AEW: Fight Forever Broke My Heart... | Review

As a Day 1 AEW fan, I am stunned at the low quality of this game. The career mode is a significant let down, the game itself is not easy on the eyes, plus AEW's defining match types are missing at launch. Unfortunately, the revolution in wrestling games will have to wait a bit longer.
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#AEW #PlayStation #Gaming

[@3619jon]

I felt so old when he said he loved wrestling as a kid growing up and watching "king booker vs rey" My childhood was Bret vs Piper 😂

[@TheRobD4200]

Attitude Era kid here lol

[@3619jon]

@@TheRobD4200 I was 20 during the attitude era, I recently watched when HHH ruined Stephanie and Tests wedding. Brilliant! Lol

[@t.styles2k202]

Exactly because I was 16 during that time 😂😅

[@MR.__G]

@@3619jonthat was hhh’s break out year 1999. He would then go on to have an amazing feud with the rock in 2000.

[@Jimraze]

Bret Vs piper is incredible!!!

[@adriajones4044]

game has no business being over $40 to be honest

[@Boogiechiha977]

Facts considering they still have to be patched bugs etc ridiculous bro lol some of exceptions like god of war horizon forbidden west ghost of Tsushima Spider-Man but fuck the rest of the games blahh

[@QuayLoveSoCal]

@@Boogiechiha977true lol idek why I wasted 60 when I should’ve waited for the games you named

[@Boogiechiha977]

@@QuayLoveSoCal lol those games I just couldn’t wait for

[@HCIbn]

I pirate this game.

[@QuayLoveSoCal]

@@HCIbn what does that mean

[@OmegaZeero]

The only truly honest review I've seen of this. Most others are just glossing over everything you covered 👏

[@Boogiechiha977]

Lol facts

[@phillyliverpoolfc4079]

No they’re not at all, the people you’re talking about know that it will get better with updates. This guy gave an honest review but I think some fans expected way too much for a newer gam. It’s not perfect by any means no game is.

[@grammysworld5449]

​@@phillyliverpoolfc4079here's the excuses

[@jaybsproductions9068]

@@phillyliverpoolfc4079 Expect too much? This isn't a charity case bro - they're asking people to pay for this product. In terms of next generation gaming, this isn't up to 'industry standard' - as stated by the reviewer. So unless people are on a crusade to support AEW, or have an emotional attachment to the company, most casual gamers are not interested in hearing the excuses.

[@devancedaboss3498]

​@@jaybsproductions9068thank you I'm A casual fan. I want to know these things before spending my money.

[@kamikage9420]

In Australia it's $100 for the base version and $130 for the "elite", feels bad for games to keep coming out at this price and be underwhelming at best.

[@Jayden20933]

@@vehtty_an why is their creation suite way worse than svr 06. Their old game. It’s the equivalent of wwe battle grounds rn the blood and weapons were cool for like 2 matches but highly disappointing. Never seen a worse creation suite. Their roster isn’t good enough for that

[@Jayden20933]

@@vehtty_ yukes as a smaller budget yes but that’s irrelevant when they’ve made amazing wrestling games in the past. Compare any of their old gems to this and it’s sorry

[@Sun-Eater616]

I find with 2k23 that there is just so much content. I can do career, my own universe, the faction mode, and the GM mode. As well as just exhibition and online matches. Not to mention the CAW community online. I would need all that and possibly more to justify getting Fight forever at full price. It's alright people saying "Its supposed to be like No mercy" but that was decades ago. We've moved on since then!

[@incognitofool6516]

THANKYOU! Yukes and THQ peaked back in the 360 era. We need to move forward. Everyone keeps talking about a 30 year old fight system like that is enough to carry this game

[@JM1993951]

@@incognitofool6516what’s sad to me is that they were really onto something with 2k19. They were so close to perfecting simulation, then they split and now THQ and 2k are only capable of mediocre wrestling games. WWE games haven’t been the same since THQ left and if Fight Forever is what they’re bringing to the table I don’t think I’ll be buying a wrestling game for a while.

[@user-bt4wg6no6y]

2k23 is with full price and u can make aew if u need it

[@Curlyheart]

I've just stuck with WWF Warzone, Attitude, WrestleMania 2000, and No Mercy.

[@MPHswayze]

"We've moved on since then!" Not smarks, they are in exactly the same place as they were 25 years ago 😂

[@c-red4637]

no entrances really killed it for me, and I'm a fan of max caster but now it just will look odd for him to be in the game later on. for those that don't know him, he's a wrestler that comes out and drops a rap freestyle before heading in the ring, but with this game basically having no entrances outside of 5 seconds of you walking to the ramp, it would literally be impossible to add casters entrance into the game. all he can basically say with the given time frame is "yo, listen!" and thats pretty much it lol.

[@thekingofkingsrp]

I seen that shit 20 years ago...

