by Wyatt "JOEDOG" Elliott
Wrestling games are some of the hottest game genres in the market today. Acclaim Sports made a name for themselves through their WWF titles. In 1999 THQ acquired the rights to the WWF from Acclaim. In an attempt to save their existing franchise, Acclaim licensed the not quite as famous names from the Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW).
Acclaim's first ECW title is Hardcore Revolution available on both N64 and Playstation game consoles.
ECW can easily become a great wrestling game. Hardcore Revolution is not it. Hardcore is not a bad game, just a rerun. Acclaim has used the exact same engine designed for WWF Attitude. ECW Hardcore Revolution looks, plays, and acts just like Attitude. ECW Hardcore Revolution's title is very deceptive. This game is neither extreme or hardcore, and its definitely no revolution. If there was truth in advertising they would have re-released WWF Attitude with the WWF scratched out and ECW written in.
To say ECW is a bad game is also misleading. The game has just as much entertainment value as Attitude did. The graphics are sharp, along with control and sound. Besides a whole new cast of wacky characters, which are less interesting than any WWF character. ECW adds a few new features such as the barbed wire matches, and bigger dose of blood. Yes, ECW does carry a M (mature) rating. Compared to Attitude, ECW does feature more blood and some language. This feature has to be turned on through the options menu.
ECW brings back Acclaims revolutionary Create-A-Wrestler feature found in Attitude. However, if you are a C.A.W. fan, the one found in ECW and Attitude is the same. So you will not be able to create anything really new here.
ECW Hardcore Revolution is a double edged sword. ECW fans will be disappointed because its not hardcore enough, and wrestling fans looking for a new wrestling game will feel deja-vu, and board with the character selection. Acclaim has a good game here, but hey should have had enough respect for the ECW to develop its own game style. Do not give up ECW fans, Acclaim is developing a new gaming engine for their ECW follow up game "Anarchy Rulz". So expect Acclaim's apology to be in stores this fall.
PUBLISHER: ACCLAIM
PLAYSTATION / NINTENDO 64
GRAPHICS: 8 / 8
MUSIC & SOUND: 7 / 5
CONTROL: 7 / 7
SECRETS: 8 / 8
ORIGINALITY: 7 / 7
FUN & REPLAY: 5 / 5
OVERALL: 7 / 6