WWE 2K20has arrived and the gaming community is very split on this year’s release. There are those that are frustrated with the number of bugs present in the game upon release and those that are waiting patiently for 2K to patch it up.
While the series is no stranger to releasing with several bugs this year’s release isexceptionally badand has suffered the worst publicity from a videogame launch seen for a game sinceAssassin’s Creed: Unity. The game has a lot of promise but the bugs along withmissing game modes, it is clear thatWWE 2K20was not ready but once patched the game should be every bit as good as previous entries.
However, theWWE 2Kseries isn’t the only way for gamers to get their wrestling fix there is the lesser-knownFire Pro Wrestling: Worldfor the hardcore wrestling fans. It’s a 2D wrestling series that has been around since 1989 and instead of a yearly release schedule the developers Spike Chunsoft have instead opted to improve on an already great game engine with patches and upcoming DLC. For wrestling fans, both games offer a very different gaming experience and have enough there to appeal to all, so let’s see how they stack up against each other.
10Fire Pro: Extreme Wrestling Matches
The WWE is stuck in the so-called PG era and it’s probably the least popular incarnation of the wrestling promotion since the mid-nineties saw characters like Doink the Clown and other silly cartoon characters. As a result, the opportunity to have truly violent gimmick matches in aWWE 2Kgame is highly unlikely beyond its cage matches.
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However,Fire Pro Wrestling: Worldhas enough matches to satisfy a wrestling fan’s needs. There’s the Barbed Wire Death Match, The Cage Deathmatch, Gruesome Fighting (a UFC style MMA match), SWA kickboxing matches, and Landmine Deathmatches. Those disappointed with theWWE 2K20’slack of blood will definitely get a kick out of playing these modes where the bloodstains remain on the mat.
9WWE 2K20: The Graphics
If there is one obvious area whereWWE 2K20has an edge onFire Pro Wrestling: Worldit is the graphics. Even with the glitches some of the character models for the WWE biggest stars like Roman Reigns and AJ Styles look great with some nice light and shadow effects.
It’s not that theFire Proseries has bad visuals but they are old school and won’t appeal to a lot of modern-day gamers who have come to expect all games to feature high definition and photo-realistic visuals. TheWWE 2Kseries does a great job in capturing the big match atmosphere and scale which the small budgetFire Procan’t match.
8Fire Pro: Setting The AI Logic
BothWWE 2K20andFire Pro Wrestling: Worldhave an incredibly deep creation suite when it comes to recreating real-life and fictional characters to use in the squared circle. However, when it comes to the character’s behaviors in the ringFire Prois far more intricate.
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Players are able to tweak a character’s artificial intelligence to set how they would behave in the ring. Therefore, it’s not good enough to have a character the looks like Hulk Hogan or the Macho Man Randy Savage but their logic can be worked to mimic how they act in the ring and more importantly WHEN they use certain moves at different stages of the match. It’s a unique feature thatWWE2K20 doesn’t come close to matching and is so good that many of the game’s fans love to watch A.I. controlled matches playout.
7WWE 2K20: The Entrances
Fans have come to expect a certain level of spectacle when it comes to watching WWE on a weekly basis and even more so at the big pay per view events. A big part of this spectacle is the wrestler’s entrances and music with The Undertaker and most recently The Fiend being a prime example.
Where theWWE 2Kfranchise shines is its ability to provide near picture-perfect entrances andWWE 2K20is no different. Yes, the much-publicized bugs and glitches are rife in the game but the entrances still look fantastic and are as theatrical as ever.Fire Pro’ssimplistic walk-ins don’t quite have the same level of grandiosity.
6Fire Pro: Custom Soundtracks
A much-requested feature in theWWE 2Kfranchise is for players to be able to add their own custom music. This is a feature that hasn’t been in series sinceWWE 2K14and fans have hoped for its reintroduction ever since. Considering how big the creative community is it’s a mystery why 2K won’t put the feature back in or at least allow players to purchase tracks for wrestlers that are missing from the roster.
Thanks to a free update added toFire Pro Wrestling: Worldplayers are now able to add their own music tracks into the game and set them to character introductions. Furthermore, with the upcoming Entrance Craft DLC gamers can edit even more accurate recreations of their favorite stars.
5WWE 2K20: Easier To Pick Up
Being a complex wrestling simFire Proisn’t an easy game to get a hang of without playing the tutorial first. TheWWE 2Kseries, however, has always been an easy series for newcomers to jump right into and play.
WWE 2K20does have some complexities hidden under the surface especially when it comes to reversal strategy and timing. Despite this, it is still the kind of game where a group of friends can sit around the couch and have a blast playing six or eight-man tag matches without knowing anything about the mechanics.
4Fire Pro: Fire Promoter Mode
Smackdown vs. Raw 2009was the last time a WWE game featured the General Manager mode and the gaming community has been very vocal about seeing its return. Unfortunately, the developers at 2K have been more focused on making new additions to the game’s sandbox-like Universe mode instead.
Fire Pro Wrestling: Worldhas its own version of the GM mode and it’s called Fire Promoter which was added as DLC in early 2019. The Fire Promoter DLC is arguably more in-depth than evenSmackdown’s GM mode and is the kind of wrestling management sim fans have been begging 2K for.
3WWE 2K20: Downloading Community Creations On Console
Downloading and uploading community-created content is a huge part of what draws so many gamers to theWWE 2KandFire Prowrestling series. This is because of the wealth of options that are available and the ability to increase the size of the roster.
Where WWE 2K20 succeeds is the ease at which players can upload and download content as it is just a simple menu option.Fire Pro,however, forces the player to download content through the PlayStation 4 browser which can be both awkward and slow. However,Fire Proplayers can download an unlimited amount of content using a PC via their PSN log in details for a better experience.
2Fire Pro: A Real Wrestling Simulation
It’s true theWWE 2Kseries has the edge overFire Pro Wrestling: Worldwhen it comes to its presentation. However, as a pure wrestling simulationFire Prois the clear winner and perfectly replicates the back and forth matches that fans enjoy. In terms of sheer gameplayFire Pro Wrestling: Worldis the best wrestling game since AKI’sWCW/nWo RevengeandWWF No Mercy onthe Nintendo 64.
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The developers at Spike Chunsoft clearly know and have an understanding of what makes a great wrestling game. Matches inFire Proare about the structure and the build-up of excitement in the fans as the match progresses. The feeling-out process, near falls, comebacks, and getting heat or cheers from the fans is just as important as the wrestling itself. Instead of just hitting flashy moves like in theWWE 2Kseries the matches inFire Proare about telling a story in the ring just like the real thing.
1WWE 2K20: The Starting Roster
Even thoughWWE 2K20is missing quite a few Legends this year, the starting roster is still absolutely huge. There are over 180 licensed wrestlers from Hulk Hogan to AJ Styles complete with the signature moves and entrances and for the most part, look great. Additionally, 2K will also add more wrestlers with upcoming DLC content.
Unfortunately,Fire Pro Wrestling: Worlddoesn’t have a huge starting line up of official wrestlers. It does, however, include 39 wrestlers from New Japan Pro Wrestling featuring wrestlers like AEW’s Kenny Omega, Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito, and more. Furthermore, players can download hundreds of accurate edits from the creation suite.
NEXT5 Things WWE 2K20 Does Better Than 2K19 (5 It Doesn’t)
