Game of the Day 4/4/2016: Fire Pro Wrestling Returns
Fire Pro Wrestling Returns for Playstation 2 is the sole console (not counting handhelds) US release of the revered Fire Pro Wrestling franchise, which has graced more Japanese consoles than you can shake a stick at, unless you're just super awesome at shaking sticks. It retains the classic 2D aesthetic and gameplay of the long-standing series while offering the most robust set of options to date.
Those options are really what Fire Pro is all about, but first, the gameplay. On a 2D, diamond-oriented ring, you grapple it out using various strikes and holds, and at a glance it doesn't look entirely different from the old SNES grapplers like Royal Rumble or Superbrawl. However, the big difference with Fire Pro is that instead of mashing on buttons like Track & Field on crack to win grapples, it opts for a more elegant timing based approach. Just as you hands touch each others' shoulders, pressing the command for your hold or throw of choice before your foe will allow you to perform a move. On the other end, should you lose, timing a button press at the correct frame of animation allows a counter. It is quite difficult to master, but it removes the old controller smashing days and replaces them with precision.
Realistically, though, few people care as much about the gameplay as they do the options, and good lord, are there ever options. Aside from various match types such as singles, tag, battle royal, cage, and more, there are also tournament and league modes to play through as well, but even those are predicated heavily on the creation tools, which are beyond robust. If you've created wrestlers in WWF/E games over the years, you've seen nothing. The editing modes are so insanely thorough that in the right hands, astoundingly accurate versions of wrestlers can be created, not just in looks, but in mannerisms. Nearly every move from the simplest punch to the most dire take on the Michinoku driver have several variations, allowing you to capture the essence of your favorites in motion. It isn't simple, but it is awesome. You can also create belts and rings pixel by pixel, allowing you to recreate you favorite Wrestlemania moment or the sloppiest Halloween Havoc you can imagine, or you can just decide its time to have your own Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Pay Per View. I'm not all that great, but you can see some of my creations in the screenshots above.
Fire Pro Wrestling Returns is in many ways the swan song of 2D wrestling games, and is an absolute must for any wrestling fan with too much time on their hands. There's also a pretty healthy online community of folks who have create a wrestler leagues, creation competitions, and share save files among one another. I haven't had the kind of time to hook up with those groups, but they serm pretty friendly from what I can tell.
Played it?
Reply With Quote