When I first heard about a sequel to last year's less than stellar WWF WarZone, I figured they'd address some of the control and animation issues, and overall put out a much more polished product. In fact, a press release for the game stated that this was more than just a simple upgrade. After hours upon hours of playtime, I can honestly say that it isn't.

A ton of WWF superstars are at your disposal, from the obvious (SCSA and The Rock) to the not so obvious (The Headbangers, Marc Mero, etc.). Unfortunately since the game has been in production so long, the roster is a little strange. The Big Show isn't available, yet Sable is. Bad Ass Billy Gunn comes out as DX, as does HHH. The list goes on. Overall, there are over forty wrestlers, with many being unlocked as you play through the career mode.

Which brings me to the different game modes available in Attitude. This is where the game really shines. As if the usual array of bouts like Tag Team, Battle Royal, Tournament (King of the Ring) and such weren't enough, Acclaim has gone to the trouble of adding just about every possible match you can think of - gauntlet, survivor series, 2 on 1, 3 on 1, etc. From there you can set up options such as first blood or having the match finish only when someone performs their finisher. It's amazing how many options Acclaim managed to throw onto the disc.

Another terrific addition is the ability to set up your own Pay Per View. You're the booker as you set up eight of the biggest matches for whichever PPV you decide to use (you can even name your own). While that's a great idea, I think most gamers will get the majority of their play time from the Career mode. In Career mode you basically start as a rookie in the business who has to make a name for himself by defeating the lower ranks of the WWF. After moving your way up the (corporate) ladder, you're given a shot at a Pay Per View for the European title. This goes on and on until finally, you capture the WWF Heavyweight title. That's no small feat though. Expect to put in more hours than you can count on your quest for the gold.

Last year's WWF WarZone had a fairly decent create-a-wrestler feature, but it was certainly far from perfect. Having to select a move set, for one, made me shy away from it quickly. This year, however, Acclaim has gone above and beyond the call of duty. Not only can you choose individual moves and taunts, but there are literally hundreds of options for your wrestler's appearance. Everything from changing his/her gender to giving him/her a different nose to writing on his/her shirt. It's very well done.

The graphics in Attitude are quite a step up from last year. The faces of the wrestlers are more distinct this year, and the player models look excellent. Unfortunately, the animation is just as poor as it was last year. The characters still walk very unnaturally (almost as if they have back problems) and the animation for each of the wrestling moves aren't half as smooth as they should be. Comparing it to the animation in something like Toukon Retsuden 3 (a Japanese wrestling title for the PlayStation) proves this beyond the shadow of a doubt. I, for one, would have preferred more time had been spent on the animation, rather than on figuring out how to stuff so many new modes in.

While the visuals may leave a lot to be desired, the game certainly makes up some ground in the audio department. Each of the selectable characters has his/her exact theme music in tact in all its CD quality glory. Jerry Lawler and Shane McMahon provide excellent in-game commentary, with more quips and quotes than I could ever hope to mention. Some seem to pop up every match or two, but others are more elusive and will take just the right circumstances to initiate. You can really get some funny combinations with the "(Insert Wrestler Name here) just can't match power with the likes of (Insert Second Wrestler Name here)". One thing I had a problem with, though, was being in a match with Lawler, yet still hearing him do commentary. It's humorous, but not exactly the best way to keep any sort of continuity. Overall, this is probably the best commentary I've heard in a wrestling game, just from the sheer amount of quotes.

Finally, new to Attitude are easily the best ring entrances available in a wrestling video game. Each of your favorite WWF Superstars comes down the aisle just as he would on Heat or Raw - with theme music blasting and oozing charisma. Jarrett comes down carrying a guitar (sorry, no Debra), and the Road Dog walks out with mic in hand shouting "Oh you didn't know?". Yes, he has his entire New Age Outlaws dialogue. While this is great for the first hour or so, you'll find yourself skipping it soon after.

Unfortunately, even with all of these additions, the gameplay and control still remain basically the same as WarZone. I've never been one for wrestling games where you need to constantly refer to a move list. In my eyes, that's what games like Virtua Fighter 3 and Soul Calibur are for. Wrestling games should be easy to jump into. Games like WCW Revenge and Fire Pro have a universal move list, where no matter which character you choose, your moves are done in the same basic way. This not only makes the games easy to pick up for non-gamers, but it makes it so you aren't stuck with the same character for the rest of your playtime just because you know his moves. Some may call Attitude's 'B,D,F - Square' type moves more "advanced". I call them unnecessary. Luckily, there is still a basic grapple system in tact, but don't expect to win many matches if you haven't mastered the aforementioned control style.

Another problem with Attitude lies in the hit detection. More than once you'll find yourself in disbelief that a drop kick hits you while you know you were way more than a leg's distance away from your opponent. This comes into play again when one player leaves the ring and another jumps from inside the ring to the outside after him. Not only is the jump heat seeking, but many times you'll be nowhere near the jumping attacker and still have to feel the damage of his suicide dive. One good thing - if the man on the outside does happen to dodge the attack, the attacker is substantially hurt by the miss.

As average as Attitude is, it is quite a bit of fun in multiplayer. However, this has less to do with Attitude being a good multiplayer game than the fact that it's just fun to beat the crap out of three of your friends.