15 Best Wrestling Games Of All Time
7. Fire Pro Wrestling Returns
The next two picks could be a sticking point for those who'd scream, 'WHERE'S FIRE PRO WRESTLING X PREMIUM ON SNES, YOU COWARDS?!' into the void. Fire Pro Wrestling Returns isn't perfect by any means (this writer doesn't think any Fire Pro game he's played actually is), but the gameplay is buttery smooth and a real joy to behold once you get stuck in properly.
Most of the entries in the series have that in common. Not the woefully ill-advised Xbox 360 avatar version launched in September 2012, right enough. Lord only knows what developers Spike Chunsoft were thinking with that one. By comparison, Returns lives up to the Fire Pro name established on consoles like SNES/Super Famicon, PlayStation, Game Boy Advance and more.
Again, gameplay is the real draw, but customisation was another big selling point for those who knew how to implement various packs via PS2. That was tricky for beginners, but worthwhile, because it cracked open a vault of WWF/WWE, WCW, ECW, TNA etc content. Pre-Community Creations in 2K's series, this was unheard of. The closest gamers had been to that sort of cross-promotional fun was in the divisive Legends of Wrestling series, and that didn't boast the gameplay Fire Pro did.
Want another shock? Fire Pro Wrestling Returns isn't even the ultimate Fire Pro experience you can have. Another, less-critically lauded (at least upon release) entry into the franchise takes home the prize there. It really does need more love than it's been getting since 2018.
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