[@DarkArterialGore]

7:09 Aleister Black's tattoo decal pop-in loading time was brutal.

[@megaslice23]

I cringed at it tbh.

[@retrorebound8887]

Very common, unfortunately.

[@DubberRucks]

Oof

[@JB00GIE22]

Malakai

[@TurntUpTurtles]

AEW fans have been hyping this up for so long as the "all i care about is the gameplay bro" just to hear it is mid is kinda funny. I lean WWE but I really want AEW to succeed.

[@lordhorg999]

Well ive heard other reviewers love it so instead of being a follower play the game yourself and make you own opinion the hype was that it plays like old school jukes games not just cus it was aew.

[@youngcity4241]

Play the game yourself in my opinion it’s not to slow like 2k and not to fast like arcade great gameplay so far

[@incognitofool6516]

​@@lordhorg999"A follower", like you calling someone a "fanboy" on other comments because they disagree with you? He doesnt have to play it for himself. We have eyes. There is hundreds of hours of gameplay footage online. It looks like a 360 game. And plays like a n64 game. We good over here playin 2k

[@darksavior1187]

I certainly didn't go into it expecting it to have all the creation and content of like 2k23, a game that has been iterated and built upon for more than a decade. However, I did hope it would have more than what is there currently. More of just about everything content wise. I feel like the base systems and mechanics are solid (except button mashing for pin and submission breaks, that needs alternatives imo). But it really very much needs more content in just about every area.

[@juliotorres3147]

Built upon for 3 years. They changed engines for 20

[@1KQ_]

THQ have been creating games for a good 20+ years lil bro

[@jayDee92133]

I been saying this game was gonna range from bad to mid.

[@DubberRucks]

Looks like you're right, chief. Although I'd go on the mid side for now as it looks like it's 2 decades too late 😂

[@BrickFighter13]

They didn’t try anything new, it’s literally just WWF No Mercy remastered.

[@RationalGaze.BingChillin]

The fact that you win the championship in career mode and then never see it again is ridiculous in 2023. In No mercy at least the belt was on your shoulder for 3 seconds for your entrance lol no mercy is still better than this game. The comparisons need to end. Also... in no mercy career mode some of the best matches for the story were ones where you were handicap match vs 2 people. This game doesn’t even have handicap match type lol

[@jackhughes7637]

How can you adore the attitude era growing up, but also go and see King Booker vs Rey Mysterio when you were a young kid?

[@BigmanDogs]

I have been waiting for the opinion of someone I can trust. Many AEW fans are trying to wish this game into being good. Ignore my profile pic, I'm an AEW fan too lol.

[@jay5286]

Lol no your not

[@adriajones4044]

lol Savage

[@thadevilzadvocate]

I’m trusting my own opinion not that of another person. No offense to the creator of this channel. I liked no mercy so I’m going to give this a shot.

[@BigmanDogs]

@@jay5286 I have literally seen every single episode of Rampage and dynamite

[@BigmanDogs]

@@thadevilzadvocate Why is the metacritic score 63? All reviews averaged out.

[@reedgamingsr]

This game feels like an indi game from a fan. It's totally ridiculous how they could publish this game in this state and it's for 60$...

[@BigBoyTraks]

People forget, AKI wasn't apart of this. They are the ones who made the game engine for No Mercy, WM2000, WCW Revenge. You can tell THQ tried to mimic their work with Aki from years ago.

[@SeelkadoomandJokic00]

The director of No Mercy & other AKI games was a part of this so yeah they had a member of AKI involved in this

[@Doop3r]

And it works amazingly

[@mat.b.]

surprised you say that you can bleed from the face for getting hit in the leg - this wasnt an issue in No Mercy, you only bled there from chair shots to the face or from extreme damage....to the face. Sounds like something for a future patch fix.

[@DubberRucks]

That's an interesting idea; hitting someone so hard in the leg their face feels it! 😂

[@Willowposting]

2K23 still has a bug where if you hit someone and bust them open, they won't start bleeding but you will. They claim to have fixed it but haven't. I honestly don't mind much tho because it isn't game breaking and just makes me laugh lol

[@gameave]

I have it. The gameplay is good. But they definitely need to add more match types. They need to allow you to morph create a wrestler faces and bodies and also import logos. And also edit in-game wrestler attire colors, not just add a t-shirt like they currently have it. And ability to edit in-game wrestler’s movesets.

[@RationalGaze.BingChillin]

Yep... still pissed that I paid 71 bucks to preorder for FTR and Matt only to load the game and they only have 4 tag teams... and I have to manually put FTR and Hardy’s together. 3 year wait for a half assed product? Big yikes. They should be ashamed. But it is a microcosm of AEW’s history as a company and of the extremely poor leadership of Tony Kahn

[@LostInTransition7]

Right. Game is great. But I noticed the lack of match types and creative content. I hope they can add more to it

[@TobeyStarburst]

​@@RationalGaze.BingChillinTony Khan had nothing to do with the game

[@MR.__G]

Basically you just want things that were on ps2 games lol.. that’s crazy how all of that is missing in 2023. The audacity to charge 70 bucks

[@MR.__G]

@@LostInTransition7smackdown on ps1 has more match types 😅

[@merk2364]

Kind of sad that we keep having these games that get delayed several times only to come out and be kind of mid.

