Fire Prowrestling D (Import / DC)
Written: Sep 22 '01 (Updated Oct 11 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Number of wrestlers, arenas, stadiums, modes.
Cons: Requires a modded DC, CD-X, or GS to play, complex control, sound effects
The Bottom Line: Fire Prowrestling D is without a shout of a doubt a wrestling fan's wet dream
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| ss3goku's Full Review: Fire Prowrestling G for PlayStation 1 |
[Note: The following review is of an import only DC game]
Once again Epinions shocks me for a second time to not include another game in which I want to review. Reason being here is because Fire Pro Wrestling D is only sold as an import and can’t be found at any local retail stores. Still that’s no reason in why Epinions can’t branch out to the idea of including imports for people to not only write about, but to read as well. So for your reading pleasure, I have figured the only way in which I would be able to review such a game as Fire Pro Wrestling D, was to place it at the most related area, which is here. So those expecting a review on their beloved Fire Pro Wrestling G, I’m sorry to disappoint you but this is purely focused on the Sega Dreamcast version. Some may question me by asking “why?” Why bother to review such a game if it didn’t even deserve it’s own area. The answer is quite simple, because this single CD shaped disc is the deepest wrestling game, period. No if’s, and’s, or but’s about it. The simple fact is this, Fire Pro Wrestling is the bible to wrestling fans all around the world, and as you read this review, you’ll find out why.
Appearance:(n/a)
-Import only
-200 wrestlers
-15 different leagues
-2D visuals
-Downloadable moves
-CAW mode
-Not much understanding of Japanese is required
Plot:(n/a)
Select from a number of wrestlers as you go on do compete against other wrestlers in numerous matches and modes in order to walk out victorious.
Visuals:(8/10)
Those who buy games mostly for the visuals will surely be disappointed with what Fire Pro Wrestling has to offer. Why? Reason being that the majority of the game consists of 2D sprites, the only time in which you’ll witness a 3D scene in the game is in the intros when the wrestlers walk from the walkway over to the ring, the audience members themselves, and the arena, other than that it’s pure sprites. While I don’t necessarily enjoy the fact that the wrestlers don’t even carry a single polygon on them but are rather created from head to toe in sprites, I was somewhat disappointed, reason being that I was more used to playing wrestling games in full 3D where the only sprites that were used were to create the audience, but after I really got into the game, I had a change of heart and actually found the sprites to be quite amazing.
Wrestlers are somewhat deformed when playing the game. The detail is obviously there with ripped biceps, faces, hair, boots, body tone, and etc. ,etc., etc. Which all look great, along with the smooth animations (for a DC game), allowing you to instantly find your personal favorite wrestler. However, for some rare occasions I would notice that the wrestler would look a bit off from their actual appearance, that is the wrestlers that I mostly know of, (WCW and WWF). “The One” Billy Gunn never had incredibly dark brown hair or a somewhat out of shape body. Or take Kurt Angle for example, it appears as if he is literally going bald. While I know this is not a major issue to mention being it’s mostly due to licensing rights, it does stand out and I can’t help but feel as if the creators were a bit puzzled on some of the American wrestler’s appearances. When comparing the wrestlers in Fire Pro Wrestling D to the prior Fire Pro Wrestling games, the wrestlers look much more detailed and larger, but as far as where size goes when comparing the game to Smack Down, the wrestlers size appears to be a bit smaller then some people may have expected, however like I said with the visuals, after getting your feet wet with playing the game, it shouldn’t be much of an inconvenience.
Arenas and stadiums, (depending on which one you decide to wrestle in) all look completely different from one another. You may choose to wrestle in a High School gym, and on your next match wrestle in what appears to be a knock off from the WCW set, where fireworks and explosions are welcomed along with your entrance, and much more. While the size of the arenas are kept the same, such differences as the pavement, if it is wood or concrete it will appear differently, or the surroundings around the arena with the stage lights and such, even the security fences kept around the ring to separate the audience members from the wrestlers will be different. Some matches even require it that you wrestle in a specific arena, such as the electric cage match or the UFC style, lions den match, which I think was done for the pure reason that these matches don’t allow you to step outside the ring, unless of course you set the match so that there are explosives around the cage, and then when they detonate you’ll continue your match outside the ring, that is if you haven’t been knocked out from the explosion.
Sound:(6.5/10)
The only weakness Fire Pro Wrestling D carries, is it’s sound. Musical tracks are nothing to rave over, but then again their nothing to get to upset at. The background music is mostly composed from Japanese pop guitar solo’s that are not so bad that it’ll get to the point in which you’ll mute the game, but at times you’ll wonder why it’s even in there to begin with. Other musical tracks played are the intro songs, which again, won’t grab your attention much, since they are just some tossed in high paced techno beats or guitar riffs, but they do come off well as you see your wrestler(s) walk out with the audience cheering them, and ONLY cheering them on. The only intro song in which most will recognize is a somewhat “Stone Cold” Steve Austin entrance theme with the glass shattering and guitar tunes being played off, other then that it’s anyone guess on how the tracks were created.
