AEW: Fight Forever

Get ready to step into the ring with AEW: Fight Forever, the upcoming professional wrestling video game based on All Elite Wrestling. Developed by Yuke's Co., Ltd. and published by THQ Nordic, this highly anticipated game combines the nostalgic feel of arcade wrestling with innovative finishing moves and tandem offensive maneuvers from All Elite Wrestling.

Reviving the Spirit of Arcade Wrestling

AEW: Fight Forever successfully captures the nostalgic essence of classic arcade wrestling games while incorporating modern elements from All Elite Wrestling. Players will be able to relive the excitement of traditional wrestling gameplay, engaging in thrilling one-on-one battles or teaming up with a partner to take on their opponents. The game boasts an impressive roster that combines wrestling legends with the rising stars of AEW, offering a diverse and captivating lineup of playable characters.

When compared to other wrestling games, such as the WWE 2K series, AEW: Fight Forever offers a refreshing and more accessible experience. While WWE 2K games focus on realism and intricate mechanics, AEW: Fight Forever embraces the fast-paced and high-flying style of All Elite Wrestling. The cooperative online play and simplified team maneuvers set AEW: Fight Forever apart, providing a unique and enjoyable multiplayer experience that is sure to resonate with wrestling fans.

Diverse Match Types and Cooperative Online Play

AEW: Fight Forever offers a wide range of match types to keep players engaged and entertained. From singles and tag team matches to three-way and four-way battles, ladder matches, Casino Battle Royale, Falls Count Anywhere, Unsanctioned Lights Out, and even an Exploding Barbed Wire Death match, the game caters to every wrestling fan's desires. The addition of cooperative online play takes the excitement to new heights, allowing players to team up with friends or other fans from around the world to form formidable tag teams.

For those seeking a more personal wrestling journey, AEW: Fight Forever features a deep and immersive career mode. Players can create their own wrestler, customize their appearance, attire, moveset, entrance, and even form tag teams. The career mode offers a compelling narrative, taking players through the highs and lows of a wrestling career as they compete in matches, earn titles, and strive to become champions.

AEW: Fight Forever grants players the freedom to personalize their favorite wrestlers. From modifying their appearance to creating unique move sets, the game offers a comprehensive customization system that allows players to make their wrestlers truly their own. Additionally, players can battle it out in iconic AEW arenas, recreating the atmosphere of live events and experiencing the thrill of performing in front of roaring crowds.

Review: 9/10

AEW: Fight Forever is a remarkable wrestling game that successfully captures the essence of both classic arcade wrestling and the modern excitement of All Elite Wrestling. The game's nostalgic feel, coupled with innovative gameplay features and an extensive roster, creates an immersive and enjoyable experience for wrestling fans.

Pros

• Successful blend of arcade wrestling nostalgia and modern AEW elements
• Extensive roster combining wrestling legends and rising stars of AEW
• Diverse range of match types, including cooperative online play and team maneuvers
• Deep and immersive career mode, allowing players to create and customize their wrestlers
• Iconic AEW arenas and captivating atmosphere

Cons

• Potential for a steep learning curve for players new to wrestling games
• The game could benefit from additional post-launch content, such as downloadable wrestlers or arenas

I am a massive wrestling fan so when AEW Fight Forever was announced, I was super pumped! I have been playing wrestling games since the days of the NES and over the last decade or so, things have gotten stale. I am not saying bad, but we certainly needed an alternative, not just in wrestling games, but in wrestling as well. That is why I and so many other people were excited when AEW became a thing. The game certainly has some good qualities and if they do a sequel they do have a great base to start from.

Road to the Elite!

The main single player game mode in AEW Fight Forever is the Road to the Elite mode. You can create your own wrestler here as you try and rise up the ranks to become a legend in AEW. You get to embark on different stories with different wrestlers, but it is very, very shallow and some of the stuff like going to restaurants and even sightseeing seems like it is done as a parody, but the text is never actually funny. When you play as a created wrestler, you can improve your stats in this mode. However, you can also play as an actual AEW wrestler which is cool, but their stats will not change.

Looking Back At The Classics

The people behind AEW Fight Forever, including wrestler Kenny Omega were very clear that they were looking at the Nintendo 64 greats like WWF No Mercy and Virtual Pro Wrestling 2 when it came to the inspiration for the core gameplay of the game. I would say that they did a great job of emulating those classic games. This is very easy to pick up and play and each wrestler has several different moves that they can do, including finishers and signature moves. Granted, it is not as deep as say WWE 2K25 when it comes to the in ring stuff, especially with the amount of moves the wrestlers have. Yet, I would say that this is more fun bell to bell.

Enough To Keep You Busy

In AEW Fight Forever you can take part in single and tag team matches as well as ladder matches. You also have AEW specific match types such as the Casino Battle Royale and an Exploding Barbwire Death Match. There is also the Stadium Stampeded online mode as well as several mini-games. While what is here is fun, there is just not enough content in this game to compete with the annual WWE games. Many fans, including myself, got mad that they kept adding in these stupid mini-games instead of actual wrestling game modes which is what the game really needed! It is fun how the game keeps the win and loss records of each wrestler, but this is a game that was just crying out for more content.

The Gang Is Not Quite All Here

One of the biggest criticisms that AEW Fight Forever got was in regard to the roster. You have some top AEW stars like Kenny Omega, Brian Danielson, Jon Moxley, and The Young Bucks along with the likes of CM Punk and Cody Rhodes who are now in WWE. However, this game had quite an outdated roster with many big name stars missing. What made this extra frustrating was how THQ released very expensive DLC for this game, the price for just a couple of new characters and a couple of lame new mini-games was insane, especially as this was a full price game! It made many people turn on the game, even those like me who felt that as an actual wrestling game, there was some fun to be had here. Also, the game is lacking in arenas, you only have a handful of arenas and in going back to the wrestlers, the majority of them only have one attire that they can wear.

Pros:

• The in ring gameplay is fun pick up and play stuff
• The Casino Battle Royale is so much fun with friends
• There is a decent roster of AEW talent in the base game
• For a first try, this is not bad at all

Cons:

• The cost of the DLC packs was insane!
• The game is greatly lacking in content