================================================= FIRE PRO WRESTLING RETURNS CHARACTER GUIDE: VADER ================================================= for Sony PlayStation 2 (U.S.) Version 1.0 by Bill Wood (billwood661@ca.rr.com) Last modified: 1/9/08 Fire Pro Wrestling Returns (c) 2005 Spike (c) 2007 Agetec NOTE: This guide views and prints best with a monospace typeface. ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA =================== ==VERSION HISTORY== =================== 1.0 - Initial release of the guide. ===================== ==TABLE OF CONTENTS== ===================== SECTION 1: HISTORY OF VADER SECTION 2: SKILL AND PARAMETER STATS SECTION 3: MOVELIST SECTION 4: STRATEGY SECTION 5: CLOSING =============================== ==SECTION 1: HISTORY OF VADER== =============================== Vader. The very mention of his name send shivers down the spines of Fire Pro players everywhere. He's become the yardstick for raw power in the Fire Pro series -- if you really want to prove yourself, you beat Vader on Level 10 with a junior and brag about it to everyone. And while he is considered to be the consummate super-heavyweight beast in Fire Pro, the real-life Vader is no less of a beast to wrestling fans everywhere. Leon White wrestled briefly for the American Wrestling Association before moving over to New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he was given the name Big Van Vader by Antonio Inoki. Vader was immediately booked as a "gaijin monster heel", and an early victory over Inoki actually started a riot, which led to New Japan being banned from Sumo Hall for several years. From there, Vader went on to feud with future Japanese legends such as Tatsumi Fujinami and Riki Chosyu, eventually winning the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Vader travelled to Germany and Mexico -- winning more titles along the way -- before joining up with World Championship Wrestling, where he feuded with then-WCW champion Sting. By this time Vader had become a worldwide sensation, winning titles on separate continents multiple times over. And as famous as he'd become, he was also equally infamous for his stiff style of wrestling, which left quite a few opponents legitimately injured. Vader was eventually released from WCW, but soon after found employment in the World Wrestling Federation, where he waged battle with top stars such as Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. After a lengthy and somewhat successful run, he went back overseas to work for All Japan Pro Wrestling, where his stiff wrestling style was appreciated by the fans who were accustomed to seeing the equally stiff styles of Misawa and Stan Hansen. There Vader managed to win All Japan's Triple Crown, becoming the first wrestler ever to have held both the Triple Crown and New Japan's IWGP Heavyweight Championship. After his glory days in All Japan, Vader had some less notable stints in NOAH, TNA, and a particularly embarrassing showing in WWE. But none of this diminishes his impact on wrestling as the greatest super-heavyweight ever to compete in the squared circle. ======================================== ==SECTION 2: SKILL AND PARAMETER STATS== ======================================== SKILL ----- Real Name..........................Vader (Leon White) FPR Name...........................Saber Organization............Freelance/Legend FPR Organization.....................AWG FPR Group...........................Free Size...............................Large Class..............................Heavy Height............................190 cm Weight............................171 kg Gender..............................Male Birthdate......................3/13/1956 Country..............................USA Rank...................................A Charisma...............................A Stance.............................Power Fight Style........................Power Return.............................Power Critical...........................Power Special...................... Start Dash Recovery...................Medium (Good) Recovery (when bleeding)..........Medium Breathing.........................Medium Breathing (when bleeding)...........Poor Spirit............................Medium Spirit (when bleeding)..............Weak Neck Endurance......................High Arm Endurance.......................High Back Endurance....................Medium Leg Endurance........................Low Movement Speed...............Medium Slow Up and Down Speed...................Slow Ascent Style......................Enable Favorite