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ECW Anarchy Rulz (video game)
Encyclopedia
ECW Anarchy Rulz is a professional wrestling
video game released by Acclaim Entertainment
in 2000
based on Extreme Championship Wrestling
(ECW). It was released for the PlayStation and Dreamcast. The game is the sequel to ECW Hardcore Revolution
.
tried to compensate for this by adding many new match types. Among these are the Street Fight, Table Match, Inferno Match, Dumpster Match, Lion's Den, Hate Match, and the Team Rumble.
The game featured new control mechanics as well, but these felt very similar to the controls that had been with the series since WWF War Zone
. Rounding out the additions is the revamped career mode. There was a Nintendo 64
version of this game but it was cancelled as the console was approaching the end of its life.
This was the last game that was made for ECW before its bankruptcy, the members' participation in The Invasion and ECW's purchase by World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE), but Acclaim went on to produce the Legends of Wrestling
series. The more recent incarnation of ECW would appear in four games in the WWE Smackdown vs. Raw series (2008–2011).
s. As they progressed on, they would appear on televised shows, and then pay-per-views. Even though each match was billed in different cities, the arenas on differ depending on where they are set. As the player moves up the rankings, the caliber and number of opponents increase and harder stipulations added.
In a singles career, a player begins at the bottom of the ECW World Television Championship
rankings (#15). Every time the player won a match, they would progress up one rank, or go down one place if they lost. If the player won at a pay-per-view, they would move up 3 spaces. If the player is ranked #1 on a pay-per-view date, they will get a title match. If they have won the title at a pay-per-view, they must defend the title at the next 5 matches. If the player loses any of these matches, the player loses the title and falls down 5 places in the rankings. If the player wins all five title defences, they move onto the bottom of the ECW World Heavyweight Championship rankings (#10). If the player wins the Heavyweight title, every match thereafter will be a title match.
Winning a pay-per-view match will sometimes lead to an unlockable being awarded.
In a tag team career, the player selected team begins at the bottom of the ECW World Tag Team Championship rankings (#15) and must win a series of Tag Team matches, eventually winning the Tag Team titles. The player would always begin the match with the first character they had chosen, but could use the other during the match.
In a stable career, the player starts at the bottom of a fictional ECW World Stable Championship (#10). You use a pre-made stable of four characters. After this, you can choose which member(s) of your stable will be active before each match. As you progress through the rankings, the number of members representing each team will increasingly favour the computer (starting 2 vs 2, but ending 1 vs 3). The final match is a stable match for the title. Once the title has been won, the career ends.
In a multiplayer career, up to four players can progress through career mode at once. Two can work together in Tag Team career or a Stable career. If players choose to rival each other, they will begin with a match that incorporates all players. The winner would automatically advance further up the rankings than the other players, with the remainder being ranked dependant upon their success in the inaugural match. From then on, each career date will feature an individual match for each player. Or the players will be required to face off again. In a singles career, players can only compete for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship. When one player reaches the top, he must compete against all other players. If he loses this match, that player will drop 3 places and the winner will advance one space. If the person who reaches the top of the rankings wins this challenge, he also wins the title, thus ending career mode for all players.
' style tournaments, but could only be played in single-player mode. There was no save function between rounds, so one loss automatically lost the entire tournament.
Some of the stables were based on genuine teams in ECW (e.g. 'Impact Players' featuring Justin Credible, Lance Storm, Jason and Dawn Marie), some were genuine teams with additional members (e.g. 'Ghetto FBI' featured both 'The Baldies' and 'Full Blooded Italians' tag teams), and some were completely fictional (e.g. 'Pure ECW' featured Jerry Lynn, Super Crazy, Paul Heyman and Francine). There were no other advantages to a stable in the game.
was heavily criticized for being too similar to WWF Attitude
. Many of the moves and taunts appeared in both games, with the former having only a few additional moves. Some moves were simply renamed (for example, the Seated Powerbomb was renamed Awesome Bomb).
In Anarchy Rulz, there are very many unique moves added to the game, with none being removed. Some moves are in twice under different names (in the same fighting position). For example, the 'Wham-Bam Thank-You Ma'am' and the 'Double Arm DDT' are the same move performed in the Ready position.
