WWF Warzone
came out nearly three years ago and for some bewildering reason, Acclaim feels it's
necessary to use the same tired engine on whatever wrestling games they can dream up.
While the latest ECW game does make a few changes to the gameplay, these are all
minor and the game still plays like it did three years back.ECW is known for it's hardcore wrestling and high-risk moves, but Acclaim again fails to capture the drama brought on inside the real squared circle. The same motion captured moves we've all seen time and time again make their presence known for the fourth time. The ridiculously bad hit detection doesn't do a whole lot for the gameplay either. The only plus to the look of the game are the high-res wrestlers when they're standing still since the stunted animation ruins any believability.
The highlight of the game rests on the shoulders of Joey Styles and Joel Gertner who provide some of the most hilarious and raunchy play-by-play ever recorded in a video game. Since most ECW wrestlers come out to licensed music, cheesy midi-sounding audio replaces the actual themes fans know, defeating any chance the game had at accuracy.
The game's jewel case
states that there is an entirely new control scheme at work, but you'll be hard-pressed to
find it. While some moves may be easier to pull off now, the majority of the moves still
require multiple button presses that usually just end up with your wrestler putting on a
dreaded arm bar. If there ever was a possibility for a true false advertising suit, this
is it. There are a few new matches thrown in such as a ridiculous brimstone match and a
pathetic excuse for a table match, but this is the most exciting the game gets.
With surging popularity, ECW doesn't need this. With the WWF moving their national TV station, they need a definite help to get to the top, and this is not the way to get a fan base. A tired game engine, weak graphics, and so-so sounds, this could be Acclaim's most lackluster effort yet. Please Acclaim, end the pain now.
