In my opinion, the best of Acclaim's 3D licensed wrestling games simply because they simplified the button combinations for moves. It's a lot closer to other wrestling games in the sense that you press one direction and a button. I say closer because you still need to consult a command list to see what combinations you can do with what wrestler, but this is still a huge improvement over previous games.
They also added a backstage arena and an octagon (for some reason), which definitely add variety to the game. They've also added "table" matches (Quotations because you don't win if you break one) and brimstone matches where you can throw enemies into a fire outside of the ring to win. There are also dumpster matches which work the same way but instead of surrounding the ring, you have to throw your opponent out of one side of the ring into a dumpster to win.
If you create a wrestler and enter career mode, you can't then change that wrestler's moves. Well, you can, but they won't apply to career mode.
Career mode consists of 2 belts you have to work towards winning: TV and Hardcore. TV was easy enough, but Hardcore started to give you loads of handicap matches you have no chance at winning! I had to eventually just save the game before the next match and then reload to randomise it again to get more fair matches.
Pretty fun game, but it did get old fast. Definitely the best ECW game, but that's not a very high bar.
I decided to get the N64 version of this imported from America since I enjoyed the PS1 game. It wouldn't work with my N64 passport at all no matter what I did, so I had to settle with getting a repro for Etsy made to work on PAL units. I also beat this 100% and have developed a strategy to do it fast. Might try and speedrun and stream it once I get my capture card.
The N64 version looks and plays better than PS1 but is mostly the same. There seems to be lines of commentary on N64 that doesn't appear on PS1 and vice versa, which is really interesting.