Sound effects are a mixed bag. When you strike an opponent with a punch to the face or kick to the stomach, it will actually sound as if they you were hitting the flesh on their face. Bodies coming down to the mat will give off a loud thud as body slams and suplexs are performed, or even from outside the ring they will still give off a thud as they fall and lay on the solid ground. Weapons used upon your opponents sound just as real with chairs giving aa aluminum crunching sound, sledgehammers sound off with a solid thud, or with the fluorescent light bulbs casting a shattering sound as you hear the glass fly off on your opponents face. But while things may sound incredible, it’s only when you submit a choke hold will you hear a unbearable gargling sound that would make you think your wrestler was lost in the ocean without the knowledge on knowing how to swim, making it sound heavily over exaggerated.
Another error found within the sound effects is that the crowd’s sound to their reaction makes it seem as if there is no one really watching the match, but just some person in a booth pushing a button on when to give off a rather low toned sound of a so called “audience” going ballistic. Sure in the intro they will be screaming their heads off till the very moment the bell rings, but when that does happen, what happens next is close to dead silence. And while I know this is just like in real-life wrestling were the audience is at times totally silent, you would at least expect to hear different levels of their interest as they yell out the same exact tone and length for all their response, no matter if you do a body slam or a Stone Cold Stunner, you’ll get the same reaction. But what’s even worse is that the only sound you’ll hear from the crowd, no matter what you do will be of a cheer. There is absolutely no booing whatsoever. You can stand in the middle of the ring doing nothing for 3 hours and the crowd will either scream their heads off in excitement or do nothing at all.
Control:(9/10)
American wrestling games mostly consist of one out of two control set-ups. There is the Acclaim engine where moves were performed by pushing a certain sequence of buttons and directions, and then there is the THQ engine, where a simple push of a button would submit a grapple and a direction plus a face button would perform a move. However, the Fire Pro Wrestling games have their engine set up where such things as timing and precession rule over what most American gamers are used to, which is sometimes just button mashing. While this may sound incredibly easy, since only two key factors are necessary to play a Fire Pro Wrestling game, the time it takes in which you can successfully take on more then three opponents and discover the true fun factor in this game, you’ll most likely forgot those earlier moments where your thoughts of this game were anything but positive. It’s only when you’ve learned the essential knowledge of using the game’s engine will you fully be able to get the most out of it and see it as a true masterpiece.
Victory is determined by how you pace yourself when starting from the weak strikes and holds (X button), to the then medium strikes and holds (A button), and the strong strikes and holds (B button). Unlike most wrestling games, Fire Pro Wrestling maintains a fair amount of realism as far as how the match goes by forcing players to begin with weak attacks, if someone was to immediately jump in and use the strong strikes and holds, their opponent would most likely counter their moves, leading into reversals where the only wrestler hurt would be theirs. Running as with every wrestling game is placed in Fire Pro Wrestling D by the Y button, plus this same button can also allow a wrestler (when outside the ring) to pick up a weapon, such as a chair, panel of wood, kendo stick, sledgehammer, and florescent light in which can be used to strike over your opponent(s). Signature moves are generally done by pressing both the A+B button at the same time. A special can be used in numerous places, such as in a grapple, the turn buckle, while running, on the apron, besides their legs, etc. Another important thing to talk about for the control of the game is breathing. No, while it’s not necessary that you continue to hold this button down the entire match in order for your wrestler to breath, it’s purpose is used towards those moments when your wrestler will wear themselves out and will need to catch their breath when given the chance. Knowing when to use this important command is an extremely important part of the strategy of this game, for if your wrestler is not given the chance to catch their breath, they are not just more likely to drop their guard, but also become more open for getting knocked out, costing them the match
Taunts are also included in the game by moving the analog joystick in one of four possible directions. For some wrestlers, this is not something in which they would need to be doing while in the middle of a match, but for others, it may increase their overall performance. With that being said, I would hope that players would still take an interest in seeing these taunts for the enjoyment of seeing how accurate they are to the wrestler. Take for instance “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. His taunts include his well-known two-finger salute, to climbing on the ring posts and raising both arms in the air. Or take the Rock, not only will he stand still and take a deep breath as he looks around the stadium while the fans go ballistic, but in Fire Pro Wrestling D, you’ll also see the well known taunt the Rock does right before landing the people’s elbow. Basically, the taunts you would see your favorite wrestlers do on television are more than likely going to be seen when playing the game.
Replay Value:(10/10)
Very rarely, and I do mean very rarely will I give a game a 10 when it comes to the replay value. Reason simply being that today’s games either surpass as where visuals, sound, and control go, but the replay value will be very shallow, or vice versa. However, Fire Pro Wrestling D seems to earn it’s 10 with flying colors as being one of the most enjoyable games in which I had ever played, on any game console. Only frustrating part about the replay value is of knowing where to begin, being that the game has so much to offer.