There are a large number of moves which are not assigned to any in-game characters. And also, certain moves can only be performed in certain matches. All corner moves with the word 'Springboard' in its name can only be performed in matches in which the ring ropes are active. Also, there were many moves added to the game which were unique to ECW. For example, the Reversal DDT sees the attacker fall victim to a powerbomb, but they counter the move with a Tornado DDT.
giving the game a 43 out of 100 rating, based on 7 reviews, with the consensus being "generally unfavourable". Most reviews did, however, point out a wide selection of wrestlers.
GameSpot
says "Things just don't feel quite right, and, even if you like the controls, the AI still cheats too much, the same boring combinations still lead to wins, and crowd involvement still takes precedence over inherent skill," while giving the game 5.5 out of 10 stars.
GamePro
gives a 2.5/5 rating, describing the game as "the fourth War Zone
-engine game from your friends at Acclaim. It's a perfect example of the adage, 'If it's broke but people still buy it, don't worry about fixing it'."
IGN
gives Anarchy Rulz a 3.8/10 rating, criticizing the inclusion of Dusty Rhodes
and stating that "I'd recommend Anarchy Rulz only to ECW fans, and their reaction might only be to wonder where everything they liked about the promotion has gone".
Gaming Age gave the worst rating, at 16 on Metacritc, saying that "Acclaim has wasted no time in beating every other company to the market with not only an inferior product, but also quite possibly one of their worst creations — ever".
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
video game released by Acclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment was an American video game developer and publisher. It developed, published, marketed and distributed interactive entertainment software for a variety of hardware platforms, including Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, and Game Gear, Nintendo's NES, SNES, Nintendo...
in 2000
2000 in video gaming
-Events:* May 11–13 — 6th annual Electronic Entertainment Expo ; the 3rd annual Game Critics Awards for the Best of E³* June 26 — International Game Developers Association renamed from Computer Game Developers Association...
based on Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
(ECW). It was released for the PlayStation and Dreamcast. The game is the sequel to ECW Hardcore Revolution
ECW Hardcore Revolution
ECW Hardcore Revolution is a professional wrestling video game released by Acclaim Entertainment, based on the professional wrestling promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling . The game was released for the Nintendo 64, Sony PlayStation, Sega Dreamcast and Game Boy Color...
.
Features
After ECW Hardcore Revolution was disappointingly received due to, among other reasons, the lack of an ECW feel, AcclaimAcclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment was an American video game developer and publisher. It developed, published, marketed and distributed interactive entertainment software for a variety of hardware platforms, including Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, and Game Gear, Nintendo's NES, SNES, Nintendo...
tried to compensate for this by adding many new match types. Among these are the Street Fight, Table Match, Inferno Match, Dumpster Match, Lion's Den, Hate Match, and the Team Rumble.
The game featured new control mechanics as well, but these felt very similar to the controls that had been with the series since WWF War Zone
WWF War Zone
WWF War Zone is a 1998 professional wrestling video game featuring wrestlers from the World Wrestling Federation, developed by Acclaim Studios Salt Lake and released by Acclaim Entertainment in 1998 for the PlayStation, Nintendo 64, and Game Boy...
. Rounding out the additions is the revamped career mode. There was a Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
version of this game but it was cancelled as the console was approaching the end of its life.
This was the last game that was made for ECW before its bankruptcy, the members' participation in The Invasion and ECW's purchase by World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWE), but Acclaim went on to produce the Legends of Wrestling
Legends of Wrestling
Legends of Wrestling is a professional wrestling video game based on the greatest wrestlers of all time, from WWF/WWE, NWA, WCW, ECW and various independent promotions. It was developed and produced by Acclaim. It was released in for the PlayStation 2, then in for the Nintendo GameCube and Xbox...
series. The more recent incarnation of ECW would appear in four games in the WWE Smackdown vs. Raw series (2008–2011).
Jobbers
As in 'ECW Hardcore Revolution' the game also features bonus characters called 'Jobbers'. By pressing 'Right' while highlighting any wrestler on the selection screen, the player can see the jobber list. They are characters based upon non-performers in ECW and Acclaim, although some are completely imaginary. At first, Trainer is the only one available as the others must be unlocked.Arenas
This game featured five arenas.- House Stadium - A basic arena. Quite dark and gray. There would be no pyrotechnic or lighting effects during entrances.
