Fire Pro Wrestling Returns - PlayStation 2

Okay, firepro in other places then Japan may not have as good roots and a crowd, but I vouch for this game as a fun wrestling game with tons of customization for making wrestlers, and tons of options for making matches, and a number of modes of play including playing through a whole career.It's control is generally good but it can be a little tricky to get used to, however I find this to be one of my favorite wrestling games of it's time and still fun to play today.

Finally, the legend of Fire Pro envades the US. I have been playing this series since the NES days. The graphics are not going to wow you, but they are perfect for this game and more than gets the job done. This game is about depth, creativity, and building your dream match. When you read any comments from TRUE fire pro fans, that is the essence of this series. Many thanks to the Firepro community for always letting Human and eventually Spike know there was a huge demand for this game.This game allows you to create any wrestler you can imagine. the game also has many different styles of matches. The controls may be a bit tricky to work initially, but nothing as confusing as RvS08. Once you get the feel and timing down, the controls are pretty easy and you are well on your way.The game does not have the standard American super star wrestlers, but you can create their almost perfect likeness using there creative edit mode. I mean you can create almost every star down to there clothes, haircut, mask, signature moves, gestures, and ring entrance. That is awesome! if you happen to create Steve austin, he can wave hello in his special way :)I think the graphics get a bad rap with this game. They are cartoonish, but they are pretty crisp and well drawn. The 2D mode works for this game. I would sacarafice 3D for all the other options offered in this game any day. bottom line, your avatar looks like the star they are supposed to.The true value in the game is developing your wrestlers and creating their AI. This is a deep option and now finally having an American version, incredible experince.You can even create your own titles. I belive you can create up to 8. the game keep strack of title history. If you like customization and being able to play something with the family and friends. This is the game for you. Enjoy

I'm a fan of pro wrestling games. No matter how over the top and arcadey, to the most realistic/sim. with FPWR, we got something that tries to be a little different.The hype and love for this game is incredible. I was impressed by the unique features/match types and roster, but there was a lot missing for me to really call this the best wrestling game ever made.The hit detection and the limits of 4 directions of movement does a number on my patience. Its so ridiculous that after 3 days of playing i still wasn't getting used to the running and strikes. Its unnecessarily complicated. Playing against an AI on anything but the easiest difficulty is flat out too hard for me. I can play any pro wres game for any console and get a decent handle on them. Not this. Having a timing based mechanic simply doesn't work. Maybe for veterans of the series, somehow, but not me or the majority of people who've never played these. Doesn't matter if you hit a button as fast/slow/on time(?) as possible, your opponent will just manhandle you until he gets tired. I also found that playing as an MMA fighter (i.e Shammrock), spamming submissions will pretty much guarantee a win against any fighter in any style. So there's a balancing issue.No clear button or action to do finishing moves. Even checked the rather thorough manual, nope. So thats cool.The Create modes are, once again, complicated as all hell. I honestly appreciate the amount of depth it has- since so many games have gotten it wrong, there were just too many details to get lost in. The preset wrestler faces are just useless. Over a hundred faces to choose from not including masks or facial hair, they all look the same.. Actually changing a pair of pants' color is so aggravating. There has to be like 8 different parts of the pants you have to manually color and it took me forever just to find the preset colors! I wanted to throw my controller and just do something productive in the real world.Every menu in the game, except the main menu, has a weird control scheme that is just wonky. I shouldnt have to hold down buttons/etc to get more options!I'm so tired of the B.S trumpet soundtrack and sound effects, i just mute the whole game until a match actually starts.---This game is just a retro style fighting game with a long list of holds and throws--- Can that make it so great?This shouldn't be just a another FPW release, it really should've taken advantage of the PS2's tech and set the bar higher (a somewhat late release ps2 title at that!). Keeping with the exact same SNES style of graphics and gameplay only satisfies the pickiest of your fanboys and its no wonder this didnt get a wide release or sell well..

This game has a bit of a learning curve but it is legitimately one of the best wrestling games to ever exist.

Huge roster of available wrestlers, countless moves, and insanely configurable gameplay make this a must-have for any Fire Pro fan. Drawbacks include somewhat clumsy menu option partitioning, and no Victory Road option like most other Fire Pro titles in the past, where you basically take on the whole roster to become the top champion- what with the wrestler selection being so vast, I can understand why they didn't include this, but it's a personal fave so it's somewhat of a disappointment it wasn't included.Graphics are 2D but very good; the moves look crisp, well-animated and true-to-life. Fire Pro Returns is more a wrestling *sim* than a wrestling game, and brings back that old-school element of when the wrestling industry was centered on exciting, fast-paced action instead of hype or 'fluff'- the game reflects that era closely. Cage and different death matches are included, as is a crazy 8-man battle royal which is just fantastic. The gameplay and playability are great. If you're already familiar with the Fire Pro series this is a very worthy addition to your PS2 library; if not, be sure to give it a rent to get a taste of the timing-based grappling system and 2D ring perspective- especially if you're a wrestling 'purist', it's entirely possible the game will win you over.