ECW Hardcore Revolution was a pretty good game, if you didn't know about ECW's style or played WWF Attitude. It was very similar to Attitude in almost all aspects and therefore didn't have much of the over the top action that ECW presents. Anarchy Rulz was supposed to be a game that would deliver just that. Did it happen? Anarchy Rulz does have a lot of modes that when you first hear about get you really excited. Inferno matches and table matches got me interseted. There are also other modes like a dumpster match and a backlot match. You would think that these modes would provide some outrageous action. Unfortunately that doesn't happen. The matches are basically the same with slight twists. In the inferno match you wrestle your opponent as you normally would until one wrestler hits the fire. In the table match you have to drive your opponent through tables. But, the rest of the match is still the same. It just doesn't feel like ECW. Thats because the game still plays like Warzone and Attitude and Hardcore revolution. You have to execute button combinations to pull off moves. This slows down the action and ruins the overall feel of the game. This system was good for Attitude and Warzone, but doesn't fit an ECW game. An ECW game needs a much faster system, something like Smackdown's. One thing Acclaim is known for is delivering maybe the best create-a-wrestler modes. This doesn't change here as the CAW mode has been made even better. You can create almost any one you want to. And since the move list contains most of the moves available in Attitude, you can create your favorite WWF superstars too. Overall, there are a bunch of other modes and a fair number of wrestlers to keep you interested, but it still doesn't really feel like an ECW game. Graphics: 8. The graphics are similar to Hardcore Revolution's . The characters look realistic and the crowd models have been improved too. There are still problems of slowdown however. Sound: 7. The sound effects are pretty good and there is more theme music than Hardcore revolution. Some of the themes sound strange though, but they are still pretty good. Gameplay: 4. I liked the button combinations system for Warzone and Attitude. But it is too slow for ECW. Even thought the moves are easier to pull off, they are still way too slowly done. Replay Value: 6. A long career mode and lots of gimmick matches will be interesting, but they tend to get boring very quickly. Overall: 6 out of 10 Anarchy Rulz is a step in the right direction. Acclaim had the right idea when it added the new modes. If only they change the fighting system now.
