Extreme Championship Wrestling is to other professional wrestling outfits what gangster rap is to mainstream rap: a much more hardcore permutation. Whereas the WWF and WCW are more like soap operas, ECW features in-your-face, high-impact manoeuvres 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 create 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 colours. The camera's flutter and movement is very irritating, and the gameplay is based on the original WWF series Acclaim did. The same problems still apply here with the wrestling action relying too much on grappling and not enough on the over-the-top action that the ECW has become 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