In some nice “where the f**k did that come from?” news, it appears that Agetec will be localizing and publishing Fire Pro Wrestling Returns for the PlayStation 2 in both North American and European territories. Hopping on a “hardcore” Fire Pro forum, localization producer Mark Johnson announced the news, along with a public call for help from long-time fans of the series to keep the game “as authentic as possible.”
Fire Pro Wrestling Returns is the last in a long-standing series of 2D Japanese-language wrestling titles, which date back to the PC Engine era. Applauded by fans for its focus on strategy and timing, the series always stood out for having huge rosters (including real wrestlers with fake names and pallet swaps to avoid copyright issues), tons of maneuvers, and a robust create-a-wrestler feature.
This would be the third time North American would see Fire Pro titles — two titles, Fire Pro Advance and Fire Pro Advance 2, were released for the Game Boy Advance a few years back. Johnson is positive that Fire Pro Wrestling Returns will find success in the States, especially if it’s released at a low price point.
As a fan of the series (I purchased a Saturn only so I could play Fire Pro Wrestling S), I can say that there’s really nothing like a six-man, barbed wire, exploding steel-cage battle royale to really clear your sinuses.
