AEW: Fight Forever: A Review
AEW: Fight Forever had high expectations riding on its shoulders. The wrestling world was eager to see a strong competitor to WWE’s established dominance in the video game arena. Initial trailers and gameplay glimpses were promising, showcasing a roster of beloved wrestlers and familiar moves. However, the final product, while enjoyable in parts, ultimately falls short of its potential, revealing a game that desperately needed more time in development.
Gameplay Mechanics: A Mixed Bag
The core gameplay mechanics of AEW: Fight Forever are solid, offering a satisfyingly visceral feel to grappling and striking. The controls are relatively intuitive, allowing players to quickly grasp the fundamentals. However, some moves feel clunky and unresponsive, particularly during complex chain wrestling sequences. The button mapping could also benefit from some refinement; certain actions feel awkwardly placed, disrupting the flow of combat. This inconsistency mars the overall experience, leaving a feeling of missed opportunities.
The game’s career mode, while promising a deep and engaging experience, suffers from a lack of polish. The narrative feels underdeveloped, and the progression system lacks the satisfying feedback loop that keeps players invested. The repetitive nature of many matches quickly becomes tiresome, diminishing the overall appeal of the long-term career arc.
Creating Your Wrestler: A Personalized Experience
One of the more enjoyable aspects of AEW: Fight Forever is the robust character creation suite. Players have a vast array of options to customize their wrestler, from physique and attire to movesets and entrance themes. This level of personalization allows for a great deal of creativity and self-expression. The sheer number of options available encourages repeated playthroughs and experimentation.
However, even the character creation suffers from some minor inconsistencies. Certain customization options feel limited, especially when compared to the more extensive options available in other wrestling games. The lack of detailed facial customization is a noticeable omission, hindering the overall immersion.
Graphics and Presentation: A Visual Assessment
The graphics in AEW: Fight Forever are a mixed bag. While the character models are generally well-detailed and accurately represent their real-life counterparts, the environments often feel bland and uninspired. The arenas lack the vibrant atmosphere and energy seen in other wrestling games, detracting from the overall visual experience. Frame rate drops are also noticeable at times, especially during high-action sequences involving multiple wrestlers. This technical inconsistency undermines the presentation’s overall impact.
Sound Design: The Soundtrack and Commentary
The soundtrack is a highlight, featuring a selection of high-energy tracks that capture the atmosphere of a live wrestling event. The commentary, however, is a point of contention. While the commentators attempt to provide engaging commentary, their lines often feel repetitive and lack the dynamism and energy that would elevate the matches. The commentary team’s occasional awkward pauses and strained attempts at improvisation detract from the overall experience. More variety and less repetition would have greatly improved this aspect.
Online Multiplayer: A Test of Connection
The online multiplayer mode is a crucial aspect of any modern wrestling game, and AEW: Fight Forever’s online capabilities are, unfortunately, inconsistent. While the core gameplay translates reasonably well to online matches, connection issues and lag are frequent occurrences. This significantly impacts the overall enjoyment of the online experience, especially during crucial moments of matches. The lack of robust online features further exacerbates this issue.
The limited roster of online game modes also proves limiting. While the standard match types are present, the absence of more creative and innovative online modes feels like a missed opportunity to expand the game’s replayability.
Overall Impression: A Work in Progress
AEW: Fight Forever showcases a clear passion for the AEW brand and its roster of talented wrestlers. The game’s core mechanics are enjoyable, and the character creation tools provide a great deal of customization. However, the game is clearly hampered by its rushed development. Numerous technical issues, inconsistent gameplay, and a lack of polish hold the game back from achieving its full potential;
The lack of refinement in various aspects, from the repetitive commentary to the occasionally clunky controls, points towards a need for significant post-launch support. While the game offers some fun moments, it ultimately feels like an incomplete product. Addressing the technical issues and expanding the game’s content would significantly improve the overall experience.
The potential is undoubtedly there, but the current state of AEW: Fight Forever suggests that more time in development would have resulted in a far more polished and complete wrestling experience. The missed opportunities are significant, and leave the player wanting more.
The game’s ambition is clear, but its execution falls short. This isn’t a terrible game, but it’s certainly not the game-changer many hoped for. It’s a solid foundation, but it needs substantial improvements to truly compete with the established giants in the genre.
With dedicated patching and content updates, AEW: Fight Forever could evolve into a compelling wrestling game. However, as it stands, it feels like a missed opportunity, a game hampered by its rushed release.
- Pros: Robust character creation, enjoyable core gameplay mechanics, strong soundtrack.
- Cons: Inconsistent gameplay, technical issues, repetitive commentary, limited online modes, underdeveloped career mode.
- Areas for Improvement: Improved online stability, refined controls, more engaging commentary, expanded career mode content, additional online game modes.
- Overall Rating: 6.5/10