- Brick Stadium - An arena which was usually seen on ECW Pay-Per-View events.
- Elks Stadium - An arena loosely based upon the Elks Lodge in Queens, New York. Entrances in this arena may include lighting and pyrotechnic effects.
- ECW Stadium - An arena which features a set that bears a strong resemblance to the ECW Arena in South PhiladelphiaSouth PhiladelphiaSouth Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south, and the Schuylkill River to the west.-History:...
. - Backlot - Based upon the backlot of a large building, it is a large concreted area surrounded by a chainlink fence, brick wall and a truck bed. There is an immovable trash can which players can use as a turnbuckle. As there are no ropes, certain corner moves cannot be performed. The surrounding fence can be climbed. There is no color commentary, and various weapons are randomly thrown into the area.
Career Mode
The career mode returned with two major differences. The fictional Acclaim world title was removed, leaving only two titles in the single-player singles career. This made the mode much shorter. The player would begin by only competing in matches at untelevised House showHouse show
A house show is a professional wrestling show run by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive during televised events, as well as test reactions to matches, wrestlers, and...
s. As they progressed on, they would appear on televised shows, and then pay-per-views. Even though each match was billed in different cities, the arenas on differ depending on where they are set. As the player moves up the rankings, the caliber and number of opponents increase and harder stipulations added.
In a singles career, a player begins at the bottom of the ECW World Television Championship
ECW World Television Championship
The ECW World Television Championship was a professional wrestling television championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling . It was introduced in National Wrestling Alliance affiliate and ECW precursor, Eastern Championship Wrestling in 1992 but was established under ECW in 1994...
rankings (#15). Every time the player won a match, they would progress up one rank, or go down one place if they lost. If the player won at a pay-per-view, they would move up 3 spaces. If the player is ranked #1 on a pay-per-view date, they will get a title match. If they have won the title at a pay-per-view, they must defend the title at the next 5 matches. If the player loses any of these matches, the player loses the title and falls down 5 places in the rankings. If the player wins all five title defences, they move onto the bottom of the ECW World Heavyweight Championship rankings (#10). If the player wins the Heavyweight title, every match thereafter will be a title match.
Winning a pay-per-view match will sometimes lead to an unlockable being awarded.
In a tag team career, the player selected team begins at the bottom of the ECW World Tag Team Championship rankings (#15) and must win a series of Tag Team matches, eventually winning the Tag Team titles. The player would always begin the match with the first character they had chosen, but could use the other during the match.
In a stable career, the player starts at the bottom of a fictional ECW World Stable Championship (#10). You use a pre-made stable of four characters. After this, you can choose which member(s) of your stable will be active before each match. As you progress through the rankings, the number of members representing each team will increasingly favour the computer (starting 2 vs 2, but ending 1 vs 3). The final match is a stable match for the title. Once the title has been won, the career ends.
In a multiplayer career, up to four players can progress through career mode at once. Two can work together in Tag Team career or a Stable career. If players choose to rival each other, they will begin with a match that incorporates all players. The winner would automatically advance further up the rankings than the other players, with the remainder being ranked dependant upon their success in the inaugural match. From then on, each career date will feature an individual match for each player. Or the players will be required to face off again. In a singles career, players can only compete for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship. When one player reaches the top, he must compete against all other players. If he loses this match, that player will drop 3 places and the winner will advance one space. If the person who reaches the top of the rankings wins this challenge, he also wins the title, thus ending career mode for all players.
Belt Tour Mode
One of the few features that made the game unique was 'Belt Tour' mode. This consisted of four 'King of the RingKing of the Ring
King of the Ring is a professional wrestling single-elimination tournament held by WWE. The tournament was held annually from 1985 to 2002, with the exception of 1990 and 1992, and from 1993 to 2002 the tournament was produced as a pay-per-view event....
' style tournaments, but could only be played in single-player mode. There was no save function between rounds, so one loss automatically lost the entire tournament.
