AEW Fight Forever Review

AEW Fight Forever Review

Intro

Every since I was a kid one of my favorite games I played with my family were the classic WrestleMania 2000 and WCW Revenge back on the N64. Over the years the WWE has dominated the wrestling and gaming market with no one even comparing to their level. Newcomer AEW Fight Forever enters into the squared circle to meet this challenge.

In some ways, AEW Fight Forever is a homage to the journey of the Elite Brand and they embrace classic arcade-style mechanics forgoing the next-gen shifts we have seen in recent years. Does AEW compete against the titan WWE 2K Franchise? Do they bring back the classic feels of the older generation of wrestling games? Is it worth buying? I give the good and the bad and answer these questions in my final verdict.

The Good

The Classic Feel

One of the best aspects has to be the classic feel of the game overall. The Gameplay mirrors that of the older generation of wrestling games where the basic mechanics are based on momentum and how well you are effective at landing your moves. That plus a very simple control scheme that separates punches, kicks, and grapple moves means anyone can pick up the controller and play.

History of Success

THQ Nordic had a long history of making wrestling games and it tells since this is very similar to the classic style of the original games that I loved to play throughout my childhood. The issue with newer gen wrestling games is the over-complicated nature of the basic mechanics being more about cinematography rather than just playing the game. AEW Fight Forever returns back to the originals and makes the gameplay simple enough for any gamer and allows for the fun to be mainly in just the action in the ring.

Much to Do

I have to give credit to THQ Nordic for doing something that most developers have issues with in this era of modern gaming, they actually gave us a lot of game modes to play which is quite a surprise. Having the standard modes of exhibition matches, customization for wrestlers and the arena, online play, and the main mode Road to Elite. All feel like they mirror the golden ages of wrestling games of old which is a great sign.

Pretty Standard Modes

Customization is pretty standard, picking your wrestler’s attire, entrance and movement set all fit well. And the exhibition matches do exactly what you would expect, pick any wrestlers you want and set the settings for the match and have at it. I didn’t get to experience online ranked play in my review copy but I am expecting a similar result to the exhibition. Giving the player options is a great thing to see for a game that is really trying to develop an audience especially compared to a giant like 2K.

Great Style

The overall style of this game is great. I mean when you look back at games like Smackdown vs. Raw 2007 it is very similar to the vibe that was portrayed during that era. Sometimes goofy, music in the middle of matches like the old days, all about the wrestling rather than the stories. But one of the best parts of the style is the fact that this game was similar to a recruitment video for wrestling fans that were new to the brand.

Certain parts of the game give you some really cool montage videos of the story of AEW and its rise from a small brand to becoming where it is today. They have some really interesting cutscenes and hype music that gets you excited to play this new title and see whether it can match the era of the old. Enjoyed the style overall.

The Bad

Clear Lack of Polish

One of the biggest issues that this game has is the overall polish. I think the goofiness of the characters is pretty normal for a wrestling game but for some reason, the shapes of people’s bodies make no sense. Maybe its because I’m so used to 2K’s over-the-top detail that when I get a wrestling that sort of avoids the details I’m going to check them on that. There are some pretty outrageous glitches like dudes floating around after they hit their finishers and people completely missing punches. It honestly gets pretty bad.

In this modern age of gaming generally, one of the biggest aspects gamers are clinging to first is the overall look of the game. If it doesn’t match the “Next Gen” feel then it doesn’t get that certain seal of approval.

Lackluster Season Mode

One of the biggest issues I felt with the game is the fact that the Road to Elite game mode did not live up to expectations. Basically the way the mode works is that you get to pick any member of the roster or your own custom character and you are officially signed up for the Double Down pay-per-view. From here you are basically trying to win enough matches to qualify for a title shot. I think the attempt by THQ Nordic to mirror the classic season mode from the Smackdown vs Raw games but it does not have the same vigor to make it feel as full as the classics.

No Real Story

There are some story elements like interacting with specific wrestlers but not having any voice lines or a consistent story being driven throughout the experience makes it feel more bland. In Smackdown vs Raw games, they had a story for custom wrestlers that put you at odds against certain wrestlers and going for specific titles to make your journey feel more impactful. I think in this case it would be better to use a custom wrestler instead of one already on the roster since you can’t adjust any attributes.

Major Issues in Gameplay

One of the problems I saw with the gameplay was that it felt sort of clunky in its design. The ability to reverse grapples and strikes being different definitely made it more strategic in the daily matches, but they never actually are consistent with reversals which made it pretty frustrating when trying to counter certain moves. Even the mechanics kicked out from a pin felt like it was pure luck.

It feels like in some cases they tried to stick too close to the old aspects of the classics which should have been adjusted in the modern age. I get the whole not sure if your character will kick out or be more exciting but I can literally slam on my controller and I would have no clue if I was even close.

Final Verdict

Overall I think there are definitely some positives and negatives. AEW Fight Forever pays a fantastic homage to the classic-era wrestling games. Giving some arcade-style combat that oozes style does bring me back to the golden era of wrestling titles like WWF No Mercy. However, some gameplay mechanics feel like they are stuck in the early 2000s rather than actually getting the update they need for the modern era. The season mode has some solid bones but feels bland to play with not enough stopping power.

Rating

I would give AEW Fight Forever a 6 out of 10. It definitely has some fun aspects in a pure arcade wrestling game but in order to compete against the best you need to be the best in gameplay and a meaningful story. My hope is that AEW Fight Forever can get a sequel to expand on the issues but until it does it may tap out before it reaches its potential. And that’s the bottom line because Marzzman said so.

***

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