Hooked Gamers - Fire Pro Wrestling Returns Review

Fire Pro Wrestling Returns

October 16th, 2007 by Vyle

Sprites (cntd.)

Fire Pro Returns is a very retro game. Yes, it uses sprites, it eschews the theatrics of the WWE games, it cares not for online modes, and you won't see any Divas on the (very brief) loading screens. What you will see, though, is a retro wrestling tour de force, that, as with the theme of this game, plays very 'differently.'

All About Timing

Just as with the original incarnations of the game, the grapple system is based on timing. Walk into your opponent to initiate a grapple, and the first person to input a move wins. It sounds simple, and it is, making matches flow quickly and organically. To add depth, each wrestler's move set is divided into three categories – weak, medium and strong. At the start of the match, only weak moves will work, and the opponent has to be worn down before they will be susceptible to the next level of attacks. This works very well, giving matches a realistic and logical flow – no powerbombs out of the block in this game, but when a move is pulled off, it is beautifully animated.

This principal carries on through every move variation in the game, leading to epic encounters that will see last minute super powerbomb reversals, and well earned finishing moves being executed successfully to the sound of relieved sighs. This is because reversals are not performed by the player, but through luck. This may sound odd, but this luck is based on a number of factors, from the stamina, health, strength and weight of each wrestler. A small wrestler will have a harder time slamming a big wrestler, and it will tire them out faster, but it can be done.

The stamina plays an important, but subtle role in a match. After performing a lot of moves, a wrestler will become tired and will need to stop and breathe with the L1 button to regain stamina. A tired wrestler will be less likely to reverse moves or kick out of pins.

Fire pro even gives a choice of referees based on real personalities in the world of wrestling. Each referee has their own style, varying how quickly they count for pins, count outs and disqualifications.

The wrestling mechanic is truly fantastic, and as well as it all works, the only criticism could be that strikes are still a pain to hit, requiring near pixel perfect precision. This does stop players spamming the quick attack button, but going for a dropkick only to find that your foot is a millimetre out of place, causing it to pass through the opponent can be a drag. Aside from that, everything plays near flawlessly, although it will take new players a long time to learn this new style of wrestling after being fed years of Smackdown games.