AEW Fight Forever
AEW fight forever's video game finally arrived after literally waiting forever and after playing this game for several hours I'm just completely torn. I'm not sure what to feel about this game that feels half done, yet have so much potential.
The game is directed and based on the old styled N64 games like No Mercy and WCW vs NWO that we all enjoyed when pro wrestling was the most popular thing in the United States, before the dark times. This game has that feel of that game but feels like it's half complete. The roster isn't the greatest and even with the DLC that you have to buy and the Matt Hardy add on, it still feels small compared to the roster they currently have.
Lets go through some of the bad off the bat shall we? The create a wrestler options is super bland and generic, although I did enjoy my time building my wrestler and giving his move sets, it just didn't feel like I had many options. Another problem in my eyes was the lack of giant battles, you can't have a royal rumble like match because only four wrestlers can be out there at a time. So yes, that means no six man tag matches, which is a huge deal in AEW. Another annoying detail is the five second entrances, although I do love the records to be shown and if the they hold the belt they will come out with it during exhibitions, which is mostly where I fought.
The game play is okay, most matches go super fast though. I think out of fifteen matches I've had three go around five minutes, one went eleven minutes, eleven glorious minutes of a seven star match. Some characters don't look like the real people, instead it's some what cartoon like. There is no real commentary and barely any talking within the game.
I'm more of an imagination type of person, so in my head multiple storylines are happening, whether backstage or something happening in a match that pushes rivalries and potential feuds. That's what I liked about WCW vs NWO and WWF No Mercy, the matches and feuds that I made up into an actual system of matches, including PPV's which we may or may not have recorded and wrote down in a magical notebook. We kept track of champions, feuds, and all the PPVs, it was kind of insane.
Fast forward twenty years later or so, I'm back playing a N64 type of game, and I'm just not positive if I like it or not yet. That's where I'm at, right on the fence and I can to either way. Is it fun? It is, but seems like it's more suited for a friends night where everyone is playing the game over chips, soda, and pizza. You know, just playing the night away into the early morning. It even kinda pushes you to play online, as you get more money for doing so. Some wrestlers are easier to use, even more fun to play as than others. I found Miro was a massive dude I could use to beat down countless assholes who got in my way. I did so for a few matches, then the imagination got into the game which started a feud. A moment changed the game for me, every match was going around 3 minutes up until a match that pitted Jungle Boy against Miro happened. I literally beat the piss out of Jungle Boy and then it happened. I tried picking the boy up and he put me in a inside cradle and got the 1-2-3. I sat in disbelief. This set up a feud between the two in my head, that's what made the game fun, but that's just me.
Another match I had a blast on was the ladder match, it was between Sammy Guevara and Rey Fenix. It was absolutely chaotic and classic all the way around. From the move sets, the close calls, the injury during the match, to the back and forth finishers, to the epic ending. It was an eleven minute seven star match that I completely enjoyed. Those are the types of matches I love, those create moments within the game that stick with you, that's what I wanted, a game with crazy moments of fun.
As of this moment, the game to me isn't worth what I paid. For everything, including season pass it was upwards of 70 dollars, which is way too much. The roster isn't huge, the entrances aren't the best, the create a character is generic, and the game has several bugs unfortunately. The road to the elite isn't the greatest, but neither was the stories for the older games. I did enjoy the game for the most part, but I'll have to give it a 74 overall out of 100 Stonecold Stunners. It's a C- , but has potential to change it up and become something better. No Man's Sky was nothing like it was when it first came out, I'm hoping they continue to work on this game with DLC's, updates, and just patch work to create a great wrestling game that you can always play years down the road.
I attempted playing the mini games and they were entertaining for a moment, just like the Road to Elite story you get to play in the game, but none of it could keep my attention for long which is disappointing. I have faith they will build upon this game and make it better as time goes on, so don't completely fall away from it, stick with it and allow the game to become better. I really wanted to love this game, especially after getting the elite version, but it just falls short. I could see this being a party favorite though, a game you can play with a bunch of people waiting for AEW's shows or PPVs, I think that would be a good time. Hopefully the game grows on me and it's better than what I'm saying it is.