Federation Booker

"Giving you what Fire Pro 2 didn't."

Federation Booker was one of the first games Mat Dickie made that he charged for. He has been making games for several years now for free and decided to step it up a notch and start charging for games that he had put more effort into. If you ask me, it is worth every penny of the fifteen dollars it costs. The idea of the game is basically that of the Manager of the Ring mode that was left out of the American version of Fire Pro Wrestling 2. You run your own wrestling federation and try to bring it to the top.

Graphics: 8 (Note: I am not factoring in the fact that the graphics are 2D as opposed to 3D for this score) - The graphics are great. Each wrestler is distinguishable from the other. The animation is what knocks this score down two points. The characters appear to be gliding at times and occasionally overlap.

Gameplay: 9 - The gameplay is simple. The default controls use the keyboard, but gamepads also work. As far as difficulty goes, there are six different difficulty settings ranging from Very Easy to Extremely Hard. And they are just that. If you have the game on Very Easy, it is almost impossible to LOSE to your opponent. If you have the game on Extremely Hard, it is almost impossible to WIN. Although there are many other promotion simulations out there, this one is the only one that allows you to actually participate in the matches. Participation isn't mandatory though. You can simply put the game speed on the fastest setting and let the computer fight out the match. You also have to worry about your finances. If your best wrestler wants too much money, you may have to just release him or sell him to another company.

Story: 8 - The only real story behind this is that you are running a wrestling federation while competing with the other federations to be the best federation in the world.

Replayability: 10 - This is one of those games that has an unlimited replayablility. If you make it to the top, you can just restart and work your way back up again, or you can just keep on truckin' and hold back the other competition.

Overall I would give this a 9, it is good, but it feels like something is missing from it.

To buy or rent?: I would recommend buying this game if you are a wrestling fan. If you are still somewhat skeptical about whether or not to buy this game. Mat has four different shareware versions of this game on his website. You can just download one of those and try it out yourself. His website is http://www.mdickie.com

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/30/03