[@ZeroShaneBob]

This game was never "delayed". They never announced a release date until it was ready (In their mind) to release.

[@youngcity4241]

@@ZeroShaneBobthere’s no way this game was finished lol

[@Jayden20933]

@@youngcity4241I refuse to believe it’s even half way done..

[@megaslice23]

No one can tell me this game was finished. Look at 4:16, the lifeless backgrounds in some of the cutscenes, whatever the heck happened at 7:10, etc. I have no idea why they decided they needed to rush this title out. Also, if they wanted the " arcadey" experience (especially with deathmatches etc), the Fire Pro engine would've been better for this game.

[@danielrangelvids]

What do you mean, that cutscene is totally legit! I always hold my phone like its a basketball

[@darksideon]

They rushed it because Tony wasn't going to give them anymore money for it. Everything in this game looks unfinished, and you can tell that one more year of development would've made it a very good entry into the wrestling genre.

[@Willowposting]

The thing is it was hardly rushed. It got delayed several times. They've had 3 years and THIS is what they gave us. People say this is something different from 2K at least, and that's fine. But 2K completely destroys it in terms of career mode, customization, and match types, and 22 was developed in less time with an almost completely new engine. This does not feel like a $60-70 game. It feels like a $30 indie title.

[@THADTOOBAD]

​@@Willowpostingwell said dawg

[@BB-ed4om]

They didn’t rush. At all. They worked on this for 3 years hitting delay after delay and sinking millions of dollars into it. If they delayed it any longer half the roster would be wrong. It’s already 2 years out of date. Imagine they fixed the issues and released it next year, it would be beyond embarrassing.

[@UncomfortableShoes]

Road to Elite is exactly like watching AEW. Shit just happens, doesn’t make much sense and then it’s just over. This game nailed it. I like the game, I enjoy the gameplay but most of everything else is just dumb.

[@aaron3053]

Honestly I’m a big fan of the arcadey feel I think the gameplay is extremely fun, but the biggest question mark is def the price point I just can’t justify the full price

[@CurtisPutnam]

the gameplay is pretty solid but i feel like ive already seen everything in just a few hours of playing. this game should be getting regular updates so it might eventually be worth that price but not at the moment.

[@trevordaigneault4159]

Why do people keep saying this when they’ve already stated that they won’t release a new game every year and they will be adding things in future updates… this is a base game at a high price because they don’t have WWE money. Support them and stop 2k from having a monopoly.

[@punchdrunkfgc]

​@trevordaigneault4159 nah. If you're charging $60 at launch, I expect a $60 quality game at launch. Also there's zero chance that updated content isn't paid dlc, which further invalidates that argument.

[@Danarchy3]

@@CurtisPutnamyou’ve seen everything in a few hours…? You could say this about ANY fighting game. MK, Street Fighter, literally ANY fighting game, play a few matches and you’ve seen everything. The point isn’t to see everything, it’s solid enjoyable gameplay.

[@malikevans2615]

​@@trevordaigneault4159you're ridiculous

[@EastyyBlogspot]

I mentioned that WWE games to me felt like it was years behind of what i would expect by now, and AEW game looks even further behind then that.

[@99FinLander66]

its 2 decades behind :D

[@DubberRucks]

​@@99FinLander66 Thank you! The hype I heard about this made me think people had forgotten games have moved on since No Mercy era

[@jbbrolic]

It looks horrible. Id rather play the old Smackdown games (similar graphic level but far better art direction, great gameplay.)

[@mikecee5676]

Good review. As someone who grew up during the NES era playing the worst WWF games and eventually getting those N64 classics I can appreciate this review. Wrestlemania 2000 and No Mercy were extremely polished for their time and enjoyable (even though frustrating at times). Modern wrestling games are lacking is so many areas. Can’t even go backstage anymore and into different rooms like we used to. The AKI grappling and striking system is a breath of familiar air - but unfortunately it won’t save this AEW game. From the games announcement all they focused on was “pick up and play” functionality - which is great. But I need a good career mode across numerous title storylines and characters. Thanks for the honest review, I haven’t watched wrestling since high school, 2002. I wanted to get into AEW (have never watched it) through this game. Might have to wait for a bit more polish? Hope they can salvage it and recreate career mode somehow, but I think that’s only wishful thinking.