Weapon....................Chair PARAMETER - OFFENSE PARAMETER - DEFENSE ------------------- ------------------- Punch.............9 Punch.............8 Kick..............4 Kick..............8 Throw.............6 Throw.............4 Joint.............3 Joint.............3 Stretch...........6 Stretch...........7 Power............10 Flying............8 Agility...........3 Body..............6 Arm..............10 Lariat...........10 Technical.........2 Technical.........3 Rough.............7 Rough.............8 MMA Overall.......7 MMA Overall.......5 Entertain.........1 Entertain.........9 ------------------- ------------------- OFF. SUB-TOTAL...68 DEF. SUB-TOTAL...79 TOTAL SKILL POINTS (on a scale from 0-380): 205 ======================= ==SECTION 3: MOVELIST== ======================= Specialty moves are marked with [S]. Finisher is marked with [F]. Moves marked with a [C} can cause a "Critical!". KEY: ([]) = Square button (X) = X button (O) = Circle button STRIKES ------- Standing ([])....................................Punch Standing (X)......................................Kick Standing (O) + d-pad.....................Lariat Attack Standing (O)......................SABER (VADER) HAMMER [S] Standing ([]) + (X)....................Football Tackle Running ([])...........................Shoulder Tackle Running (X).......................Saber (Vader) Attack Running (O)............................Striking Lariat Running Counter ([])............................Lariat Running Counter (X)..........................Powerslam Running Counter (O)......................Nodowa Otoshi [C] Running to corner.................Saber (Vader) Attack Co-op Irish whip to corner........Saber (Vader) Attack Corner-to-center attack...........................none GRAPPLES -------- Grapple ([])...............................Wrist Punch Grapple ([]) + Up.................High Angle Body Slam Grapple ([]) + Left/Right...................Body Punch Grapple ([]) + Down........................Hammer Blow Grapple (X)...................................Headbutt Grapple (X) + Up..................Striking Liftup Slam Grapple (X) + Left/Right............Short Range Lariat Grapple (X) + Down....................Backbreaker Slam Grapple (O)..............................Side Arm Hold Grapple (O) + Up....................One-Hand Chokeslam [C] Grapple (O) + Left/Right...............Avalanche Press Grapple (O) + Down...........................Wild Bomb Grapple ([]) + (X)......................WILD BOMB WHIP [S][C] Back Grapple ([])......................Back Liver Blow Back Grapple (X)..........................Enzui Lariat Back Grapple (O)......................Scissors Sleeper Back Grapple (O) + Up/Down.........V Leg Lift Backdrop Back Grapple (O) + Left/Right......Throw German Suplex Back Grapple ([]) + (X)..............Reverse Powerbomb [C] Back Grapple Counter ([])...................Elbow Bunt Back Grapple Counter (X)........................Rumble OPPONENT DOWN MOVES ------------------- Opponent Face Up at Head (X)............Dragon Sleeper Opponent Face Up at Head (O)................Elbow Drop Opponent Face Up at Feet (X)........Hooked-Leg Pinfall Opponent Face Up at Feet (O)........Stomping (Stomach) Opponent Face Down at Head (X)....Both Hands-Press Pin Opponent Face Down at Head (O)..............Elbow Drop Opponent Face Down at Feet (X)........Half Boston Crab Opponent Face Down at Feet (O).........Stomping (Back) Running at Downed Opponent (O).......MUSCLE BOMB PRESS [S] MMA MOVES --------- Guard Attack ([]).............................Headbutt Guard Attack (X).........................Knuckle Arrow Guard Attack (O).........................Lift Up Press Guard Counter.....................................Bash Mount/Facelock Attack ([])..................Face Punch Mount/Facelock Attack (X)...............Front Necklock Mount/Facelock Attack (O)...............Powerbomb Whip [C] Mount/Facelock Counter.................Waterwheel Drop [C] Back Mount Attack ([])........................Headbutt Back Mount Attack (X)....................Knuckle Arrow Back Mount Attack (O)................Reverse Powerbomb [C] Back Mount Counter..........................Back Press POST AND APRON MOVES -------------------- Post ([])............................Diving Elbow Drop Post (X)............................Super Diving Press Post (O)........................Diving Shoulder Attack Post ([]) + (X)........................Moonsault Press Running Post Dive ([])............................none Running Post Dive (X).............................none Corner Grapple (O) + Up.............SKY HIGH CHOKESLAM [F][C] Corner Grapple (O) + Left/Right...."Saber" Hammer Rush Corner Grapple (O) + Down...............REVERSE SPLASH [S] Corner (Top Rope) Counter [F].................Headbutt Corner (Top Rope) Counter [B]...........Backhand Elbow Inside Apron Grapple.................Chest Hammer Blow Outside Apron Grapple.........................Headbutt Run to outside..............................Feint Jump Dive out ring.................................Headbutt Dive in ring............................Backhand Elbow Cage Dive.........................................none DOUBLE AND TRIPLE TEAM MOVES ---------------------------- Front Double Team......................Powerbomb Combo Back Double Team.....................Ganseki Chokeslam Corner Double Team.................Highjack Piledriver [C] Front Triple Team...................Triple Hammer Blow Back Triple Team....................Triple Hammer Blow Corner Triple Team..................Triple Hammer Blow PERFORMANCE ----------- Entry Performance....................Hands Provocation Analog Stick Left....................Hands Provocation Analog Stick Right.........................Hands Raise Analog Stick Up..............................Chest Out Analog Stick Down.....................Arms Provocation ======================= ==SECTION 4: STRATEGY== ======================= GENERAL STRATEGY Stance = Power. Fight and Return Skills = Power. "Critical!" style = Power. Offensive Power rating = 10. Sensing a trend here? If you guessed "Power", give yourself a pat on the back! And if you choose Vader to participate in a Fire Pro contest, you can rest assured you've chosen one of the more lethal participants the game has to offer. Fact: Power "Critical!"s are scary, and Vader's got 'em to spare. Take a glance at the above movelist and check out all those moves marked with a [C]. That mark denotes that that move can end a match... instantly. No chance for the fluke victory, no chance for the dramatic comeback, 99 times out of 100 a "Critical!" equals "Game Over", and a likely trip to the emergency ward for Vader's unlucky opponent! Vader's "Start Dash" skill gives him a one point offensive boost at the start of a match, which means... (thanks JB and Geese) ...that Vader can actually go to 11, just like Spinal Tap! Because his Power and Arm Power stats are already at 10, the one point boost brings his stats in those categories over the peak of what is humanly possible! Vader goes to 11 in Fire Pro!!! GO VADER!!! Ahem... yeah. So, does this terrfiying monster of the Fire Pro universe have any particular weaknesses to exploit? You bet he does! His leg endurance is weak, meaning Vader can be worn down with repeated attacks to those limbs, especially if those attacks are in the Joint or Technical categories. Also, Vader is just about as slow as they come, meaning that most other wrestlers can dictate the pace of the match, frustrating the big man with distancing strikes and avoiding a grappling showdown that may not work in their favor. If you're playing as Vader, you need to keep both of these issues in mind to avoid the upset loss. STRIKES Vader's strikes are all about roughhousing and brute strength, and no move exemplifies these traits like the dreaded Vader Hammer. It's a very easy strike to connect with and does great damage, and if your opponent has any wits about him, he'll think twice about recklessly walking into proximity. GRAPPLES There is more general roughhousing to be found in Vader's grapple set, along with an ample dose of power. Indeed, Vader is probably the second scariest wrestler in the game (next to Jumbo Tsuruta) when it comes to tossing the opponent around the ring, and the scariest wrestler when it comes to throwing his own weight around the ring. Vader has two moves in his Strong Grapple set that are capable of causing a "Critical!", the One-Hand Chokeslam and the Wild Bomb Whip. For this reason alone you'll want to make sure you're working your way up to his Strong Grapple set quickly in the match. Another area where Vader is dangerous is working from a corner grapple, where he has a Special and his Finisher. One great setup is an Irish whip into the turnbuckle, followed by a running Vader Attack in the corner, then a head ram into the turnbuckle followed by either the Sky High Chokeslam or Reverse Splash corner grapple. ====================== ==SECTION 5: CLOSING== ====================== In closing, I would like to thank Jason Blackhart for statistical information and Dave Fairbairn for moveset clarification. Fire Pro Wrestling Returns Character Guide: Vader (c)2008 Bill Wood