- TV Belt Tour - Unlocked when a player won the ECW World Television ChampionshipECW World Television ChampionshipThe ECW World Television Championship was a professional wrestling television championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling . It was introduced in National Wrestling Alliance affiliate and ECW precursor, Eastern Championship Wrestling in 1992 but was established under ECW in 1994...
in 'Career Mode'. The first match would be a normal match, but the sem-finals and finals would also have an added stipulation. All of the opponents in this mode would be individuals that had never won the ECW World Heavyweight Title in real life. - Heavyweight Belt Tour - Unlocked when a player won the ECW World Heavyweight Championship in 'Career Mode'. The first match would have a special stipulation, with the remaining two matches having as many as three stipulations. A combined 'Iron ManIron Man matchAn Iron Man match is a professional wrestling match type that is set to go a specific amount of time, usually 30 or 60 minutes, with the competitor with the most falls at the end of that time named the victor...
' and Last Man Standing' match is very common. All opponents would be people that had won the ECW World Title in real life (and Dusty Rhodes). Completing this mode with different characters on the Hard difficulty setting unlocked new options or characters. - Tag Team Belt Tour - Unlocked when a player won the ECW World Tag Team Championship in 'Career Mode'. There would only be two matches. Both were tag team matches with at least one added stipulation.
- Toughman Belt Tour - Unlocked when a player won the ECW World Heavyweight Championship in a multi-player 'Career Mode'. All three matches would be handicap matches with up to three added stipulations. The first match would be a '1 vs 2' match, with the others being '1 vs 3' matches.
Bio Mode
In this mode, the player can see the 4 alternate costumes of each unlocked character and their attributes. When viewing a character, the character's theme tune plays. The characters are listed in four categories, 'A-M', 'N-Z', 'Jobber' and 'Created'.Stables
This game featured stables. A stable is a team of four characters. The stable could be used in the Stable career mode. The player could choose a name (maximum 10 characters including spaces), a stable theme, logo and four members. During the Stable career, the player could choose up to two from the four stable members in each match.Some of the stables were based on genuine teams in ECW (e.g. 'Impact Players' featuring Justin Credible, Lance Storm, Jason and Dawn Marie), some were genuine teams with additional members (e.g. 'Ghetto FBI' featured both 'The Baldies' and 'Full Blooded Italians' tag teams), and some were completely fictional (e.g. 'Pure ECW' featured Jerry Lynn, Super Crazy, Paul Heyman and Francine). There were no other advantages to a stable in the game.
New Matches
- Hate match - One player would face off against 12 opponents. The player would face 3 at a time. Once one opponent was beaten, they would be replaced by a new fresh opponent. To win, the player must beat all 12 opponents.
- Rage In A Cage - Like a cage match, but there is a much larger space to fight in. If a move is performed unto the concrete floor, it causes extra damage. Players cannot win by climbing over the cage walls.
- Backlot Brawl - The match always takes place in the back lot of the arena. See 'Arenas' for details.
- Brimstone Match - Much like a battle royal, the players would not be able leave the ring. To win, the player must reduce the health of all opponents into the red, and then perform an atomic whip or body slam over the top rope. The ringside area is covered in wood and glowing coals. If a player lands on the coals, they disappear with a flame and an agonising scream. The last player left in the ring wins the match.
- Dumpster match - At the top side of the ring is a dumpster. To win, the player must put one or all of their opponents into the dumpster.
- Inferno Match - Around the ring is fire. To win, all you need to do is set your opponent on fire
- Table Match - Either 2 or 4 tables are placed around the ring. If a move is performed near a table, it would break. If you perform a move near a table, it would cause 'Extreme' damage. After time, the table would return. The tables break very easily, as someone climbing out of the ring can break a table without taking damage. Unlike actual table matches, the match continues when someone is put through a table. The tables cannot be moved or manipulated in any way.
Featured Music
Due to copyright constraints, Acclaim were not allowed to use many of the theme tunes used by ECW wrestlers. Instead, they composed similar sounding themes for the characters. But they were able to secure the rights to four songs which do feature in the game.- 'This is Extreme' by Harry and the Slashtones - This is the main ECW theme, used as the theme tune for Paul Heyman, Joey Styles, Joel Gertner, Cyrus, the 'Pure ECW' stable and the 'Commentary' stable.
- 'Holy Man' by One Minute SilenceOne Minute SilenceOne Minute Silence is a four-piece band based in London that combined influences from metal, hardcore punk and rap and as of 2010 they have sold over 500,000 albums. The band consisted of vocalist Brian 'Yap' Barry from Templemore, Co. Tipperary, guitarist Massimo Fiocco from Limerick City, drummer...