[@HuwhyteMan]

WrestleMania 2000 and No Mercy are in my humble Caucasian opinion still 2 of the best wrestling games ever made. I like them so much I still play them to this day via emulation along with FirePro on PS2 also using an emulator. I haven't really followed wrestling in over a decade but I still enjoy playing wrestling games from time to time. I was looking forward to Fight Forever since hearing about it on account of who was making it given their history of making great wrestling games. Thankfully I kept my expectations realistic and didn't pre order so I could wait until everyone was able to get their hands on it in order to make an informed decision. It's certainly not the worst wrestling game ever but it's also far from the best. I'm gonna be optimistic and say this is a decent starting point for them going forward. If they're smart they'll listen to player feedback and criticism so if/when they make the next one they can deliver a superior product.

[@DirtyFozzy]

I suggest watching AEW then playing the game. Gives you a better reason to use the new guys and the product is great! Just sold over 65k tickets at Wembley stadium without a match announced.

[@JM1993951]

THQ and 2k need to get off this “pick up and play” nonsense. The people buying these games are wrestling fans. We want familiar controls, but if we can’t get those we’re gonna learn how to play. This happens in all genres but I feel like wrestling fans get it the worst. We’re just expected to buy mediocre games while the developers cater to people who aren’t going to buy their game anyway. “Hey, loyal fans. We dumbed everything down and took time away from adding features to try to lure in some Mortal Kombat fans. 60 bucks, please”

[@leviskata]

Here Comes The Pain is literally better than all of these games

[@e-TheWatchman]

I probably will wait when this is on sale; the perception you said about charcter progression seemed similar to UFC 2-3; honestly a indepth chemistry and character built mechanic for create a character would be nice to see in the future and for further development in story mode... here for Sting.

[@josephpayne2253]

Yup low price like 20 dollars 🤣

[@e-TheWatchman]

@@josephpayne2253 I’ll wait for additional content to contemplate a justifiable price point

[@DaBigCheeso]

I bought this on Xbox as opposed to my usual Steam, cause I'm a bit worried about the PC port, and I'm also happy I had Rewards points to turn in to save a couple bucks. Everything I've seen in the previews and hearing in the reviews today says this should have been a $39 digital game. Guess I'll find out tomorrow my personal thoughts on it, but as long as it's fun, that's the most important thing

[@HCIbn]

It runs better on pc 1440p @120fps Even a RTX 4080 can run this game over 500fps.

[@matthewweiss8579]

Lol there is nobody in the arenas in real life for AEW

[@DubberRucks]

A game so bad apparently the NPCs didn't want to show up for it either.

[@WGPhil-uw5cs]

I wish they focused on actual gameplay and caw mode instead of minigames.

[@tonythepokemonguy751]

“The classics had more meat to them” that line honestly describes the game

[@DayLateGamerWill]

I'm an Attitude era fan, stopped watching around 2003, been starting to look at AEW so I am exactly who you described in "getting back into wrestling with AEW" - been looking at this game for a while, so I am keenly interested in this review

[@javierdelgado3915]

Damn, i started watching in 2004 as a wee lad, and im about to be 30

[@kirkcinnamon8467]

Get ready to be disappointed. Attitude is 1000000 % better than AEW garbage

[@HCIbn]

@@kirkcinnamon8467 Facts! Only AEW marks would disagree.

[@TurntUpTurtles]

If you're a wrestling fan, playing WWE 2K23 isn't a bad idea. It's a great game and is super complete with an amazing creation modes.

[@DubberRucks]

I'm glad to hear it. I can only afford 2k19 atm so that'll have to do for my fix

[@blaze6477]

I wouldn't say its super complete. 2k23 wasn't the upgrade I was expecting after 2k23 honestly. There are still issues from last year and new annoying problems too like the instant recovery being broken. And obviously the missing match types that have not come back. I was dissapointed by Fight forever too but not for the same reasons as the majority. People forget that this is Yukes fist wrestling game project in years and had to build something from the ground up. I don't think they should've announced as early as they did and released it later.

[@HCIbn]

@@blaze6477 🤣🤣🤣 You need to play WWE 2K19 then 2K20 follow by 2K23 and that’s your upgrade. Try harder troll!

[@EliteDLM]

Thank you. I needed someone to tell me this. I'm sort of in the same boat as you in regards to being a jaded wrestling fan from back in the day that AEW helped bring back and this game has been very exciting, but also definitely seems to leave a lot to be desired. I truly think this game will be in a much better place in the coming months, but right now $60 is a lot to ask for what's here in comparison to other game options. I'll likely hold out for a holiday sale assuming it gets one.

[@JM1993951]

This game needs a significant increase in content or a significant drop in price. I’ll pay $30 for an ok career mode and some fun exhibition gameplay. For $60 I’m gonna need something like Universe mode and community creations.

[@Epsilonsama]

As soon as I saw the first clips of this game I knew it was gonna be crap.

