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Proof of the games heritage is it's deep deep deeeeeep create-a-wrestler
mode. This is what has set it apart from other games time and time again. No matter who became popular, what rookie showed up and wowed the world, or if there was someone that they left out, you could always create that person in most cases exactly as he is from appearance right down to how he tries to finish a match. As far as what wrestlers are in the game, it will never be out of date as long as you have the patience to create a full fledged ring general. The variables you can control when creating someone is as
always staggering. During the process of creating someone you'll have to use a point system. Each ability you give your wrestler will cost you points from a pool of 260. From endurance to special abilities, it'll cost points. So you can't make someone who has perfect health and stamina, you'll just have to compromise. You'll be able to pick and choose the smallest details about your wrestler, even things that won't have a direct impact on the game. One of the most important
things you'll choose is his style of wrestling. Your style is directly related to how effective your moves are. For instance, you can't have a shoot fighter that can deliver a monster powerbomb or a muscle bound grappler who does a picture- perfect
hurricarana. I mean sure, he can do it, but the likelihood of it getting reversed is much higher. When you assign moves the CPU calculates how effective the move is by giving you letter grades from A-E. It really helps in making your ideal wrestler. You'll also be able to choose what kind of special abilities your guy will have such as "blood" where he really enjoys seeing his own blood and will get a stat bonus during the match if he is busted open. Or maybe you want a guy who finishes a match quickly or who'll pop right up after a major move, whatever you want, it's all there. You have to earn a lot of things through gameplay. Like extra points, hidden moves, new costumes, and hidden characters. Just fantastic stuff.
Since no game is perfect I have to tell you about some "bad stuff". I put it in quotes because it's mostly things that are just different from what you may be used to or are expecting. As for the American wrestlers, unlike the import versions they couldn't put their exact appearances in the game for fear of being sued by the WWF. It's bad for us, but a smart move for them and at any rate you can re-edit your favorites with no problem since they do have all the correct moves. Also, unlike the Dreamcast version, the battle royals are only 4 wrestlers instead of 8 which is somewhat disappointing BUT the DC version only included 8 in ring at once because of the power of the system, not even the PS1 version had that so it's really no big deal. One big difference from all the other FP's is that the referee only exists in a box in the corner when a count or submission comes up. That's the only major departure because the ref used to be a strategic piece of the ring action. You had to pin someone in a way that the ref could get there in time to give you a nice fast count or if you didn't like how he was calling the match you could try and knock him out for a bit. Different but not too major. One last thing that will only be noticeable to longtime fans is that the controls can be awkward at first. As I said, that'll only be noticed by hardcore FPer's. And that's basically it, Spike didn't cut any corners or take any shortcuts. Good stuff. All in all Spike and BAM! did a fantastic job, and as a long time fan of FP I can say that all the American gamers have an incredibly accurate version of perhaps my favorite wrestling series. Not only that but what we have here is really a new installment, not just Fire Pro for a handheld. In fact, during the writing of this review our editor Jared "Da Man" Black asked me if it being on the small screen hurt it at all. That's when I realized that I hadn't even noticed I was playing the GBA version, it's just that good. I enjoyed this one just as much as I've enjoyed all the others and even moreso in many areas. A little known fact to many people is that the original company who created Fire Pro, which was Human, went bankrupt recently. Shortly thereafter a new company of developers, some of whom were former Human employees, got the rights to it and decided to keep releasing FP titles under their moniker, Spike. They have done a fabulous job so far, and the decision by Spike and BAM! to bring this game to America was well- timed and definitely introduced on the right system. Here's hoping that it will create more fans and facilitate future releases. Fire Pro Wrestling isn't for everyone, but I truly believe that if you give it a chance, you'll at the very least respect what Spike has done here. And more than likely you'll become one of us, an FP junkie... resistance is futile. Highs:
Lows:
Final Verdict: This will be the wrestling title that all others on the GBA are measured by, and realistically it's the one that wrestling games on every system should be measured by. There is so much offered here that hasn't been offered by many American developers, and some things that are just plainly done better. What else is there to say? If you're a fan of FP, buy it now. If you're just a wrestling fan that's never played or heard of FP, then you really owe it to yourself to play the most in-depth wrestling series you may see for a long time. Overall Score: 9.0 Additional Images:
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