- This features as the theme for Dusty Rhodes, Tajiri and Mikey Whipwreck. It is also played at the 'Press Start' screen. - 'Debonnaire' by DopeDope (band)Dope is an American rock band from Villa Park, Illinois, formed in 1997 in Chicago, Illinois.To date, the band has released five full-length studio albums, their most recent being No Regrets which was released on March 10, 2009.-History:...
- This is used as the theme tune for Rhino and the overall game. This was Rhino's actual theme song in ECW. - 'New Jack' - This was a unique track which featured New Jack performing. It was commissioned by New Jack himself to be used as a theme tune in ECW, but it never happened. It was intended to be exclusive to the PlayStation format of the game.
New Moves
ECW Hardcore RevolutionECW Hardcore Revolution
ECW Hardcore Revolution is a professional wrestling video game released by Acclaim Entertainment, based on the professional wrestling promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling . The game was released for the Nintendo 64, Sony PlayStation, Sega Dreamcast and Game Boy Color...
was heavily criticized for being too similar to WWF Attitude
WWF Attitude
WWF Attitude is a professional wrestling video game based on the World Wrestling Federation released by Acclaim Entertainment in July 1999 for the PlayStation and Nintendo 64. A slightly enhanced port of the game was later released for the Dreamcast, as well as a handheld version for the Game Boy...
. Many of the moves and taunts appeared in both games, with the former having only a few additional moves. Some moves were simply renamed (for example, the Seated Powerbomb was renamed Awesome Bomb).
In Anarchy Rulz, there are very many unique moves added to the game, with none being removed. Some moves are in twice under different names (in the same fighting position). For example, the 'Wham-Bam Thank-You Ma'am' and the 'Double Arm DDT' are the same move performed in the Ready position.
There are a large number of moves which are not assigned to any in-game characters. And also, certain moves can only be performed in certain matches. All corner moves with the word 'Springboard' in its name can only be performed in matches in which the ring ropes are active. Also, there were many moves added to the game which were unique to ECW. For example, the Reversal DDT sees the attacker fall victim to a powerbomb, but they counter the move with a Tornado DDT.
Reception
Reception for the game was mixed-to-negative, with MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
giving the game a 43 out of 100 rating, based on 7 reviews, with the consensus being "generally unfavourable". Most reviews did, however, point out a wide selection of wrestlers.
GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
says "Things just don't feel quite right, and, even if you like the controls, the AI still cheats too much, the same boring combinations still lead to wins, and crowd involvement still takes precedence over inherent skill," while giving the game 5.5 out of 10 stars.
GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
gives a 2.5/5 rating, describing the game as "the fourth War Zone
WWF War Zone
WWF War Zone is a 1998 professional wrestling video game featuring wrestlers from the World Wrestling Federation, developed by Acclaim Studios Salt Lake and released by Acclaim Entertainment in 1998 for the PlayStation, Nintendo 64, and Game Boy...
-engine game from your friends at Acclaim. It's a perfect example of the adage, 'If it's broke but people still buy it, don't worry about fixing it'."
IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gives Anarchy Rulz a 3.8/10 rating, criticizing the inclusion of Dusty Rhodes
Dusty Rhodes (wrestler)
Virgil Riley Runnels, Jr. , better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler currently working for WWE...
and stating that "I'd recommend Anarchy Rulz only to ECW fans, and their reaction might only be to wonder where everything they liked about the promotion has gone".
Gaming Age gave the worst rating, at 16 on Metacritc, saying that "Acclaim has wasted no time in beating every other company to the market with not only an inferior product, but also quite possibly one of their worst creations — ever".
External links
- ECW Anarchy Rulz (PS) at GameSpotGameSpotGameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
.com - ECW Anarchy Rulz (DC) at GameSpotGameSpotGameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
.com - ECW Anarchy Rulz (PS) Boxshot at GameSpotGameSpotGameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
.com - ECW Anarchy Rulz (DC) Boxshot at GameSpotGameSpotGameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
.com - ECW Anarchy Rulz (PS) Release Information at GameFAQsGameFAQsGameFAQs is a website that hosts FAQs and walkthroughs for video games. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff "CJayC" Veasey and was bought by CNET Networks in May 2003. It is currently owned by CBS Interactive. The site has a database of video game information, cheat codes, reviews, game saves,...
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