Board 8 > AEW Fight Forever Review Zone

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://opencritic.com/game/15158/aew-fight-forever/reviews

The spiritual successor to the old AKI games on N64 is here!

...and while it can be a fun time, the core package is too bare bones and missing too many features to qualify as good wrestling game. Especially in a year where WWE 2K23 came out and was the best wrestling game in years. Still it seems like a good foundation and it might get where it needs to get over time via updates and DLC. Only time will tell. Current though we're sitting at a 63% through 29 reviews. Let's see what the pro wrestling community has to say.

NintendoLife - 7/10
As a self-proclaimed spiritual successor to WWF No Mercy, AEW had big wrestling boots to fill. While it doesn't quite surpass THQ's classic N64 grappler in terms of pure gameplay, it's nevertheless a highly entertaining wrestling title with a pleasantly silly story mode and some frankly ridiculous weapons-heavy match types. Performance on the Switch leaves a lot to be desired, but it's still the best wrestling game on the system for now.

Game Informer - 6.3/10
If nothing else, AEW: Fight Forever has potential. Im happy to have a more arcade-style wrestling game, especially one based on a major promotion. The gameplay has a strong foundation, and when it's firing on all cylinders, the action channels the simple fun of the 90s and early 2000s. The rest of the package just needs to catch up. Until it does, even the most passionate AEW fans may have a hard time sticking around for this main event.

Gamespot - 6/10
AEW Fight Forever, much like the company it represents, is a cocky young upstart trying to take the crown from a titan. Also much like its source material, its first outing is a decent foundation for what its future could provide. The roster is a good primer on the current AEW lineup, there are enough match types to keep things fresh for a while, and Road To Elite is an irreverent look at the life of a wrestler that made me smile. There are some bumps in this road--particularly the lack of trios matches and the disappointing entrances--but those are all things which can be fixed in future installments. If AEW truly plans to Fight Forever in the video game world, then they've thrown an effective first punch.

Shack News - 6/10
Ill give AEW Fight Forever this: When I was playing actual matches, many of my problems faded into the background. The actual wrestling is a good time and up to four players can throw down in a massive variety of ways with a huge roster or their own created characters. Its when I came away from the squared circle and had to look at other parts of the game that its flaws were hard to ignore. Even so, I think THQ Nordic, Yukes, and AEW have a good start here. Theyve made a game that is at least fun to play and feels good in the ring, which is arguably the most important part. If theres another AEW game, Id like to see Create-a-Wrestler, crossplay, and the overall presentation of the game rise to meet the gameplay. For now, Ill just try not to spend too much time outside the squared circle in Fight Forever.

Push Square - 5/10
AEW: Fight Forever is an incredibly faithful tribute to 90's wrestling gaming, and it's clear that a lot of love has gone in to ensure the presentation, gameplay, and atmosphere all harken back to that time with unyielding accuracy. But the world has moved on, and more importantly, wrestling games have moved on, and the dogged determination to honour what came before has resulted in a title that will ultimately prove incredibly divisive. Most egregiously the game feels decidedly budget while demanding a decidedly not-budget price tag, and while the product may improve with updates and time, in its current state, it's hard to recommend Fight Forever to anyone but the most hardcore of AEW's fans.

the actual gameplay doesn't look bad, I'm watching Colt Cabana stream it

they made Regal into Navi tho