ECW Hardcore Revolution on the Dreamcast is Awesome

This is the third version of ECW Hardcore Revolution that I’ve played. I don’t have any problems with it, aside from the things I’ve pointed out in the PS1 and N64 versions of the game. This one felt a little easier than those two, and I think the controls are a little better.

This is a reskin of WWF Attitude. The game has a few minor changes, but the engine is mostly unchanged. If you liked WWF Attitude, you’ll probably like this game.

As an ECW game, this is rather tame. It is fun to play, the controls are very good, and it looks okay. I don’t have any issues with this version of the game, and I think it is the best version of ECW Hardcore Revolution.

TLDR: This is the Best version of ECW Hardcore Revolution.

Narrative

There is not a story in this game. It has a career mode that allows players to craft their own narrative. This was a nice idea when WWF Attitude was released, but other games would do a much better job creating a career mode.

Gameplay

If you liked the gameplay in WWF Attitude, WWF Warzone, or ECW Anarchy Rulz, then you’ll like this game. ECW Hardcore Revolution is a reskin of WWF Attitude for better and worse. The controls are better than the other version I’ve played, and the game modes are decent.

Let me get this out of the way. The career mode was awesome back in the late 1990s. It was something really cool, and I remember having fun with it in WWF Attitude. Playing it now is very tedious. I would rather play one of the Smackdown games.

The controls are very good in this game. It was easy to perform the moves, and I didn’t have a problem with the hit detection. There was the usual awkwardness that you see in this game engine, but after playing several versions of this, I’m used to it by now.

For some reason, I found this version to be easier than the other two. It might be because I played so many versions of this game, but I didn’t have too many issues with it. I wouldn’t say I liked the game, but it was decent enough.

There are a lot of game modes and wrestlers in the game. A few of the modes are taken from ECW, which is nice. The developers tried to turn this into an ECW game, but it feels like it is the ECW from the late 2000s.

As I’ve learned more about ECW, I’m starting to like these games a little more. I at least know who these characters are. It can be fun to see who the ECW characters were in WWF Attitude.

This is still WWF Attitude with an ECW coat of paint. If you liked Attitude, then you’ll probably like this game. The graphics are fine, the controls are pretty good, and there is a lot to do in the game.

Visuals

This game looks a little better than the PS1 and N64 versions. The character sprites, move animations, and presentation are largely unchanged. The crowd is the only thing that stood out to me.

I’m unsure if this was the case with the other two versions, but the crowd looks a little crisper in the Dreamcast version. I could see the people a little better, and I found their animations to be cool. It looked like the crown was alive instead of being a static image like other games.

I pointed this out on the PS1 version, and it also shows up here. The blood just shows up on the wrestlers, seemingly at random. I didn’t find it distracting, but it was strange when my opponent started bleeding from a wound on their back for no reason.

I don’t have anything to really complain about when it comes to the graphics. There are a few things that could’ve been better, but those are nitpicks at this point. ECW Hardcore Revolution is a good looking game.

Reviews at the Time

Most of the reviews are the same as those for the N64 and the PS1. In some cases, this version received higher scores than the other two versions. The Gamespot review echoes my opinion of it being good but does not reflect what ECW was like.

PlanetDreamcast, which was a publication associated with GameSpy, hated this game. The reviewer gave it a 2/10. It is a baffling score. He compares it to the WWF Attitude port, which is fair, so I went to look at his review for that game.

He gave WWF Attitude a 4.5/10. So, what happened? Well, he hated the graphics and gameplay, didn’t know what ECW was, and complained about everything. I don’t think this guy was a wrestling fan, which makes it odd that he reviewed these games. I think I’ll avoid this publication when I look at other games on the Dreamcast.

Both IGN and Gamespot said the game was okay. It is a rehash of WWF Attitude and doesn’t reflect ECW. It has a few things, but it isn’t like the TV show overall.

Most reviews I looked at said the game was average. It makes the GameSpy review stand out even more to me. ECW Hardcore Revolution isn’t anything special, but it is far from being a bad game.

7.5/10. I think this is the best version of ECW Hardcore Revolution. It has the same issues as other games that use the WWF Warzone and Attitude engines, but they felt minimized in the Dreamcast version. It is still an average wrestling game, and it made me want to play one of the Smackdown games or WWF No Mercy.

Pros

• Good Graphics
• Good Controls
• Lots of Game Modes

Cons

• Awkward Menu System
• Tedious Career Mode

Conclusion

This is an average wrestling game. I’ve played so many versions of this game in the last year that I feel like I keep saying the same things. ECW Hardcore Revolution on the Dreamcast is a decent game.

A part of me is glad that I only have two more games that use this engine. While I’ve gotten used to it, I still don’t like it that much. The games that use it are okay, but they make me want to play one of the Smackdown games, WWF No Mercy, or WCW/NWO.

If you liked this post, please check out my other wrestling game reviews, such as Smackdown 2 and WWF Royal Rumble.