Acclaim ECW:Anarchy Rulz - SONY Playstation

Description: Extreme Championship Wrestling is to other professional wrestling outfits what gangster rap is to mainstream rap: a much more hard-core permutation. Whereas the WWF and WCW are more like soap operas, ECW features in-your-face, high-impact maneuvers a.... Read More

Description: Extreme Championship Wrestling is to other professional wrestling outfits what gangster rap is to mainstream rap: a much more hard-core permutation. Whereas the WWF and WCW are more like soap operas, ECW features in-your-face, high-impact maneuvers and, shall we say, more aggressive language. Acclaim made an equity investment in the wrestling series, and Anarchy Rulz, their second PlayStation title in the Extreme series, is fully loaded with plenty of features and gameplay modes. Plus, you'll have 34 wrestlers that you can select from, including Tommy Dreamer and Super Crazy (note the easy-to-remember names!). Of course, knowledge of the franchise helps immensely. ECW includes a Create-a-Wrestler option that lets the would-be manager have fun with creating fighters. You can even put together your own four-person wrestling posse, complete with theme songs, personality clashes, and a logo for your group. Anarchy Rulz also comes with the typical wrestling game modes: exhibition, career, and tournament. In terms of the action in the ring, this is where Anarchy Rulz shows its true colors. The camera's flutter and movement is very irritating, and the gameplay seems an exact replica of Acclaim's previous WWF titles. The wrestling action relies too much on grappling and not enough on the over-the-top action that the ECW is famous for. There are very few throws and no high-risk leaps or takedowns. Crazed ECW fanatics or wrestling lovers should enjoy this game, while all others might want to pass. --Todd Mowatt Pros: Tons of features Gorgeous graphics and great environmental sound effects Create-a-wrestler feature offers many hours of enjoyment for wrestling fans Cons: Not enough of ECW's over-the-top action Poor wrestler AI Camera flutter and bad camera angles Minimize