[@DubberRucks]

Yep. It looks like I fell into a time-warp and came out 20 years ago 😂😂

[@robrob9250]

Thanks for the review dude, most of what I’ve seen recently has looked positive but as soon as I heard the career mode was so short I realised it would disappoint me. Was literally waiting till today to make a decision on whether to pre-order it or wait till a reduction in price (or a better sequel), and you just saved me fifty pound. Like you I’m a big AEW fan so this is very disappointing after all the wait, but if nothing else it looks like a good foundation for further games, where hopefully they address the issues players have with this one. I’m very disappointed but also very grateful it didn’t cost me fifty quid to feel like this, like with WWE 2k19. Great video though man

[@retrorebound8887]

Thanks! Yeah, if you're like me and wanted a great career mode, it's just not there at all. The wrestling is solid enough, but an easy wait for a sale especially cause now we have that leak for Stadium Stampede coming to the game so I imagine come holiday 2023 it will be worthwhile at a cheaper price.

[@beaverdc7]

One of the weekly challenges is “Complete road to elite 3x” wtf?! I shouldn’t be able to compete it once in a week.

[@AztecUnshaven]

​@@beaverdc7yes you should. It's deliberately meant to have multiple branching playthroughs. That's by design.

[@beaverdc7]

@@AztecUnshaven thanks. I haven’t started that mode yet. As long as it’s not repetitive

[@thirtythirty9054]

Yeah, sad!

[@GrimmHollywood]

I commend your schedule management. Two KZbin channels and ALL THIS WRESTLING to watch?! I am two AEW episodes behind regularly.

[@Tampafan33]

You know what's crazy?? I keep up weekly with wwe raw,smackdown,nxt. Aew dynamite and rampage. New Japan pro wrestling and tna wrestling. There's times where it feels like a chore honestly

[@GrimmHollywood]

@@Tampafan33 Maaan, that's absolutely wild. It's a lot of wrestling. I had to unsub from ROH because it was just too much. When they announced Collision I was happy and filled with anxiety 😭

[@retrorebound8887]

I appreciate the schedule love, but to be transparent: AEW is literally the only television I watch outside of anime which I only do in bursts. I also don't watch Rampage because I think it's so clearly tacked on. I always watch Dynamite on Wednesday nights after Defining Duke! Collision has been easy since I take weekends off.

[@GrimmHollywood]

@@retrorebound8887 Rampage is easily condensed down to 15-20 minutes of wrestling as their commercial breaks are insanely long. A lotta other people skip Rampage too I hear. But definitely inspiring to see the amount of good quality content you put out there, yet still balance "Matty" time in there. Appreciated! 👊

[@mat.b.]

thanks for the honesty of the review, been trying to contain my hype because I do see a lot of problems in the footage so far, and been disappointed with enough wrestling games since No Mercy

[@ManAlsume]

True. I haven’t been satisfied with a wrestling game in years

[@Cameron_MacAuley04]

I didn't know you were a fan of Wrestling Matty! that's cool as hell because of I've been watching your channel since last year. keep up the great content man♥️

[@kcjc]

I was a little hesitant going in but it’s still a bummer that it’s a bit lacking, at least there’s a decent enough foundation. I’m a big fan of the promotion, I keep up with others but AEW is the only one I consistently watch, so I’ll definitely get it after a price drop comes.

[@jasonbowen4923]

It will come soon. On the console stores due to lack of sales there will be a price drop next month on this game.

[@Denny_Berge]

To be fair with the crowd, if you see the side of the arena the hard camera is on.... no one is in the crowd at their shows. So, it's kinda accurate. hahaha

[@bxthegamer6132]

This game is worth 40 dollars game and im sad to say it because its things in the game that make its great but the creation and career mode is horrible to me it is much to write

[@Jmerithew87]

Uh oh, that title isn’t promising haha. I was nervous about this one though.

[@burgerrandi8299]

Huge wresting fan and AEW guy but man I’m not dropping 60 on this I’m definitely getting it in the future it’s one of those games I get on a random stop at GameStop haha

[@DubberRucks]

Yeah wait for the price drop. This looks more like a fan-made game than a full-fledged time sink

[@thirtythirty9054]

Wait for 20 Bucks or even 15 Bucks. Then it is worth it! It will drop very fast in this current State 😉

[@georgeh4171]

Just use an emulator and play No Mercy with an AEW mod on it. Much more content and free!

[@LemoncookieTV]

I love WWF No Mercy more than anything but this game is really rough

[@jbbrolic]

Considering the graphics in Fight Forever id rather just keep playing the old Smackdown games, No Mercy, WrestleMania arcade (16bit.)

[@fizzyfuzz5878]

Aew definitely isn't close to the attitude era in regards to storytelling

[@kazman_6899]

Russo

[@deademcee]

@@kazman_6899haha yess

[@KnucklesWTD]

It’s not even better than the ruthless aggression era. Arguably not even better that the PG era and the New Generation era’s.

