Fire Pro Wrestling Returns

Rating Teen Genre sports Publisher Agetec External Links Official Fire Pro Wrestling Website

If you are a smart wrestling fan (or a “smark” as they are referred to), then you realize that the WWE, while the big-name in the industry, is not necessarily the best. Typically, loads of smaller, indie wrestling federations provide true wrestling fans with the action they so desperately crave rather than absurd storylines about women giving birth to hands or the defiling of corpses. And much like the world of wrestling, the world of wrestling video games proves to be quite similar. While the WWE’s Smackdown series gives fans loads of gimmicky fun, games like Fire Pro Wrestling Returns are giving true fans of wrestling what they want: great action.

Available only on the Playstation 2, Fire Pro Wrestling Returns gives players an in-depth wrestling experience like no other game on the market. For starters, gamers have hundreds of wrestlers to choose from. While all of the wrestlers names have been changed to make them seems as though they are fake, fans will be able to identify who the characters really are. You can easily notice that “Kerry Texas” sure does have a striking resemblance to the legendary Terry Funk. And “Tattoo” really looks just like ECW legend Sabu. While only a handful of the wrestlers in the game represent well-known North American wrestlers, the roster contains overseas legends, such as the Great Muta, as well as MMA stars. And if one of your favorites isn’t in the game, creating them is a breeze. Players can not only edit existing wrestlers to make them seem more like their real life counterparts, but gamers can start from scratch and create hundreds of their own unique and detailed creations.

The creation modes don’t just stop with the wrestlers. Creating belts, referees, stables, and even rings and logos are all at the tip of gamer’s hands. While creating a ring is a great deal fun, creating a logo to go in that ring is definitely a daunting task, initially. Learning the tools in the creation menus takes a while to get the hang of. And navigating these menus can be arduous. But once you get the hang of it, creating your own Hall-of-Fame supercard in your imaginary company’s ring is a breeze.

As for the gameplay in Fire Pro Wrestling, the game is not one that you can pick up and dive right in to like you can in other wrestling games. Players need to learn the specific timing of the game in order to successfully hit any moves. If you rush in to a grapple, nine out of ten times you will end up on the receiving end of a whole lot of pain. Players need to learn to master this system in order to advance through Fire Pro’s levels of difficulty. Once this timing thing is down pat, players can try their hands at a number of match types ranging from basic one-fall ad steel cage matches to the insane Japanese Death Matches that made wrestlers like Mick Foley a legend.

There are two types of Death Matches: barb-wire rope death match or an exploding ring death match, where at a predestined time, the ring actually had explosives go off around it, leaving players and the ref knocked down in a haze for seconds. The game is so in depth, it even offers “Gruesome Fighting” matches, which we all know as Mixed Martial Arts or Ultimate Fighting Championship style matches. These take place in an eight-sided ring and the only way to win is either knock your opponent out or make the tap. These actually prove to be a lot of fun and can help you learn a lot more about locking on submission holds.

By no means is Fire Pro Wrestling Returns for the casual wrestling fan. It’s a game that requires patience and precision to truly perfect and appreciate. If you are looking for a change of pace and a wrestling game that actually gives the feel of real professional wrestling and not “sports entertainment,” then dust off your PS2 and look no further than Fire Pro Wrestling Returns. At $20 for a copy, you really can’t go wrong with this one!