And then, if you got tired of the 170 plus roster, there was the most detailed create-a-wrestler mode ever seen in a game and has yet to be surpassed in any non-Fire Pro game. You could literally make anyone. With just about every move in the game, a little time and some effort, you could reasonably create just about any star you could think of or imagine. This game alone is what got me into importing video games. I even had to import a Game Boy Advance from Japan right away when it was first released because they released a Fire Pro game for the handheld, and it was worth it. Having Fire Pro on the go is something I never thought I would see.

Fire Pro's main appeal comes from the innovative grappling gameplay and features. People slam the series constantly due to their preference for 2-D sprite driven graphics. However, the game works, and works really well. In the latest revision of the Fire Pro series, the Dreamcast's "Fire Pro D" is damn near perfect. With even more moves and options, the addition of weapons and everything else, wrestling gaming fans had a lot to be happy about.

Fire Pro's most controversial feature is easily it's control setup. The game goes against most of the trends out there in grapple gaming land, however I personally feel that the game hits the control scheme perfectly, allowing for the most number of moves and options within a match. Grapples are timing based as well as requiring a certain level of wrestling match logic. You are not going to pull off a Vader powerbomb finisher as your first move in the match. You need to work your way up to that as well as work over your opponent to soften him up. The game will basically punish you for being a button masher. If you just try and bang away at the controller, you are almost guaranteed to lose every time you lock up. Many people just can't get past this idea of perfectly timed keypressed instead of just hammering away on the controller like a 15 year old hormonally imbalanced teen on speed. It works extremely well, but some people aren't willing to learn the timing since they dismiss the game as 'primitive' due to the 2-D graphics.

The 3D side of wrestling games is starting to pick up though. There have been a lot of putrid efforts on that side. Notable exceptions were the Aki developed N64 games such "WCW/NWO Revenge," "Wrestlemania 2000" and "WWF No Mercy." Most people regard these titles as the best out there for your 3D grappling needs. I'm excited to check out the next "Smackdown" game slated for the PS2, but I am not going to hold my breath since I was also excited to play the "Wrestlemania X8" game for the Gamecube, which ended up being horrid.

My favorite 3D polygon based wrestling game has been a series that started on the Saturn with a game called "All Japan Pro Wrestling featuring Virtua." The gameplay was pretty detailed, featuring combo systems, grapples, and even a hint of Virtua Fighter-like depth. It was almost scary. However, the gameplay was indeed rich and rewarding, without resorting to being a button masher. Fast forward a few years, and we have a further refined version of All Japan on the Sega Dreamcast with the game "Giant Gram 2000."

"Giant Gram 2000" features the All-Japan pro wrestler line up including some notable American faces you might remember like Dr. Death Steve Williams, Vader, and Stan Hansen. However, the bulk of the roster feature the All-Japan greats just as Misawa and Kobashi. The gameplay, though, is where this title really shines. Not that it doesn't look great, it features some really impressive model work, especially for the Dreamcast, but the gameplay mixes simplicity and technique into a near perfect package. The simplicity is in the design. Basic gameplay falls into a rock/paper/scissors type of set up. One button is for strikes, one for grappling and one for throws. This is not a bad way to think about a wrestling game, as the system tends to work really well and provides a level of fairness that isn't found in a lot of wrestling games. You also have some reversals as well as combo moves, giving your wrestlers a nice arsenal to work with without being bogged down in control intricacies.

I really wish someone in the US would license Sega's engine for the All-Japan series of games due to how well it works. Yukes attempted a hybrid game engine, combining the styles of their own "Smackdown" games with Aki's N64 type gameplay and ended up missing on nearly every count. I can sit back an imagine what could have been the best WWF game ever is "Wrestlemania X8" used the Giant Gram 2000 engine. Acclaim seems to have some sort of distribution deal with Sega on some level, and I'd imagine that coming up with a new engine from scratch was more expensive than just porting over the Giant Gram code, but what do I know.

All I do know is that we are missing out over here. Some of the best gameplay is never seen, although my dreams are close to coming true. Fire Pro has snuck it's way into a domestic US release for the first time with the release of the GBA in the US. (Don't bring up HAL Wrestling on the old B&W Gameboy, even though it was a Human Developed wrestling game called Fire Pro in Japan, it wasn't like the modern Fire Pro games and all.) The publisher/semi-developer, BAM!, took a chance and translated the game and made the appropriate graphical changes to avoid lawsuits. Apparently, BAM! is also prepared to bring over the forthcoming console releases of Fire Pro for the Gamecube and possible even the PS2 when they begin to surface. I doubt the games will sell well due to the 2D style, but at least the grizzled wrestling fans will have a crack at them.

If anyone is listening out there from THQ... GET THAT GIANT GRAM ENGINE! We would easily have the best WWE game on our hands if they converted that basic gameplay onto a decked out storyline driven game that everyone wants. It's ok to deliver a good playing game that also looks and sounds incredible. We won't mind, I swear.

Either way, it still seems that the best stuff is still a little bit out of reach for the hands of most people. Most gamers don't feel like going through the effort of importing, and there are certainly language barriers to worry about in most wrestling games. For those who are willing to put forth the effort, you are going to be in for a treat. For those who aren't so willing, just sit back and hope that someone out there in developer land wises up and delivers the goods. Otherwise, don't come crying to me when the newest WWE games sucks like "Wrestlemania X8."

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