Fire Pro Wrestling

"A game who only God could have created."

After playing Fire Pro Wrestling for a while, I decided that Virtual Pro Wrestling 2's spot as my favorite wrestling game was no longer secure. FPW is much deeper than VPW2 when it comes to depth, and while VPW2 may have better graphics, Fire Pro Wrestling burns VPW2 with awesome gameplay a larger roster.

Control 10: Now, if you've read my Super Fire Pro Wrestling X Premium review for the SNES, you know what to expect. But for those that didn't pay attention (and chances are you didn't :P) I'll tell you. Unlike other wrestling games who are basically button mashers, Fire Pro has a much more strategy type feel to it's control. Y'see, when you and another wrestler walk into each other, you automatically grapple, as soon as you grapple, you press a button. At first it can be extremely tough, but with a little time and patience, you'll find out that the control is excellent. Overall, kudos to Spike for delivering a great control system.

Graphics 10: Fire Pro has never relied on graphics too much and this game is no exception. However, the reason the graphics get a 10 is because of the excellent 2D graphics. The wrestlers look brilliant, featuring facial expressions and great wrestling attire. The animation for the moves is superb, almost every single move in the game looks terrifically animated. Overall, thumbs up to Spike for showing us that 2D graphics can still hold up with today's fancy 3D graphics.

Sound 10: The sound effects in the game are awesome. Whenever you bleed, a woman in the audience screams, the crowd goes ''ooooh!'' and ''ahhhhh!'' when you get near falls and a guy yells out whenever you slam someone on the floor. The only bad thing about the sound is the in game music. However, because you can turn it off, it's really no big deal. Overall, great job by Spike for delivering the goods with the sound.

Gameplay 10: This is what Fire Pro is known for: Awesome gameplay. There's so many things you can do in the game. You can have shoot fights in the Octagon cage, you can have a deathmatch where some explosives explode at a certain time, and you can have competitive Battle Royals. What expands the gameplay even more is the deep edit mode. You can make practically anybody in this game. Overall, Spike must be people sent from above, because the gameplay in this game is through the roof.

Roster 10: Because this game has so many wrestlers, I had to rate this. This game has basically every wrestler that you would want in a game. Japanese stars like Toshiaki Kawada, Mitsuharu Misawa, Kenta Kobashi, and American wrestlers like The Rock, Triple H, and Chris Jericho. Now, you're probably saying to yourself ''how could Spike afford all these wrestlers?'' the answer is simple: They didn't pay a dime!! All of the American stars have had their names changed and recolored, while the Japanese stars only have their names changed due to different copyright laws in Japan. Also, there are a lot of hidden wrestlers which you can unlock from the game's great audience mode. Overall, you'll never run out of wrestlers to choose from, Spike has outdone themselves.

Replay Value 10: The replay value is terrific. With a ton of moves and characters to use, you'll never get bored with this game. The audience mode will keep you coming back for more, trying to make your match look better to the crowd, and unlocking the hidden wrestlers. This game will keep you occupied for months or even years!!

Rent or Buy? Buy: Because this game has so many things in it, renting it won't do it any good. So the best way to go is to buy this awesome game. You won't regret it.

Final Words Fire Pro Wrestling is the best wrestling game of all time. No doubt about it. It beats VPW2 in almost every single way except for graphics. With Fire Pro Wrestling 2 on the horizon, and with the announcement of a 3D Fire Pro game for the GameCube, this series will continue to improve. Spike has really done a magnificent job on this game, and I thank them for creating one hell of a game.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 09/10/02, Updated 09/10/02