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ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling) is just starting to gain a decent amount of national attention. Up until last summer ECW had a small but loyal following. Although it is still not anywhere near the big two federations in terms of fan base or money, it is quickly getting people to take notice of the many things it has to offer in the world of sports entertainment. While the WWF and WCW have had their fair share of console games, ECW fans have had to resort to creating ECW stars from the create-a-wrestler features in non-ECW titles. Now, for the first time, there is a game with a full ECW license - ECW: Hardcore Revolution.

The graphics of Hardcore Revolution are good. The wrestlers appear sharp and detailed. The rings and arenas also look nice. I was actually surprised at how solid the graphics appear in this game. The animations are smooth, which makes the matches flow well. There are no nasty framerate issues in Hardcore Revolution. On occasion, however, some of the moves are executed too quickly. Additionally, although the crowd looks better than the crowd in other wrestling games, it could still use some improvement. It would be cool to see the entire crowd standing, pointing their fingers, and chanting, "ECW! ECW! ECW!" in unison.

The area where Hardcore Revolution could use some help is in the commentary department. Joey Styles, the voice of ECW, does the commentary alone. With the likes of the colorful Cyrus and the "Quintessential Studmuffin" Joel Gertner on the ECW payroll, I was disappointed that their talent was not included in the game. Also, the music in the game is lacking in variety. The game sports over 40 wrestlers, but features less than a dozen theme songs. Once again, N64 owners are victimized by the limitations of the cartridge format. The sound just does not do justice to this game.

What ECW: Hardcore Revolution loses in the sound department, it gains in regard to options. The create-a-wrestler feature is deep and well presented. Users will be amazed at the seemingly endless number of wrestlers that can be created. Additionally, there are a truckload of game modes, including a Barbed-Wire Mode. While this mode is not as hardcore as it could be, it still provides a nice break from the standard matches. The career mode is where I spent most of my time. Taking Balls Mahoney through a career was tons of fun. Although it took me a while to become proficient with all the moves, I soon was kicking ass and appearing in the highly vaunted pay-per-view events.

Most people will agree that the graphics of Hardcore Revolution are very good and the sound is mediocre. The area of this title that is open to the most debate is the gameplay. One of the biggest criticisms of ECW: Hardcore Revolution is that it uses the same engine as WWF: Attitude. I have read many comments to the effect that the developer was too lazy to create a new engine, or that Hardcore Revolution is simply a rehash of Attitude. Hardcore Revolution is certainly not the first game to utilize a previous engine, and the developer designed the game well enough to give it a definite ECW flavor. The wrestling action is fast and furious. With over 400 moves, Hardcore Revolution gives the user a lot of variety while in the ring. Kicking and punching is simple to pull off, but the gamer will need to learn the lengthier button combos to pull off the more impressive moves. If you disliked the Attitude wrestling engine, then there is nothing about ECW: Hardcore Revolution that will win you over. However, if the Attitude engine is up your alley, then you will be in hardcore heaven while playing this game.

Overall, I like ECW: Hardcore Revolution. The N64 version of this title is better than expected and delivers in just about every area. I applaud Acclaim for, not simply making an ECW game, but also promoting it. As a huge fan of ECW I have been very disappointed with TNN's lack of promotion of this great wrestling federation. Perhaps Acclaim's involvement with ECW will help get the word out that ECW is the most exciting wrestling promotion in the United States.