For the past few years, wrestling game fans have most likely stuck with the SmackDown vs. Raw series of wrestling games. These titles offer a great amount of value and depth and seemingly endless modes of play. There is one franchise, however, that is fairly strong despite not being as mainstream as THQ and Yuke’s popular series. Fire Pro Wrestling Returns is a complex but rewarding grappler with an old-school look and long-lasting mechanics.

Fire Pro Wrestling Returns Gameplay

Gameplay in Fire Pro Wrestling Returns is vastly different from most other wrestling games. Rather than using the weak grapple/strong grapple design found in some of today’s most praised wrestling titles, Fire Pro Wrestling Returns requires opponents to make contact with one another, thus resulting in both wrestlers going for a grapple. Once the grapple is initiated, it’s all about timing. The first player to enter an attack command will pull off a move successfully.

Timing is everything here, and gamers will not get away with mashing on the controller. Doing so will actually stall a command, thus allowing the other competitor to execute the maneuver. There’s a learning curve to this gameplay design, but after spending enough time with the title, it becomes second nature and feels extremely rewarding.