[@lordhorg999]

Yall are such wwe fanboys aew rules i watch both tribalism sucks

[@deademcee]

@@lordhorg999 lmao im sure most of us watch both. And talk shit on both. At least i do. Defending aew so blindly shows where your tribe lies lol

[@MuhammadAli-xw4yc]

Thumbed up as soon as screen loaded up. My spider sense tingled that this dude delivers dat good good 👍. Subscribed

[@StreetScience92]

The storylines are very AEW Dynamite 😂😂 No follow ups, super random and non-sensical 😂😂

[@pjm91788]

With the taunts and movesets along with the entrances i'm eager to see how the mods turn out on PC. Definitely waiting to see the progression of the game content. Hopefully it gets better, only time will tell.

[@EbikeAdventuresSD]

They shouldn’t need to do that but no surprise with twinkle toes vision for this game just like his wrestling sucks

[@BigmanDogs]

It was reported that the developers have gone out of their way to make mods next to impossible.

[@CtheDead209-zt8tj]

Won't be mods thq nordic blocked them it's been known for months ...

[@pjm91788]

@@CtheDead209-zt8tj i don't keep up with that stuff. Good to know though thanks 👍

[@theboxingboy7422]

for the money they spent and the time they put into it you'd expect to be alot better quality and it fans have to pay $60 dollars they expect a really good quality aswell especially how hyped up it's been. But not having the full roster missing matches, commentary,entrances and short gameplay modes its not the best. This review was an honest one about the game

[@nroman387]

If this game was $40 i would think about getting it but $60 no way hopefully it comes to playstation plus

[@DubberRucks]

This looks so mid. Thank you for your honesty dude as a lot of people were hyping this so hard when they heard Yukes were onboard.

[@Wrestling_Regime]

I did not know you were a AEW viewer Matty! Learn new things everyday. Truth be told, I did not expect much from this game,

[@Bricefriha]

Same, since there was the story between THQ and Kenny Omega last year, I ended up managing my expectations

[@retrorebound8887]

Oooooh yea. It's the only television I watch outside of anime LOL

[@MegaMan-bs3oy]

What really scares me is there are people who are eating this 60 bare bs game up. If this was EA or Activision we would be calling for a boycott. THIS GAME has nothing and is boring after you do everything to do. To say its better then 2k with its match types alone is insane. People are beaten and beg for more this day in age.

[@JoshRazauskas]

How do you change the difficulty setting? I can’t find it anywhere it’s probably right under my nose and I’m blind but I don’t know where to go. lol. I will say this for the gameplay I have cerebral palsy and this is the first wrestling game I’ve actually been able to physically play in a long time so they definitely went for more of an old school control scheme and managed to pull that off.

[@Ozzie314]

In settings

[@JoshRazauskas]

@@Ozzie314 Thank you yeah but where are they in the menu? I don’t see it on the scroll that’s what I was talking about.

[@iwatchDVDsonXbox360]

Let's be real here, new Rumble Roses is what we need.

[@paluxyl.8682]

Agree , I really want a modern Rumble Roses game with 100 girls and many new match types like a royal rumble. An universemode would be awesome , also with a good character creator. ^^

[@georgeh4171]

Based!

[@actarus8564]

Yep,still got my original copy i bought on day 1 with my 360. Played this game to death but never managed to unlock any achievements for it.👍

[@KissMyAim330]

Does the game even have like a universe mode??that's what usually makes me get into wrestling games it honestly seems limited to me but hopefully they add to it

[@LegacyDaKing]

No universe mode but it has a career mode.

[@MR.__G]

It doesn’t even have a cage match

[@BallinLikeMike23]

What are your favorite retro wrestling games?

[@o.bfanboy]

Bro was right about the game being completely different in a year, what he didn't get right is that the game would be a complete dead waist land.

[@ThatReallyPaleGuy]

I love aew, I love wrestling games. I knew this game wasnt going to be shit when they started showing models and the minigames. The lack of unique match types, and how little they spoke about the career mode made me immediately suspicious. If you buy this, and like it, more power to you. I however will be waiting for fight forever 2 and hope they make the game compelling and worth 70 bucks. Thanks matty.

[@417Graphix]

The game is going to be routinely updated like Dead Cells; adding new content, wrestlers, etc. I doubt they will be creating another game within the next few years. But things could change

[@ThatReallyPaleGuy]

@417Graphix if in a year they have done quite a few quality of life improvements id def check it out, on sale. Otherwise i can wait. Lol

[@417Graphix]

@@ThatReallyPaleGuy yeah I feel this game will be getting a decent first patch

[@kdog1000Again]

Pretty sure its 60 across all consoles tho.

[@ThatReallyPaleGuy]

@@kdog1000Again im not paying more than 30 tbh.

[@tstevens626]

"NO real storyline guiding the career mode." Sounds like AEW to me 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@TobeyStarburst]

How do u unlock all the mini games to play?

