Fire Pro Wrestling

"Finally, a portable wrestling game that rival's THQ's WWF series!"

This game is a must have for wrestling game fan, even though it has no recognizable wrestlers. I have played almost every wrestling game for almost every Nintendo system and I can honestly say this is one of my favorites ever.This is one of the rare ''released at launch'' titles that is bound to remain popular until the death of the system and probably will spawn many sequels to boot. I will now rate each individual category.

Graphics:8: The graphics really show off the GBA's capabilities. While it may be 2-d, the amount of detail is amazing. The frame rate isn't very bad and the moves are very realistic. The corner view of the game is new and is very well presented.

Sound:9: The sound is also very good. Again it really shows off the GBA's power. The entrance music of each wrestler is also very unique, not to mention crystal clear. Also the sound of an opponent (or you) hitting the mat is also crystal clear and very realistic.

Controls:8: The controls are pretty good with a grapple and either a or b initiating most moves. The reason it lost points was because most non-grappling, striking moves are often blocked. It gained points because walking towards the opponent initiates the grapple thus more buttons can be used as moves. The controls are overall very easy to use but, challenging to master.

Gameplay:10: This is where this game really excels. There are too many game modes to count, including an electrified cage match, and a match where you must please the audience to win. The hit detection is good but AI is way too high, because almost all moves are blocked or countered.

Edit-a-wrestler:10: If I could I would give this category a
13. It rivals WWF No Mercy for N64 in it's capabilities if not better. You choose from over 300 faces, which include face, mask, hair, etc. You can also edit every part of a wrestlers body, including chest, belly, shoulder, upper arm, forearm, etc. and choose from many colors or define your own. A wrestler can have many styles and moves in his arsenal, and you can even name his finisher. This mode more than makes up for the lack of known wrestlers with it's edit a wrestler mode, where where you can save up to a WHOPPING 73 wrestlers on one game pack. This is definitely the very best feature in the game!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/27/01, Updated 08/27/01