ECW: Anarchy Rulz

Acclaim really has got to develop a new wrestling game engine already. Anarchy Rulz is nothing more than an updated version of the Hardcore Revolution game, which was a re-hash of WWF Attitude (1999) and WWF Warzone (1998). It has an updated roster, a few more modes, and seems easier to control than Hardcore Revolution, but that is about it.Acclaim used to make decent wrestling games, but sadly there just doesn't seem to be much that is new anymore. Four games with the same wacky wrestling engine? Sure you can change the roster, and the controls, but that doesn't make it good. If I were a betting man, I'd bet that the next ECW game will look exactly like this one with a few new faces. Lord knows they re-hashed the same game engines over and over when they had the WWF license. Come on Acclaim, make something more original. ECW deserves it. And while you're at it, cough up a little money and try to get the real themes of all the wrestlers into the games. The generic songs in Anarchy Rulz (and Hardcore Heaven) sound like someone spent an hour making them all on a Casio.

my son Loves his new game, you can even make yourself a wrestler:))

This is a really fun game. The controls got easier, and the roster is more up to date, plus newer features and it's more challenging

Great wrestling classic. Worked perfectly.

Got this to compare it to WWF attitude, Is so much better then attitude, tried it upon arrival worked good.

That's precisely what this title was for me---literally---and I honestly and sincerely believe that it will be for other fans of Acclaim's line of wrestling games for the Sony PlayStation as well, mostly because of various elements in its gameplay. Whereas the gameplay found in three other PSX wrestling titles by Acclaim---namely, WWF Warzone, WWF Attitude, and ECW Hardcore Revolution---seemed complex at first with its multi-button commands for each move in a given athlete's arsenal, most players eventually got the hang of it after a few matches, which made it that much easier for them to win with preexisting grapplers. Creating their own characters with the games' Create-A-Wrestler feature also became a more enjoyable experience because of this system. Instead of keeping such a set-up, however, the company's development team tried to facilitate matters in Anarchy Rulz by simplifying the controls for certain moves to only one or two buttons apiece. Unfortunately, this complicated matters instead, as certain maneuvers only become available when a player's wrestler stands in front of a dizzied opponent or has two or three stripes in the little box besides his/her name that indicates his/her advantage in a tie-up. Likewise, reversing particular moves (e.g., a hip toss, a hammerlock, an Irish whip, or a hurricanrana) is still pretty tough to pull off---for human-controlled competitors, that is. CPU-operated wrestlers, on the other hand have a jolly time reversing such moves whenever they have the opportunity, regardless of the game's initial difficulty setting. This makes it all the more frustrating for beginners. Of course, how about trying to trap another wrestler within the turnbuckle? Though it was a breeze in HR and Attitude---and even in Warzone---trying to do the same in AR is almost impossible, as the other athlete flops out of the corner almost every single time. This consequently renders corner moves highly impractical for both preexisting and customized grapplers.In examining the other features available in AR, I will admit that I did enjoy the inclusion of those ECW personalities that didn't appear before in Hardcore Revolution and hence made their debut in this game, from the legendary "American Dream" Dusty Rhodes to the lovable yet laughable "loser" named Mikey Whipwreck. I also liked the various "jobbers" that players can unlock---even the foul-mouthed Trainer, who (for some reason I as yet cannot ascertain) is now a heel (bad-guy wrestler) after being a babyface (good-guy wrestler) for three games straight since Warzone. The opportunity to create one's own stable (four-member team) is also pretty fun, but considering that it takes a whole block of memory to save a single custom-made stable, players will ask, "Why bother?" The same goes for the new types of matches that one can participate in---Dumpster, Table, Backlot Brawl, and Brimstone. Sure, they're all very innovative and quite fun to watch, but the aforementioned flaws in control take much of that fun away. Even the Create-a-Wrestler feature---a staple in this line of games from Warzone on---leaves much to be desired, for though players have far more options available to them in selecting the outfit, entrance music, voice, moves, and so forth for each character they make, the nature of AR's gameplay again messes things up by compromising the nature of the moves in use. For example, in the instance that a given CAW uses both a Torture Rack and a Beast Choker, that character can only use one of these two submission holds upon pressing the punch button when grasping an opponent from behind, which varies with the degree of tie-up advantage (s)he has at the moment and accordingly makes the selection of created characters' maneuvers rather useless. This especially holds true for players who might not know what some of the moves are supposed to be in the first place based on their names alone. Speaking of submission holds, I would like to bring up the fact that almost EVERY hold in Anarchy Rulz is now meant to force opponents to "tap out"---even such holds as the Side Headlock, the Leg Grapevine, and the run-of-the-mill Full Nelson.Sorry to say, but only the most "hardcore" enthusiast (if you'll pardon the bad pun) of Extreme Championship Wrestling would want to purchase Acclaim's ECW Anarchy Rulz, and then only for its nostalgia value. Not only is its gameplay a chore to become accustomed to (as mentioned above), but with its ugly graphics and mediocre sound quality, Joel Gertner's obnoxiously self-serving "color" commentary, and an inappropriately large amount of bloodshed for ANY game with a rating of "T for Teen," this title is not one worth playing. My advice for PSX owners and ECW fans alike is simple: Save your money on both Aspirin and video games by sticking with Hardcore Revolution.

WOW!!! what a great game. I loved this game a lot. Much better thatn any other ECW game ever made. Has many great ECW start who I will name later. There are many matches including a barbed wire match, cange,ladder. Its just EC F'N W. Great hardcore action. SUPERSTARS: Tommy Dreamer Sandman Rob Van Dam Dudley Boys Sabu Taz Mike Awsome Rey Mysterio Jr Eddie Guerrero New Jack Balls Mahony Axl Rotten Super Crazy Lance Storm Lionheart(Chris Jericho) Psicosis Rhino Chris Beniot Masato Tanaka Plus Many More

I love video games. I love wrestling games. I love ECW. Therefore, I am a huge fan of ECW Anarchy Rulz. I even liked Hardcore Revolution.Now, I know some people do not like the engine, but engines like that exist in the MK series and Street Fighter, among others, and nobody complained about that.The only thing I have a problem with is the three on one matches. Those type of matches get very annoying. Like I said, I might be biased here, but I would encourage anyone to play the game. In my opinion, the best thing about the game is the tag team career mode.Some say SMACKDOWN 2 is the best wrestling game ever, and I won't say that is a wrong statement, but ECW will always be at the top in my book.