts
5. Proper Career Mode (WWF No Mercy, 2000)
The original WWF SmackDown title did feature a Season Mode that had some elements of story included. Most of these were largely superficial however, simply existing as little cutscenes that did little to actually string together anything tangible the player could work with. SmackDown 2: Know Your Role, the follow up game in the series, helped change that, but it was nothing compared to No Mercy.
Going by North American release dates, No Mercy preceded SmackDown 2 by just under a week. In Europe, Know Your Role was out first, but that doesn't change the fact that No Mercy beat it to the punch. Besides, the story elements in the N64 game were vastly superior to those found on the PS1 title.
WrestleMania 2000, a similar game to No Mercy, did feature some story, but the later release enhanced proceedings by featuring branching storylines that played out whether the player won or lost matches.
That was something entirely new for wrestling video gaming, certainly in terms of games featuring real-world, top promotions.