AEW: Fight Forever Reviews
AEW Fight Forever marks the premiere of this wrestling promotion on console games and if that means Fight Forever needs to cause a great impression, the reality is this game falls below expectations in most ways. Its career mode is competent and enjoyable, but there is an unexplainable lack of high profile wrestlers on this rather expensive release, and many of its DLC inclusions should have been a part of the initial game. There's also a lack of variety and match types that won't help AEF Fight Forever make a name for itself, and the game's unimpressive visual work leaves a lot to be desired.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Despite its promise, AEW: Fight Forever comes out of the gate lacking direction. In a market that would gladly accept another classic, disappointment due to a lack of structure leads to this match ending quickly for the debuting franchise.
Over time, there’s certainly room to build from this foundation. But with the asking price and the initial lack of substance, it’s hard to see value in AEW’s first game upon release.
AEW: Fight Forever tries its best to invoke one of the most beloved wrestling games, but it’s a pale imitation that doesn’t live up to that legacy.
AEW: Fight Forever will win over N64 nostalgists, but anyone looking for a modern wrestling experience may be let down by an unpolished, bare-bones package.
It's hard to be anything but disappointed by AEW: Fight Forever. The AI is game-breaking, the roster is lacking, and online play is in the doldrums. If you are purchasing AEW: Fight Forever to play local with mates then it might be worth a look, as there is a lot of arcade fun and silliness to be had here, but for everyone else, this one is best avoided.
AEW had the right idea in wanting to focus on the nostalgia of the wrestling games we played when we were kids, but at the end of the day, the seemingly low budget and lack of polish is something that should be left in the past. AEW: Fight Forever has some fine ideas and its execution of moment-to-moment gameplay and animations isn't terrible, but matches can be won with minimal effort or drama, presentation is missing key things that make wrestling special, and the story mode is repetitive, boring and self-masturbatory. Fight forever? In this game? No, thank you.
AEW Fight Forever isn’t exactly a stupid idea from bad creative, it’s just a product scoped so small that asking a AAA new release price tag for it feels criminal. Matches are fun and entertaining, for a while at least, but absolutely every facet of the thing feels hugely undercooked. WWE 2K has been sorely in need of some real competition for years just as WWE itself has, but unfortunately AEW just haven’t pulled it off here as well as they did on television.
AEW Fight Forever, with some bugs, a very weak career mode, a limited number of fight modes and a very small number of fighters, is far from being a "rival" wrestling company game . It's sad to note that the entrance music and the entrances of certain fighters are present, however the fighters themselves are not present in the game and, in some cases, they appear as DLC on the launch day of the game itself! Even though I think it's a pretty fun game, there wasn't a single moment where I felt really hooked on the game, much less excited about playing it. It's not that it's bad, it's just not "there yet". Perhaps this is the beginning of a great game franchise, but this initial entry does not go down in history without a doubt.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
AEW: Fight Forever feels like an old game, attempting to appeal to nostalgia but falling short in every respect by today's standards. It may be fun in casual matches with friends, but its merits end there.
Review in Italian | Read full review
AEW Fight Forever struggles to find its place with its first entry into the world of video games! Whilst it tries to set itself apart from WWE’s flagship series, with a lack of creativity and variety, it just ends up becoming a bit monotonous. There may be something here for die hard fans, but unfortunately beyond a few matches in exhibition and a lacklustre career mode, AEW Fight Forever does not do enough to be an enticing wrestling game! Unfortunately, unlike the actual AEW brand, the game just can’t compete with its WWE counterpart!
AEW: Fight Forever's good ideas can't save it from a paltry amount of content and somewhat inferior gameplay compared to its competition.
In a faithful leap forward that's meant to kickstart a fresh wrestling game franchise, AEW: Fight Forever stumbles quite a bit. This is true for its real-life counterpart as well - a relative newcomer to the scene which will take a while before standing toe-to-toe with WWE's decades-long legacy. Much of the gameplay feels like a good start though, thanks to a fast-paced experience that isn't harsh on novices, mixed with an absurd amount of brutality and gore. Unfortunately, the game is tarnished by clunky mechanics, dimwit AI, lack of commentary, shortened entrances, and a poorly-written story mode that does not justify its high price tag. I'll admit there's a foundation for a better sequel, but for now, I find it hard to recommend this to wrestling fans.
AEW's first foray into videogames has much room for improvement across its odd-looking character models, slim game mode offerings, and poor AI balancing. That said, in the right crowd, you might enjoy it for its schlock and solid controls.
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.
AEW Fight Forever turns out to be a huge letdown. The overall experience suffers from the lack of gameplay-polish and the amount of bugs and glitches. While the game delivers some high recognition-value, it fails to live up to the promise of delivering a nostalgic arcade-wrestling-game.
Review in German | Read full review
AEW: Fight Forever came with good intentions, but it needed to have more practice before stepping into the ring. Even though it brings a totally different proposition compared to any recent WWE, its various problems and weak content make it a game that will not even pass the door of the Hall of Fame.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Other than playing as some of my favourite wrestlers, I struggled to find many redeeming qualities with AEW Fight Forever. The game is lacking in modes, match types, wrestlers, and creation suite options. Combined with a generic and alarmingly short career mode, AEW Fight Forever is far from elite.
To sum it up, AEW Fight Forever is a good game that has tons of potential. If I were to recommend it to those who are new to wrestling games, I could but for those who are veterans of these types of games, I wouldn’t recommend it. It lacks the appeal it needs to stay active for at least half a year and it would have appealed to a much larger audience if it took some cues from contemporaries like WWE 2K23. At the very least, it should try to find ways to stay up-to-date with current happenings within AEW. That can go along with fans of both the brand and wrestling games in general.
AEW Fight Forever is a good start which can hopefully lead to much greater things. If you’re a fan of the newest professional wrestling league, then you should purchase this game to send a message to the league that you appreciate their efforts, and you’ll have plenty to look forward to in any potential sequel that may follow this if the game sells well. Wrestling fans in general should check this out as well, because it’s not like you’re exactly swimming in current game choices these days. For everyone else, this remains a hard sell, but that is true of most sports games. If one word could sum up AEW Fight Forever, it’s simply this: potential.