Video Game Review: Fire Pro Wrestling Returns (PS2)

Wrestling Game of the Year!

By Chris Sabga

Over the Christmas holiday, I was forced to part ways with my trusty video game systems for a few weeks. Normally this wouldn't be a problem. I love games, but I can generally live without them for a little while.

Then came Fire Pro Wrestling Returns for the PS2.

I can say, without exaggeration, that it's the best wrestling game I've ever played.





I'm no virgin to Fire Pro. My first foray into the series came several years ago when I imported Fire Pro Wrestling S: Six-Men Scramble for the Sega Saturn. As Bogey said in Casablanca, it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

From there, I dabbled with various games in the series, including its North American debut on the Game Boy Advance. Finally, Fire Pro was in a language I could understand!

Now, at long last, Fire Pro has been given an English-language release on a console system. It took only 18 years. (Fire Pro Wrestling Combination Tag - the first game in the series - was released in Japan for the PC Engine in 1989.)

When I first heard the news that Fire Pro Returns was coming to North America, I didn't know whether to believe it. Until the day it was released, I feared it was nothing more than an overblown rumor or - worse yet - that it would be subject to a last-minute cancellation. Luckily, my concerns were for naught.

Still, I didn't breathe a sigh of relief until I actually had the game in my hands. Well, thankfully, it's here and it's good - damn good.

Here's what you won't get with Fire Pro Wrestling Returns: fancy 3D graphics, today's hottest WWE stars, or American match-types such as Hell in the Cell or TLC.

What you will get, though, is the best wrestling game in the world today.

Even though Fire Pro doesn't feature your favorite stipulations from the WWE or TNA, there is still tons of variety - singles, tags, cage, battle royal, exploding barbed wire, and more. My favorite is the UFC-style match. The cage for that one isn't shaped exactly like an Octagon, presumably for legal reasons, but it's close enough to give you the same overall effect.

Fire Pro also includes one of the deepest create-a-wrestler (CAW) modes ever and even the ability to customize your own belts, ring, logo, and referee. If there's someone you want to create - whether it's yourself, Hulk Hogan, or Spider-Man - this game makes it possible. Yes, it's that versatile. Even better, the robust AI-tweaking allowed in the game means you can control exactly how your wrestler acts and reacts in the ring. But the absolute best part: you have 500 CAW slots, so you can go ballistic and create your entire family tree (ancestors included) if you wish. I'll stick with Stone Cold and the Big Boss Man myself.

Hundreds of wrestlers available from the outset, and yes, they are all based on real people. The names have been changed and most of them wrestle outside the U.S., but they're the genuine article (and can be renamed to reflect their actual identities). Anyone that isn't there can be created perfectly with the CAW mode or imported with a device such as an Action Replay Max Evo (sold separately, obviously) and a free account on fireproclub.com (they have just about any wrestler you can think of, plus comic book and video game characters).





To get anywhere in Fire Pro, you have to master the timing of its grappling system. It's tricky but doable. One good piece of advice is to lower the difficulty level until you get it down pat. Needless to say, the gameplay found in Fire Pro is nothing like what you may be used to from the Smackdown series. It may take a newcomer time to adjust, but the rewards that come with doing so are rich and deep indeed.

All of this gushing aside, there are a few nitpicks to be had:

The collision detection outside of grapples can be a bit spotty, making it hard to connect with a punch or kick, for example.

After you hit a major move from your arsenal, your opponent will occasionally get up before you. Unless you're fighting your Hulk Hogan or Ultimate Warrior CAWs, that's not always the best thing.

The logo creator is a daunting beast. Don't expect to be able to conquer it out of the box. I'm still afraid to get my hands dirty with it. Luckily, there are several FAQs on the subject and some of the results have been astonishing (perfect WWF, WWE, WCW, nWo, and Royal Rumble logos - among others - have already been made by Fire Pro fans and can be downloaded into your game with an Action Replay or some other such device).

Finally, the menu system is terrible - even worse than the mainstream reviews have made it out to be, if that's possible. Still, it's worth the effort because everything else is so absolutely amazing.

