Fire Pro Wrestling is a series of pro wrestlinggames. The games were made by Human Entertainment from 1989-2000, and then by Spike from then on. The series is very well-known for having rather large rosters of characters based on real-life superstars as well as having the most customizable AI for created wrestlers than any other game.This game contains examples of:
A Ring Designer Is You: The earlier games allowed you to use your wrestling promotion's logo for the ring's mats. Fire Pro Wrestling Returns, in turn, gives you a possibility to change colors on every detail of the ring as well.
Artificial Stupidity: Mostly averted, but the game still has some issues, such as the fact that if count-outs are disabled and the wrestlers both end up out of the ring, they will stay out until there's a lucky irish whip that sends one of them in and the other follows back in before the former's CPU logic makes him come back out. If you sim a hardcore match, we hope you like neverending outside brawls.
The Mexico ring in Fire Pro Wrestling Returns gives us a Conono Extra advertisement.
G has the names for the Japanese wrestling promos mostly changed up completely, but the US-based federations are nothing much than a one-letter swap or replacement. WWC, WFW, FWO, EXW: Exciting Wrestling, anyone?
K-1 (a kickboxing league) is called S-1 and the Tokyo Dome is called the Spike Dome.
Button Mashing: Almost entirly subverted. Except in a couple situations, all button inputs are based on timing. However, it's completely played straight in Human's arcade game (and Sega Saturn port) Blazing Tornado.
Canon Immigrant: Blazing Tornado was initially a standalone wrestling arcade game from Human, though the move animations were the same as the Fire Pro games. When it was ported to the Sega Saturn, however, it was retitled Fire Pro Gaiden: Blazing Tornado, officially adding the game to the series.
Bruce Lee Clone: The second GBA game, Final Fire Pro Wrestling/Fire Pro Wrestling 2 had Bruce Lee thrown in under the name Kung-Fu Liu, along with other famous martial artists like Chuck Norris, Mas Oyama and judo expert Kyoko Tamura.
Colon Cancer: Wrestling Universe: Fire Pro Women: Dome Super Female Big Battle: All Japan Women VS J.W.P. Yes, that is a single game title.
The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard: More like the computer has no reaction time. In the early games the moment when the player inputs the desired move is somewhat random (anywhere from almost immediately after the wrestlers lock up to about a second afterwards). On the hardest settings, the computer will pull off its moves as soon as that indicator appears. This lead to the easier AI for Super Fire Pro Wrestling 3.
This problem is completely fixed in later games by making the moment of input the same for every lockup, though that moment is different for each lockup situation (the timing for a front grapple is different than a rear grapple, for example).
G also has "shit" said in all four Japanese wrestler voice packs.
Franchise Killer: No matter how good it was as a standalone game, G was a huge step backward from 6-Man Scramble in the eyes of the Japanese fans, which would supposedly end the series at this point... Not until Spike would kick in.
Z was this both literally (it was meant to be the last game in the series) and figuratively, as fans felt the game was a step backward from the very popular D. Thankfully, Returns pretty much fixed everything.
Getting Crap Past the Radar: One of the many useable taunts for the wrestlers is a middle finger taunt. It even got into the English localization of Fire Pro Wrestling Returns without being edited or cut out, although the finger is not shown straight so you most likely wouldn't tell whether it's really middle. But you can read it.
This is a debatable case. Returns caries a T rating just like all the WWF/E games that feature the same kind of taunt and the middle finger being extended is a lot more blatant in those games.
Also done in the Japan-only Fire Pro Wrestling G: one of the voice samples reveals the words E-C-fucking-W!. Bonus points for getting the copyrighted material directly through the radar as well. Ditto for the Sting Shout in Returns.
Insistent Terminology: Most fans insist on calling created wrestlers "Edits" (which is what's used in the game menus) rather than the more common "CAW" (Create-a-Wrestler).
With several exceptions, the term "MMA" is replaced with "Gruesome Fighting".
Loads and Loads of Characters: The later games are known for their rather large rosters. In particular, Fire Pro Wrestling Returns sports a roster of 327 wrestlers plus 500 edit slots.
Nintendo Hard: Most of the early games, but Super Fire Pro Wrestling 3 Final Bout was so insanely hard that an updated version with an easier AI was made (Super Fire Pro Wrestling 3 Easy Type).
No Export for You: Only three games in the series have had official releases in the US: Fire Pro Wrestling A, Final Fire Pro Wrestling (retitled Fire Pro Wrestling 2 in the US), and Fire Pro Wrestling Returns (Two years after the Japanese release).
No Fair Cheating: Really, really odd one. You're playing Super Fire Pro Wrestling III Easy Type, huh? No edit mode for you!
Oddly Named Sequel: After Super Fire Pro Wrestling 3, none of the games number their sequels.
Fire Pro Wrestling: Combination Tag. May count as an oddly named prequel.
For some reason, the only game in the series on the Mega Drive is titled Thunder Pro Wrestling Retsuden.
One-Hit Kill: Extremely rare, but if a character has a move that can be done at the start of a match and potentially cause a critical, it's possible to knock out, pin, or force a submission in one move.
Spiritual Successor: To the NES classic Pro Wrestling, featuring a very similar fighting system, as well as an assortment of wrestlers very blatantly intend ed to be existing ones.
Suspiciously Similar Song: Once the games started including entrance themes for the wrestlers, they simply used slightly altered versions of popular wrestlers' themes.
Updated Rerelease: Arguably every game is basically an expansion of the previous release. However, only two literal rereleases were made: Super Fire Pro Wrestling 3: Easy Type and Super Fire Pro Wrestling X Premium.
Video Game Long Runners: 26 games have carried the Fire Pro name from 1989 to the present. That doesn't even include similar wrestling games by Human/Spike such as the King of Coliseum games.
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