Fire pro wrestling returns focuses more on grappling instead of high impact clotheslines.
Unlike American wrestling games there is no grapple button so therefore it's an automatic animation that occurs when you get up close with your opponent. If you want to even get close to winning a match then it's almost mandatory that you start with weak grapples using the x button to wear your opponent down because if you start with strong grapple's your opponent will counter every single grapple you make. Some people say this is an amazing grappling system, I personally don't like it because there isn't really anything saying when your opponent is weakened therefore you can't precisely be sure when to execute a good grappling move. However what I do like about it is that it does take skill and strategy to execute you're grappling moves, making it an art. However it could have been done easier, maybe have a life meter telling when you can go for higher impact moves. Another problem is definitely the contact system, if you're looking to hit a running clothesline your chances of doing that are like 20%, if your opponent moves even the slightest toenail out of the way you're going to miss. So if you try a spear, chances are that you will slip in fall and after that end up in a camel clutch or headlock. Same with regular punching, you probably won't hit him without luck.
As everyone knows this game has 2d graphics but as long as wrestlers atleast look like people, who cares.
There are around 7 different match types
Normal match
Barbed wire death match, this match is really fun just because of the sheer brutality it is to Irish whip someone into the exploding barb wire. I get a kick out of it and feel badass man.
Landmine Death match, It can be real fun, basically there is like this metallic thing outside the ring and if your thrown on it then it will explode on you. This is one of those matches to use in bump videos on Youtube.
Cage death match, nothing more than the Svr version. Not that great
Swa rules match- this match is a mixture of a normal match and a boxing match. You can run unlike the S-1 match and gruesome fighting match but you cannot leave the ring. Disqualification is on, and you can win by knocking out your opponent for the count of 10 (I think) or pin your opponent.
S-1 rules match which is a boxing type of match, you can kick and what not but the basic concept is to knock out your opponent. You cannot climb the turnbuckle or run.
Gruesome fighting- Your locked in an octagon and you can only win by knocking out your opponent or making him tap out. Think of it as a UFC match. And probally the best of all, The 8 man battle royal, with several different ways to play it. The normal is, well you know, the normal one, over rope is when you try to get both feet on the ground, endless is when its elimination by
pinfall. 1st fall is the wrestler who get the first pinfall. Timed is like the endless one only people come out one at a time within a time limit. It starts one on one then in a certain amount of time, another wrestler comes to the ring. The con within the match types is that you can't really go outside the box, meaning that because of how terrible the contact system is you cant really hit people with barbed wire 2x4's or chairs. You can use them but really, other then the cool looking effect of doing a piledriver on a chair, the weapons are almost useless. The game lacks being innovative, dominating your opponet the hardcore way or the heel way.
You cant put people through tables or anything so other then the insane amount of moves you can use and creative ways, its not much more unique.
Now here comes the best part of the game, The editing and creativity.
Think Svr 2010 gave you good creativity options? Well in that scenerio this game would give THQ a run for their money. Sick of using up all of your slots. Be sick no more because this game gives you up to 500 slots to use, so go ahead and run wild. The customization is insane with around 1,600 different moves to pick from while making your moveset. When you make your tights, there are so many layers to use that it can be 18 different pretty colers. Honestly man you don't have the paint tool but its still the deepest customization ever. With so many options you could make any wrestler in the world.
The interface is way different however but through a little experimenting Im sure you will understand it. Because of how different it is, Id recommend you to take a good look into the instructions booklet first if it came with one. Don't go wild and work hard on a good caw peice, First just experiment before you accidentally delete all of that hard work.
Not only can you create your own wrestler, you can make your very own ring and promotion. Want to put the ecw ring from the 1990's? Go right ahead.
Want to make the wrestlemania 19 ring and replay the classic Stone Cold vs The Rock match? No ones stopping you. And if your to lazy to do it yet you want it then just go to this link, http://fireproclub.com/fpr.html. Considering that this site dosen't let you post your links you're going to have to copy and paste it.
You can also create your own referee, ring logo, Title belt, and team.
There isn't really any unlockables or anything of the sort which is dissapointing, dosent give the game anything to play for.
Firepro wrestling returns has the best creative control in a wrestling game, yes the best in the world but dosent really give you anything to unlock and has a bad control scheme, (it would be perfectly nice if I could press the triangle button and run foreward instead of backwards and into barbed wire. A terrible contact system and lack of matches. However with the matches the game offers the gimmick is shown perfectly. Barbed wire explosions and floor explosions, hell yeah.
Also with so many moves every wrestler will wrestle differently and the AI play perfectly.
With the mixture of pros and cons this game gets an 8/10 and thats the bottom line because A guy with a **** username said so.