[@notjake88]

This game could really benefit from GamePass, I'd be down to give it a go

[@retrorebound8887]

I agree

[@Dubbel12]

I think it really depends what kind of player you are how you are gonna enjoy this game. If you like to just do exhibition matches with your favorite wrestlers then youre gonna have a ball. I personally like to create things and do career modes. So its not really for me.

[@collinsal1433]

Exactly this. I’m more of an exhibition, tight match guy so creation and story mode doesn’t really bother me.

[@Dubbel12]

@@collinsal1433 gameplay looks well polished Ill give them that 👌

[@RobAdieComedy]

I hate the illusion of choice. I was doing a run as Gillberg, intentionally losing. Mjf comes up and asks me to join the Inner Circle. My guy, I'm 0-40! Why am I being put in this storyline? If anything, a QT Marshall with the Nightmare Factory Storyline might make more sense.

[@Jack91790]

Didn't know you were a fan, that's really cool. It's a shame this game is so bare-bones, because the gameplay is there.

[@beaverdc7]

The only thing I cared about was the gameplay…and they’ve failed me. It’s a fun game in its own way but in a $25 way. This game is lacking so much that they claim will come soon but they’ve been talking about this for years and it feels like a beta.

[@valenciax88]

The empty arenas were done on purpose to replicate empty sections from the real show.

[@XavierGage]

💀

[@4m722]

yup like foorbiben door

[@brandonmorgan8975]

Glad someone gave a honest review not just "it's great"

[@youngcity4241]

After playing this game for a while they really sold us this game at full price is crazy the game feels unfinished and lacks balancing like the old Aki games needs updates FAST or this game will be done by end of summer…….

[@McGomezAddams]

Can't wait to get this on sale for the Wii

[@anon6952]

So the aew video game is as half-baked as their television?

[@DubberRucks]

That was the impression this gave me lol

[@GAMERJEFFRO]

I said the same thing that you said in this review. I was super excited but man very lacking I was hyped to get that old THQ feel but again it’s not there like it was supposed to be. Very disappointed and the roster is mid and should have more names in it which I know they are going to add more later on in DLC but still some of the big names like the Acclaimed aren’t here along with Keith Lee or Swerve which they are all major AEW names so weird they left Codey in the main game and not make him DLC and don’t add the current roster names. I gave it a 7.5/10 and it’s more on the note or just hoping for more and wanting to love it but stick with WWE 2k23 if you want a true wrestling game tbh.

[@NapoleonicWarrior]

I got the AEW fight forever elite edition for the Switch and cannot launch the game. I thought we had 1 day early launch. Anyone has this issue?

[@mat.b.]

I hate when people excuse the graphics issues as "oh its arcade" or "oh its no mercy style". No. No Mercy and that generation were GOOD for their time, it's not an excuse to say thats why today things look off. And hell, a lot of characters in this game look great, so how does that wash with the ones who look bad? Some characters just look bad, its not some grand plan to do it. Fix em.

[@KokoTheGorilla69]

Exactly! People call No Mercy an “arcade wrestling game” when at the time it was considered a realistic depiction of what we saw in tv. No dumb mini games, no throwing exploding propane tanks at opponents, etc. This games animations and the way the wrestlers interact looks so sloppy

[@SportPhilosophies]

Spot on. Like AEW itself the whole thing is an attempted throwback to better times that turns out to be an ironic insult to the industry. No Mercy was simulation for its time, stop trying for nostalgia pops and smark fan service and create something of your own.

[@tge661]

I hate when people think graphics make a game good.

[@KokoTheGorilla69]

@@tge661 I hate when bald guys grow ridiculous beards to compensate

[@ManAlsume]

True. They’re doing constant updates and if they listen to fans on what they want, it will make it much better

[@germanburgos8844]

My heart is broken when you said you don’t watch the wwe 😢

[@retrorebound8887]

I watch clips on KZbin to keep up with the Bloodline, Cody Rhodes, and Dominik/Rey Mysterio, but I otherwise don't really care for their roster/stories.

[@ari-dynamicarchive]

This game feels like a microwaveable burrito that you pull out too early and realize that only some parts of it are warm, but the rest are still cold.

[@angelblue1527]

Does sound pretty bare, but I do want this game just to screw around. I wanna fill up all 100 slots with whatever demons I can make, make the most nonsensical arenas, and watch things explode. I just finished DEFJAM FFNY for the 20th time this year, more then any wrestling modern game, with all of them being different characters (Even made Eddie Kingston) I think I'm okay with this. I just hope later down we get DLC Like the rest of the AEW Roster, NJPW, Impact, ROH, Legacy Wrestlers, and maybe AAA. Great review, and thanks for your honesty

[@lockdown2341]

I know right? That's what it sounds like to me. I feel like people l, including Matty here, were expecting too much. It always just looked like a fun arcade style game to mess around with and that's what we got.