When 1up.com gave Fire Pro Wrestling Returns a "10" rating, people moaned and groaned. "The game isn't PERFECT," they whined like emo stepchildren being weaned off their mother's tit. One of the biggest misconceptions is that a score of "10" implies absolute perfection. It doesn't and never has. A "10" represents excellence, one of the best in its class. Fire Pro is exactly that.

You owe it to yourself to experience this hidden gem. It doesn't matter if you're a wrestling fan. Just being a gamer is enough. Fire Pro Wrestling Returns would be a bargain at $50. For $15-$20, it becomes a requirement for anyone with a PS2.

Batista and Lance Bass:Two Sides of the Same Coin

Book Reviews of "Batista Unleashed" and "Out of Sync"

By Chris Sabga

Upon first glance, no one in their right mind would think to compare gay boy band star Lance Bass with hulking WWE behemoth Batista. However, after reading their books (Out of Sync and Batista Unleashed, respectively), I realize that both men share many similarities - as hard as that may be to believe initially.



They both plunged into their chosen careers impulsively and became "overnight successes." Bass was a young teenager. Batista was an adult looking for direction. Yet, despite their differences in age, they were both rookies and outsiders in their newfound professions.

Bass, of course, became a musician with the boy band N'Sync. Batista, on the other hand, went on to win several WWE World Championships. They ascended to the pinnacle of their respective fields.

On the surface, both men couldn't be more different - but they're really two sides of the same coin.

The first time I saw Lance Bass wasn't at an N'Sync concert (come on!) - it was as Lucy's love-crazed fling on the TV show 7th Heaven. Bass's character spent the whole show feverishly kissing his new gal pal. Needless to say, he fooled me into thinking he wasn't gay. I was probably the only one surprised when he eventually did come out of the closet several years later.

Out of Sync never mentions that TV episode, but it does indirectly explain how Bass was able to get away with such a convincing performance. For years, he felt he had to hide his homosexuality. He decided coming out would ruin the band.

How does that little tidbit possibly relate to a 300-pound monster like Batista? Well, it's no secret that wrestlers are both athletes and actors. While Batista certainly won't ever be confused with Robert DeNiro (even though he did do a decent DeNiro impression before WrestleMania 21), the WWE superstar had to transform himself from a shy, soft-spoken man of few words into the loud, aggressive, ass-kicking "Animal" of the ring.

Bass and Batista struggled to gain acceptance from fans and their peers as they adjusted to the whirlwind demands of the spotlight. Wrestlers are often mocked by athletes in "real" sports despite the hard physical demands that come with being in the ring. Bass's involvement in a boy band likely led to similar derision from "legitimate" musicians, even though he worked just as hard to entertain his fans and further his craft.

Even though Bass's memoir clocks in at a thin 208 pages, it's an exhausting read that feverishly captures the never-ending "go, go, go" cycle of life on the road. Batista, perhaps because he is older and has more life experience (and was given a larger page count), takes more time to reflect on his accomplishments. He includes several amusing anecdotes from his short career. One section in particular - "Bubba Dudley is an asshole" - is especially humorous in its causticity.

If you're looking for dirt, Bass is a choir boy compared to Batista - but they're both honest about their fellow co-workers. In addition to the aforementioned Bubba Ray Dudley, Batista also reveals details about his affair with WWE diva Melina and sheds light on his real-life fistfight with fellow wrestler Booker T. Bass, meanwhile, talks about his problems with managers and fellow bandmate Justin Timberlake. Ultimately, both the wrestler and boy bander keep their stories reasonably tame despite being involved in "rock star" industries.

The two men also write about their family lives. Bass mentions how his parents and siblings reacted to the news that he was gay. Batista openly discusses his lesbian mother, troubles with his daughter, and becoming a grandfather at a very young age.

If a wrestler and a gay boy band member ran into each other at a bar, the uninformed stereotype would be for the brutish wrestler to beat up the homosexual musician. In this case, Batista would probably shake Lance Bass's hand and buy him a drink.