Fire Pro Wrestling

"Hunger for graphics is nothing, the thirst for gameplay's everything, Obey your thirst. Buy this."

Nintendo made money with me because of an Emulation site.

Being kind of cautious when it comes to buying new consoles or handhelds, I choose to try out one of the top GBA emulators and this game's ROM. 2 hours after I originally loaded the ROM in my emu, I was still playing. Then I knew: ''This is the stuff of legends. This game worths my cash.'' The same day I went out, bought the GBA and this game. I think any wrestling fan that respects himself should buy this.

Graphics: Classical Fire Pro isometric view of the ring and the wrestlers. The sprites are easilly recognizable although the faces are not quite as clear, which isn't a surprise considering the size of the screen. I've heard that the GBA can do better, but judging that Fire Pro never had graphics on par with the system it was on after the 16-Bit era, it ain't much. Fire Pro Wrestling on any system is 2D, and should remain 2D. Everything moves well except a few moves. I'll give it a note of 8/10, considering that these are the best graphics I ever saw on an handheld and that this is classic Fire Pro at its best.

Sound: While the graphics always suited the player's tastes, the Fire Pro series have been known for having horrendous sound, and this game sounds no different. The music in there isn't better than a good NES quality music. Although some of the wrestler themes are somewhat recognizable (Not too much, they had to avoid copyright issues.), they are basically just bleeps and bloops. I'll give it a note of 5/10, for the fact that there are none the less many different music tracks in the game and that, well, Fire Pro games never really had good sound, so it continues the tradition !

Lineup: This little category is a must for the wrestling/UFC games. And the Fire Pro series always has the best lineups. This game is no different, as wrestlers from all major wrestling and shootfighting promotions make appearences, with everybody being renamed and the North American characters being decolored to avoid copyright problems. While some choices are hard to understand (A certain non-wrestler is an hidden in the WWF but one of the federation's former world champion isn't, WCW lineup contains wrestlers that haven't wrestled there in a long time, while 2 of their former world champions aren't in), nobody is really missing in there. There are FAQs around that will help you rename and recolor everybody back to normal. This is a 10+/10

Features: Hard to believe considering that this is an handheld game, but the features in this game appealed me more than those in the beefier PSX wrestling games. From the league mode to the tournament mode to the CAW mode, everything had me hooked and felt like playing again. Not too much variation as far as special match options are concerned, though. This is 8/10

Replay Value / Challenge: For the rookie to the Fire Pro world, the game can be a little frustrating. People used to button mashing will hit the wall here as it is all about pushing the right buttons at the right time. Do it too early or too late and you're toasted. So yes this is an added challenge from newbies to the game. Veterans and newbies alike will find completing the different modes as well as unlocking all the hidden characters to be quite challenging and long. The replay value lies in the player's own tastes. The big fan of wrestling will play this endlessly. The casual wrestling fan or normal player will probably enjoy unlocking the hidden characters, play season mode one or twice and then move to something else. 10/10

Final Word: This is a must buy for the Game Boy Advance. The Fire Pro Series made their way to the US and Canada for the first time and it lives to expectations. Buy it. Simple as this. Buy it. It has been emulated near perfectly, but Nintendo deserves your cash on this one.

That's a recommendation of the man that's got an identity crisis, PRaven/RXPW !!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/21/01, Updated 06/21/01