FPW Returns

Playing:
Fire Pro Wrestling Returns
(PS2)

Ok, this game rules. Fire Pro is literally the first grappling title that I've bought in several years, but I like to think that I was just waiting for a wrestling game with an engine similar to the N64 Wrestlemania/No Mercy titles...which FPW delivers in spades. I was already well aware of the extensive roster of bootleg Japanese pro-wrestlers (since the only thing more ridiculous than playing as Curry Man is playing as a fake Curry Man), but I wasn't expecting a sizable roster of MMA fighters as well - meaning you can duke it out w/ Rampage Jackson, Ernesto Hoost, and Don Frye, among others. The kicker is that no pinfall, MMA-style matches in the octagon are also available for play. The octagon fights still feel decisively like wrestling matches since the bouts are so dependent on the somewhat strange proximity grappling system, but the overall package is a dream come true for pro-wrestling and MMA enthusiasts like myself. The graphics kind of stink if you're looking for anything beyond SNES-esque sprites, but the game is still inexplicably fun (and difficult) nonetheless.

Further proof that I still think like a college student: I bought the game with the intention of playing it all winter break, but then I realized that I have no winter break. Whoops.