[REVIEW] Super Fire Pro Wrestling Iron Slam '96
Thomas Grotenhuis
This is a short review of this Playstation video game by Human of Japan.
Compared with New Japan Toukon Retsuden Pro Wrestling, there are some
elements of Super Fire game that are better, and some that aren't as
good.
Super Fire PW Iron Slam '96s graphics are really good but more cartoony
that Toukon Retsuden's. Some of the moves look really good, some
are a bit choppy. A bit plus is that this game features MORE MOVES.
The grapple is identical to the grapple on the other Super Fire PW
games: the wrestlers lock up and you hit a button with a keypad direction
to execute a move. It's the timing of the grapple that gives you the
advantage.
The wrestlers are:
Red Kaiser (Jushin Liger)
The Dolphin (Super Delphin)
Kokuryu (The Great Muta)
Nobuhisa Sanada (possibly Takada, not sure)
Mtsuhide Hikawa
Star Bison
Axe Duggan (Hulk Hogan)
The Saber (Big Van Vader)
Joh Kajiwara
Akira Saeba (Maeda possibly)
Each wrestler has most of his trademark moves in real life. Toukon
has this game beat in realism. Super Fire has Toukon beat in number
of moves and a bit faster game play.
You can throw your victim, or get thrown, out of the ring and sling
him to the steel guardrail, or execute moves outside of the ring.
Many wrestlers can do a plancha or tope to the outside between the
ropes, and some can do a dropkick/double axehandle/etc. to the outside
onto a groggy opponent.
You can KO your opponent. Found this out by accident by taking one
wrestler and beating the crap out of the other with kicks to the head.
Eventually the ref stopped the match and I won by knockout. It's
different!
As far as options, I am waiting for a FAQ on this game 'cuz I can't
read Japanese. However, you can play 'Circuit Mode' which means you
choose one wrestler and fight all the others with him in a points
tournament. Exhibition Mode lets you play one match against one opponent
and have several different options doing it. I don't *think* there
is a tag option, battle royal, or anything like that. There are a
couple different belts to shoot for -- a 'champion belt' and a 'unified
belt'. If you choose circuit mode and get thru all of the wrestlers,
one mystery opponent awaits you at the end: Inoki. Beat him and you
conquer the game. You can change the skill level of the computer.
Like I said, many many moves to each wrestler. Iron Slam '96 is definitely
worth getting. Be prepared not to get totally blown away by this game,
though, as it is good, but not phenomenal. At times the wrestlers'
movement is choppy and the background especially is more cartoonish
than Toukon; the realism suffers. If you can find this game for a
reasonable price, go for it but it is not worth @ $75 or so unless
you are a very die-hard fan. I give it ***1/2 stars!
Thanks for listening,
--
______ () , +------------------------+
/ /`-'| | Tom G. |
--/ __________ / / | thms...@cc.dordt.edu |
(_/ (_) / / / <_ /__-< o +------------------------+
"/--\
| | ll other creatures look down towards the earth, but man
+--+ was given a face so that he might turn his eyes toward the stars
| | and his gaze upon the sky."