I would guess the best place to begin would be with the wrestlers themselves. The game already gives you over 158 wrestlers from the moment you start, with an additional 42 hidden wrestlers, which are unlocked when completing the career modes, giving you a total of exactly 200 characters, and that’s excluding the unlimited number of CAW’s (Creat A Wrestler) your able to create (depending on your VMU). However, the only problem given with the wrestlers is the pure fact that their names are completely made up, due to licensing reasons, but thankfully the given option of changing their name and appearance is available for use. Each wrestler also belongs to their own certain organizations, which are divided into 15 separate leagues consisting of New Japan Pro Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling NOAH, FMW Entertainment Wrestling, Michinoku Puroresu, Toryumon: Ultimo Dragon Gym, Big Japan Pro Wrestling, Osaka Puroresu, Freelance, World Wrestling Federation, World Championship Wrestling, Triple A, Rings, Pancrase, Battlearts, Gruesome Fighters, Joshi Puroresu, LEGEND, and if none of those seem to hold your interest, you can create your own league (including logo) with your roster of any available wrestler and/or CAW. And while we’re still on the subject of leagues, let’s say you want to keep up with what’s going on with WWF, ECW, and WCW, now that they have all joinws together, and you want to do the same. Question is, can you? The answer? Yes. Fire Pro Wrestling D allows you to not only customize your wrestler, but as well as your league by moving wrestlers from one league to the other within mere minutes as you go on to update to what’s happening in wrestling world. So, you want to join WCW and ECW together to make the Alliance? You just go ahead and do that.
When it comes to modes, Fire Pro Wrestling D doesn’t contain the well known American wrestling, eye candy exclusive modes like the TLC (tables, ladders, and chairs) match, table match, casket match, special guest referee match, first blood match, and what not, but instead giving you such modes like the one night match, one night tournament, open league, elimination match, battle royal match, victory mode, and the title mode. And before I get to the purpose of the modes listed above, I first wanted to write about the given configuration when choosing one of the seven modes. The majority of match types will consist of: Normal Match, Exploding Cage Death match, Barbed wire Deathmatch/Fluorescent Light Boards Death match, Gruesome Fighting (Octagon Shoot Fighting/Mixed Martial Arts), and the SWA Official Rules Match (Battlarts-style Rules). The number of wrestlers in the ring can range anywhere from two wrestlers to eight, being that each team is given a maximum of four wrestlers. Meaning that for those wanting to set a handicap match, you can have it so that it’s one on one, two on one, three on one or two, or even four on one, two, or three. Match types vary from 3 Count, 2 Count, Only Fall (Pin), to Only Give Up. Time can even be limited to a total of 5 min, 10 min, 15 min, 30 min, 45min, 60min, or No Limit. Match falls range by one or three falls. Even the choice of the ring’s appearance can be adjusted to your wrestling league, even those in which you’ve created. Locations range from SPIKE DOME, Yurakuen Hall, Murakawa Gym, and the USA. Referees can be chosen as well, since each referee is different in their own way. Being that one referee may do a pin count faster then the other, where another referee may not notice a wrestler doing an illegal move faster then a other referee. Such options as the Rope Check, Lumberjack, Tornado Battle, Cut Play, DQ Count, Outside Count can be adjusted by turning them on or off. Criticals (KO’s) may be adjusted as well; making them either appear more often or very often when playing a match. And finally, there is the given option of deciding which BGM music track you want to be played during your match. But one thing to mention when configuring your match is that some of the options listed above may not be available to you, depending on how you set the match up.
Now on to the game modes, which I had listed above. Each serves a different purpose and layout for when playing the game. The “One Night Match” is basically where you’ll be able to configure your desired wrestling matches. “One Night Tournament” makes it so a number of wrestlers are paired up to face each other and the winner advances to the next round in the tournament. “Open League” is where you’ll take control of a single wrestler and compete against a group of other wrestlers, one match at a time, where at the end, points gone towards winning will be tallied up, and the wrestler with the most points wins. “Elimination Match” is made so teams of five will go against each other individually in singles matches. The “Battle Royal” mode allows it where two to eight wrestlers can go compete against each other at the same time while participants become eliminated by pin fall or falling over the top rope till one man is left standing. “Victory Road” is basically where you go on to create a career (which can vary by weight class and organization), with your wrestler by going into single matches or tag matches as you compete to gain championship belts and unlock the hidden extras. Finally, there is the Title Match, where you’ll be able to create and defend your belts as you decide who your champions will be. So as you can tell, as with the configurations, the game modes are just as open to anything you can think of when playing this game, making each match unique in it’s own way, making you probably never see the same thing twice.
Bottom Line:(8.375)
Face it, the game is not coming over here to the states, which is really a shame since it’s one of the deepest and most entertaining wrestling games out there today. While the 2D graphics and ill at ease control might turn some people off, it’s all but a matter of time until your able to pick up on things and then finally be able to enjoy this game with it’s deep modes and configuration, not to mention the ability to actually create such things as numerous wrestlers and organizations. Plus the fact that the game is import friendly after a few days of experimenting around with the menu’s and commands, you’ll easily be able to get into the game and still know what the commands are, so those having doubts due to the Japanese text can rest assure, the game is import friendly after playing the game for a couple of days and of course by having a guide with them, which can be found at the following site: http://www.fighting-spirit.com/fireprod/.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
ss3goku
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Location: U.S.A.
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