ECW Anarchy Rulz is a good game, but it still feels like you’re playing WWF Attitude. Some changes were made to separate this game from the others, but the controls still feel like WWF Warzone, WWF Attitude, and ECW Hardcore Revolution. It looks better than the other Acclaim games but plays the same.
The developer added some features to make this game feel like an ECW game. At this point, those features could be found in other wrestling games. Anarchy Rulz is still saddled with a similar engine to the other Acclaim game.
The Dreamcast version of this game was released a few months after the PS1 version. I didn’t notice a big difference between the two versions. The review scores were interesting and mostly negative.
TLDR: A Good Looking, but Disappointing game.
Narrative
There isn’t a story mode in this game. The career mode was modified to make it less tedious than WWF Attitude and ECW Hardcore Revolution. That wasn’t the only change.
You can play as a single and tag-team career. This is the same as the other two Acclaim games with career modes. Anarchy Rulz adds a stable career mode, which is different and a good idea.
It is still a tedious experience. When this career mode was introduced with WWF Attitude, it was very cool! Now that it is a few years old, I would’ve expected a more streamlined experience than what is offered.
Gameplay
The gameplay isn’t all that different from the other games that use this engine. There are more game modes, and the roster was updated. It shows that the roster was getting a little thin as many of the better-known wrestlers had left for WCW and the WWF.
The manual is available online. This is helpful if you forget how to do some of the things like changing your target, getting in the ring, or tagging your partner. It isn’t too different from the other Acclaim games.
This game offers a few new matches in an attempt to make the game feel more like an ECW game. There are a lot of game modes, but many of these modes can be found in other wrestling games. The career mode is less tedious as well.
You still have to work your way up, but the number of championships has been reduced, making it a little easier to get through. Here is a list of the options in career mode:
- Single
- Tag Team
- Stable
The stable career is a new mode with the player creating a group and playing the career mode. It is nice that they tried something, but it is still the same experience. I stayed away from this option. I was already fighting the control scheme and didn’t want to deal with it.
The AI seems to swing wildly in this game. It takes some time to adjust to it, especially if you’re coming from ECW Hardcore Revolution. It felt like every move I did was reversed in some spots.
I think the developers did better recreating the ECW TV product. It is still tame, but it is different from WWF Attitude from a gameplay standpoint. The controls are largely the same, for better or worse.
Finding something to separate this game from the other Acclaim games was hard. There were improvements to the gameplay, but the controls aren’t any better. ECW Anarchy Rulz is a little better than the other games from Acclaim.
Visuals
This game looks a little better than the other Acclaim wrestling games on the Dreamcast. While it isn’t close to WWF Royal Rumble, it looks better than Hardcore Revolution and WWF Attitude. ECW Anarchy Rulz looks good on the Dreamcast.
The ring entrances look better but are the same as those in ECW Hardcore Revolution. When you look at this as a sports game, it makes sense. Some wrestlers have better entrances than others, which should be expected in a game like this.
The character models look better than the other two Acclaim wrestling games. While I like the look of WWF Royal Rumble more, Anarchy Rulz isn’t too far behind. The animations are good, and some of the clipping problems have been resolved.
The blood mechanics look better in this game. When they started bleeding, it made more sense. I also liked the little puddles that appeared in the ring. If this weren’t an ECW game, I would say it wasn’t necessary.
This is a good looking game. It looks better than WWF Attitude and ECW Hardcore Revolution but isn’t as good-looking as WWF Royal Rumble. The graphics are probably the best part of the game.
Reviews at the Time
The reviews for ECW Anarchy Rulz were lower for the Dreamcast version. There is one outlier, and that is the GameSpot review. This was the only review over a 5/10.
GameSpot gave the game a 6.5/10. This was higher than the PS1 version of the game. The reviewer noted the changes made to the game but pointed out the lack of changes to the control scheme. He also says the best way to view this game is as a serialized sports game that would be updated each year. Sadly, this was the last ECW game.
Game Informer had two reviews for this game. The initial review score was 3/10, and the second opinion was 3.25/10. They correctly pointed out that Acclaim didn’t make the necessary changes to the game to make it more fun. This quote from the second opinion was unnecessary: “Note to self: Eat dinner, call my parents, then assassinate the development team responsible for this wrestling disaster.” There is harsh, and then there is something like this that shouldn’t have been put in a review. I realize I put it in this review, which is equally bad.
EGM gave the game a 4/10. I think their review sums it up nicely when they said the game can’t “still can’t shake the musty smell of its WWF Attitude roots,” which is the most honest review of the game. They also expressed hopes for WWF Royal Rumble.
Interestingly, the reviewers only went back to WWF Attitude when critiquing these games. The control scheme started with WWF Warzone. It seems like they included the engine with the control scheme. The game modes are mostly the same for WWF Attitude and the ECW games.
I tend to agree with the GameSpot review for this game. While the others made good points, I think the scores were too low. I think it was also important to point out the instance where a journalist, or whoever that person was, was calling for violence against the developers. It is popular for the games media to call out players who do this, so I think it is important to point out when they do something similar.
7.5/10. I think this is the most complete wrestling game on the Dreamcast. It makes me wish some Japanese exclusives had made it to North America.
Pros
- Good Graphics
- Lots of Game Modes
- It feels like an ECW game
Cons
- Tedious
- Awkward Controls
- Repetitive
Conclusion
The developers tried to make this game better than the previous installment. This isn’t a bad game, but it is disappointing. It would’ve been nice if Acclaim had come up with a better control scheme.
I had a good idea of what I was getting into with this game. It isn’t too different from the PS1 version, and while there were changes, it isn’t much better than Hardcore Revolution. It does look better and feels more like an ECW game.
This did make me want to go back and look at WWF Royal Rumble. I might have been too harsh on that game, but the only thing that holds it back is a lack of game modes. While Anarchy Rulz is better than WWF Attitude and ECW Hardcore Revolution, it isn’t better than WWF Royal Rumble.
If you liked this post, please check out my posts on ECW Hardcore Revolution and WWF Royal Rumble.