Needs More Time in Developmental - AEW Fight Forever Switch | PS5 | Xbox

Back in the day there was one company that really led the charge when it came to wrestling games on systems such as the Nintendo 64 and the Sony PlayStation. I'm talking about THQ as they were the absolute kings of the mountain. For many years they had the licenses to WCW and the WWE games, but in recent years WWE has gone in a different direction. THQ is now back with a new tag team partner to try to take on the wrestling world and their first entry together is AEW Fight Forever.

This is a game that has seen its fair share of troubles before it even came out. It has been delayed multiple times, so much so that the roster is not 100% accurate. We have some pretty significant missing competitors such as Keith Lee, but we have some characters who have left AEW who are still in the game such as Cody Rhodes and William Regal. EVP Kenny Omega was actually one of the lead testers of this game before it came out, so I was hoping for something excellent as a wrestler had direct input on the finished product. Originally supposed to release earlier in 2023, it was delayed and pushed back a few times, we did not exactly have a release date for the longest time, but in late June of 2023, it is here on the PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox.

There are a few different gameplay modes that you can take part in regardless of which platform you are playing on. There are 1-on-1 matches, Lights Out matches, 2-on-2 matches, 3-way matches, 4-way matches, Casino Battle Royales, Exploding Barbed Wire Death Matches, Ladder Matches, mini-games, and a training area. You can play single-player locally, multiplayer locally, and multiplayer online. At this time I have not been able to determine whether or not there is cross-platform compatibility as we have not been able to test that functionality out at this time.

The Nintendo Switch version definitely has a reduced graphical quality versus the PS5 version. I would say the difference is very similar to MLB the Show on the Xbox and PlayStation 5 versus what's on the Switch. Certain things are just not as crisp, the character models look a little bit more plasticky, hair is a little bit less natural, and it's just not as polished on the Switch. There are also certain graphical issues that pop up on the Switch, including lag, delay, and physics issues. The physics of the ring ropes get really weird when you have more than two characters on screen at a time.

The different gameplay options that the game offers are quite fun, even if frustrating. Hit detection is not what it should be, and things like throwing your opponent over the ropes is not as fluent and intuitive as it should be. There are times when you go to throw your opponent over the rope and instead of doing so, you go behind them. It's just a weird way that it works and only happens in the casino battle Royale.

The audio in the game is pretty good, at least what's there. There is no running commentary whatsoever during any of the matches. There's no Jim Ross, there's no Tony Schiavone, there's no Excalibur, there's no Taz. All that you get is crowd noise and background music. The presentation is also limited by the very short wrestler entrances for each competitor. You get maybe 10 or 15 seconds of their entrance and that's it. That would be great if that was an option, just like you can turn entrances off, but give me the option for a full-blown entrance from the back to the ring. Speaking of the music, one thing that we were warned about was to make sure that we had certain music turned down because of the potential for content ID and copyright match issues. For the average game player that's not going to be a problem, but if you are a content creator and want to stream, that's a serious issue.

Why it RoX:
- Brings AW to the video game world
- Good selection for the roster
- Still offers the option to play as Cody Rhodes
- Player controls the pyro
- Interesting match choices

What Could Be Improved:
- Not a significant improvement in graphical fidelity from the switch to the play station
- Physics are not terrific in the Switch version
- No full entrances
- Where's the commentary?
- Long load times on the switch
- It's just not as good as what else is out there

Should You Buy It?
I was excitedly looking forward to AEW Fight Forever, and I have to admit I'm thrilled that I got a chance to get my hands on a couple of reviewed codes. I would have been frustrated if this would have been the game that I bought as it's just not ready even with the delays. I see promise here, and I see what they're going for and attempting but they just did not execute it well. And in a genre of games where I am looking for the excellence in execution I feel like I have been short changed slightly. I'm hoping that THQ can release patches to improve the overall performance on the Switch and the graphical fidelity on the PlayStation 5, but I would say right now wait for a sale.

#AEW #AEWFightForever #THQ #kennyomega #CodyRhodes