If you were a wrestling fan in the mid-2000s, you probably remember the shiny, high-production gloss of the SmackDown! vs. Raw series. It was all about the entrances, the sweat physics, and the voice acting. Then, out of nowhere, this weird, flat 2D game called Fire Pro Returns PS2 showed up on store shelves in North America around late 2007. It looked like a Super Nintendo game. It had names like "Kerry Texan" instead of Terry Funk.
And yet, for a certain breed of obsessive fan, it was the greatest thing ever made.
Honestly, it still is. While modern 2K games are busy trying to make Roman Reigns’ beard look 4K, Fire Pro Returns is still the gold standard for how a wrestling match actually feels. It’s not about mashing buttons until your thumb bleeds. It’s about rhythm. It’s about soul. It’s about the fact that you can’t just walk up and hit a Burning Hammer thirty seconds into the match without getting your head handed to you.
Fire Pro Returns PS2: The Game That Dared to Be Ugly
Let’s be real. In 2005 (when it hit Japan) or 2007 (when Agetec finally brought it West), this game looked ancient. We’re talking hand-drawn sprites in a world that was moving toward HD. But that "ugly" aesthetic was a Trojan horse. Because the game didn't waste processing power on individual blades of grass outside the arena, it could do things no other game could.
The roster was—and is—massive. We're talking 327 default wrestlers. Because Spike (the developer) didn't have the WWE license, they just... made everyone anyway. You’ve got "legally distinct" versions of Mitsuharu Misawa, Toshiaki Kawada, and Kenta Kobashi. You’ve got legends like Andre the Giant (disguised as Giant Rozhmov) and Rick Flair.
Why the Graphics Actually Matter
Because the game uses sprites, the animation is frame-perfect. When you hit a lariat, it feels like it has weight. There’s no clipping through 3D models. No weird physics glitches where a leg gets stuck in the ropes and vibrates at the speed of light. It's clean.
It also allowed for a level of customization that would break a modern console. You get 500 save slots for created wrestlers. In 2007, that was unheard of. You could basically build every single promotion on Earth—NJPW, NOAH, AJW, ECW, WWE—all inside one memory card.
The Grapple System: A Lesson in Patience
If you come into Fire Pro Returns PS2 thinking you can just mash the "X" button, you’re going to lose. Badly. Even to the easiest AI.
The core of the gameplay is the "lock-up." When two wrestlers grab each other, you wait for the exact millisecond their feet hit the mat or their heads dip. That’s your window. Tap a button too early? You lose the move. Too late? You’re getting suplexed.
- Small Moves: Work the arm, do a snapmare. Build the "flow."
- Medium Moves: Now we’re getting into the back body drops and side suplexes.
- Big Moves: Only when the opponent is panting and clutching their stomach do you go for the finisher.
This is what people mean when they talk about "ring psychology." You’re not just playing a fighting game; you’re telling a story. If you try a powerbomb in the first two minutes, the opponent will almost always float over or kick you in the face. The game forces you to respect the craft of wrestling.
The "Edit Mode" Rabbit Hole
The Edit Mode isn't just a character creator. It’s a lifestyle choice. You can change everything. Not just the color of the boots, but the "Logic."
This is the secret sauce of Fire Pro. You can program the CPU’s brain. You can tell the computer, "When my opponent is dazed in the corner and has less than 20% health, I want you to attempt a Moonsault 80% of the time, but only if the crowd is cheering."
People used to spend (and still do) hundreds of hours "simming" matches. They don't even play. They just set the CPU vs. CPU, crack a beer, and watch a 30-minute masterpiece they technically "directed" through logic settings. It’s the closest we’ve ever gotten to a true promoter simulator.
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More Than Just Ringside
The game included:
- Ring Creator: Design the mat, the aprons, even the logos (pixel by pixel).
- Belts: Create your own championships and actually defend them.
- Referees: You can edit how fast the ref counts or how much crap they’ll take before a DQ.
- Match Types: Beyond the usual, you have Barbed Wire Deathmatches (the electrified kind that explode), S-1 (MMA style), and Gruesome Fighting (underground pits).
Misconceptions About the Difficulty
A lot of people say Fire Pro is "too hard." It’s not. It’s just different.
The biggest hurdle is the isometric perspective. Walking in a straight line toward an opponent feels weird at first because you’re moving on a diagonal grid. But once you realize that the strike button depends on distance and the grapple button depends on timing, the "difficulty" evaporates. It becomes Zen-like.
Another myth is that it's a "Japanese only" experience. While the roots are deep in Puroresu, the North American release by Agetec was fully translated. Sure, the menus are a bit clunky and look like a Windows 95 spreadsheet, but everything is functional. You don't need a translation guide to navigate the edit layers anymore.
Why You Should Care Today
In an era of microtransactions and "Season Passes," Fire Pro Returns PS2 is a finished product. You buy the disc, you get the whole game. No DLC. No locked characters.
The community is still alive, too. Even in 2026, you can find save files online (using various PS2-to-PC tools) that have updated rosters featuring the stars of today. You want a 2026-accurate Will Ospreay or Gunther? Someone has already spent ten hours perfecting their CPU logic to make sure they move exactly like the real thing.
It’s a game that respects your intelligence. It doesn't hold your hand. It assumes you love wrestling enough to want to understand why a match works.
Getting Started with Fire Pro Returns
If you’re digging out your old fat PS2 or using an emulator, don't just jump into a match with the Great Muta and expect to win.
Go to the Mission Mode. It’s basically a tutorial disguised as challenges. It will teach you the exact timing for the grapple. It will show you how to breathe (literally—you have to hold a button to regain stamina).
Once you clear those, head to the "Rename" feature. Since the default names are fake, your first task is usually "cleaning up" the roster. There are lists online that map every fake name to the real wrestler. It's a rite of passage. "Axe Duggan" becomes Hulk Hogan. "Victory Musashi" becomes Antonio Inoki.
After that, the world is yours. You can run a G1 Climax tournament that takes three weeks to finish. You can set up a deathmatch promotion in a gym. Or you can just spend your Saturday nights tweaking the logic on a custom-made CAW until he finally hits his finisher at the perfect emotional peak of the match.
That’s the magic of Fire Pro. It’s not just a game; it’s a toolkit for the imagination.
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Next Steps for New Players:
- Master the "Medium" Grapple: Stop trying to hit big moves. Focus on winning five "Medium" grapples in a row. If you can do that, you've mastered the timing.
- Download a "Save" File: If you're on an emulator, look for a "Full Roster" save. It saves you dozens of hours of renaming and gives you a world-class roster instantly.
- Watch a CPU Match: Set the difficulty to 8 or 10, pick two legends, and just watch. See how the "logic" dictates the flow. You'll learn more about how to play by watching the computer than by reading any manual.
The beauty of this game is its permanence. It doesn't age because it never tried to look modern. It just tried to be right. And twenty years later, it still is.