Fire Pro Wrestling

"Who needs button mashing when there's Fire Pro Wrestling?"

I've been into wrestling games since the days of NES. Advancing from the 8-bit Wrestlemania to the unbeatable (or so I thought) No Mercy, it was an easy choice that Fire Pro Advance would be the first game I would buy along with my Game Boy Advance. This would be my first experience with a Fire Pro game, and I was not to be disappointed. This game has just about everything you could ask for in a wrestling game, and though it lacks the flash and gimmicks of THQ WWF games, it's downright fun to play. Plain and simple, this is a great wrestling game that everyone should own.

Gameplay: 10- The gameplay of Fire Pro is outstanding. I love the grappling system of this game, requiring more skill than button mashing games which I was accustomed to. You start out slow with your weaker B moves, simple punches, kicks, and bodyslams to begin wearing down your opponent. Eventually you move up to strong A moves, and finally finish off your opponent with devastating A+B attacks. Don't even bother trying to start big, the computer will simply reverse your moves. The grappling is based on having the right timing, and though this can be challenging to learn at first, it can be picked up with some practice. With this grappling system, you control your fate, unlike the excessive ''cheapness'' found in No Mercy. The computer won't reverse every move you try, making this game less frustrating while remaining challenging. Striking moves can be difficult to land at times, but again, with practice this will come.

Sound: 6- The music in this game is average. Nothing too catchy, and after owning the game for several days I found myself usually opting to play with no background music. Entrance music is also suitable for a game where the details take a back seat to the gameplay. Specific themes are not used, but there's a wide range of themes to assure that you can find the right music for your CAW. From the bone-crunching noises in submission moves to the crisp sounds of slaps to the chest, the sound effects give you the feel that these guys are in pain.

Game Modes: 9:- Deathmatches with exploding rings and electrocuting fencing; Octagons containing shoot fighters looking to make the other scream ''uncle'', or knock them out cold; A classic 1v1 bout featuring two top wrestling superstars; Handicap matches, tag matches, elimination matches, survival matches, tournaments, and leagues. Yes, this game is filled with options to keep you playing night and day. While ladder matches and a regular cage math would be nice additions, their absence takes little away from the game. With all of these different ways of setting up a match, you'll be playing new types of matches for hours. The realism of this game even makes watching two computer opponents fight exciting and well worth the time. The gem of Fire Pro wrestling's game modes is undoubtedly the Audience Mode, where you choose a style of wrestling and then must perform a crowd-pleasing performance in that style. In this mode you go through 4 levels of increasing difficulty and raised goals as you attempt to work a realistic matchup. So you've got the skills to squash your opponent without getting hit once...Unfortunately, that's not the match your audience wants to see, and you'd better allow your opponent some offense too. If you promise to wrestle Lucha Libre, staying on the ground will anger your crowd and lose you valuable rating points. While some styles are easily beaten, others are quite challenging and may have you stuck for awhile trying to figure out what the audience wants from your performance.

Graphics: 6- Not the best you'll find in a game, but that's the norm for a Fire Pro game. You can easily tell who the wrestlers are, and the animations are very much lifelike. The gameplay easily makes up for what the graphics lack, and it's quite easy to forget that this game isn't an artistic masterpiece once you're lost in a heated match.

Create a Wrestler: 10- Holy crap is the CAW amazing. Easily the most detailed, specific, complete CAW feature ever in a wrestling game. Over 300 faces, tons of clothing, and great color editing makes the appearances extremely accurate to the look you're going for. All the classic wrestlers and today's superstars can be created with great detail, and hours can easily be lost in the CAW mode. The wrestler's strengths and AI are completely customizable to truly create a personality inside your cartridge. The game contains over 1200 moves from all imaginable positions, meaning you'll have plenty of weapons at your disposal. The 73 spots for created wrestlers blows No Mercy's limited CAW space out of the water, allowing you to create whole federations.

Characters: 10- With wrestlers from all over the States and Japan, this is the most complete cast of characters a wrestling game has ever seen. Even the four referees have their own personalities and styles. All the top names are here, as well as some old-timers which are unlocked in the Audience Modes. Unfortunately, the names were disguised to avoid copyright laws, though this is a minor problem and can be corrected without much problem. A slightly larger problem is the changed appearances of American wrestlers. You may either change the appearance using one of your 73 CAW spots, or live with a slightly different but acceptable appearance.

All in all, Fire Pro Wrestling is a must-have for the Game Boy Advance, and my personal favorite of the launch titles. This game has tons of replayability, and I can confidently say that I'll be playing this game for months to come. I highly recommend this game, and urge button mashers not to fear a different game...You're only cheating yourself.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/16/01, Updated 07/16/01