[@ApexNYC]

GREAT HONEST UNBIASED REVIEW👌

[@ThePhoenix24]

The game definitely reminds me a lot of Fire Pro especially with the barbed wire gameplay where it's cool to see the blood and explosion but it's not very fun after the second playthings when you realize half the fun of wrestling games is bouncing off the rope and springboard and rebound moves.

[@JM1993951]

No one went into this expecting great graphics. We all saw the models coming out and we were cool with that. That’s a strawman argument to dismiss genuine criticism. The problem is the lack of content for the price they’re asking. I like that you said there are better places to spend your time. $60 for this game is insane, but ultimately to most people with a job…$60 isn’t a huge deal. It’s the time. As a kid you have no money and all the time in the world. As you get older you understand that time is your real currency. I just dropped $200 on some NECA figures I found at Target. The money isn’t the main issue. If they want me to spend my TIME, I’m gonna need something to invest in and exhibition doesn’t cut it. My 2k19 Universe is still going strong (5 in-game years/3 real-life years) and I’m still heavily invested in that. I’m booking that shit whenever I have a few minutes of downtime. Thanks for the honest review. It’s not “hating” or “shilling for WWE”. It’s just not shilling for AEW. There is potential here but 90% of it is untapped.

[@LightLeo111]

Maybe bugs are an issue on console, I'm on PC and I've only ran into a couple animations issues. Nothing gaming breaking ether the issue just sort itself out a couple seconds. I think it feels solid to play. The grapple system for sure has "AKI DNA" in it, but I do think some deeper aspects of the game aren't explained good, but are present. While other areas need to be tweaked a bit and I believe they will based on the dev comments on their discord. If you're someone who is waiting I'd keep tabs on it, especially if you're into modding on PC, that scene will blow up based on what people have already been able to do on their Discord. Devs support it too and plan on giving the modders their own channel to discuss.

[@JAYREKLESS]

I'm not a huge AEW fan at all, but I was looking forward to this game as No Mercy was a staple for me growing up

[@cclizarkb]

It’s not like that at all

[@Jack91790]

The gameplay is there, but No Mercy's storymode and extras and match types were so much better.

[@cclizarkb]

@@Jack91790 the gameplay isn’t even in the same realm. No Mercy each character had about 10x the moves and the collision detection was on point. Literally the only similarity game play wise is that the spirit bar and using left and right bumpers.

[@blaze6477]

​@cclizarkb it's really annoying how a wrestler slightly touches a set table, the table falls down. So frustrating.

[@MR.__G]

@@blaze6477or seeing the weapons go transparent when they’re dropped… or how slow the refs count & then you see the wrestler still pinning after the 3 count lol… us gamers love little details. On those are 3 things they fumbled

[@FernandoGarcia-rl6gj]

I love AEW but yeah from the jump I already knew I was going to buy it when it was on sale lol worth 20$-30$

[@frank68x]

I'm a bit disappointed for having paid for the pre-order elite version... As you said "Not up to industry standard". I'm a huge AEW fan, and yeah...a bit disappointed. Hopefully there's a TON of content coming down the pipeline.

[@I_Am_DK_]

That really is heartbreaking that AEW Fight Forever isn't that great. Now that I know you're an AEW fan what did you think of the Kenny Omega and will Ospreay match? I thought it was a phenomenal match!

[@CtheDead209-zt8tj]

It sucked zero psychology finisher spam typical aew....

[@qKale]

Yea I plan on waiting for around 20$. With a lack of GM mode or universe type mode there's very little replay value to me. I don't have many friends to play wrestling games with so it's just not even close to being worth 60$ for me. Way too over priced

[@XavierGage]

Lack???? There isn't one at all and there isn't gonna be one.

[@soulsnack8971]

2:23 “Look Gary, there I am!” Also, you can see me struggling to get out of the ring with Jeff Hardy lmfao. This game was so bad.

[@polux178]

i want to know, do the wrestlers have their own stats? strenghts, speed etc.. stamina? and do they have damage to the body? legs? head? and all that

[@DetroitsReaper]

Have you played that retromania game

[@albertville310]

Completely empty arenas? So this game IS realistic.😅😅😅 thanks for the review. Guess I'm skipping it.

[@DubberRucks]

Is there a joke there about a game being so bad even the NPCs don't wanna show up in the audience? I know it's to replicate the show but still lol

[@lockdown2341]

Except AEW rings aren't empty so.. Yeah.

[@albertville310]

@@lockdown2341 Holy crap. Is this an actual response? "I mean" "so yeah" are the battle cry of petulant 6 year old kids. Dude go learn some grown up English. I mean....Yeah go learn.

[@LegacyDaKing]

I’ve been playing the game and gotta be honest I don’t like it. Weird control scheme and full of bugs/glitches.

[@LAMAR307]

Oh yea

[@markm9282]

Thanks for the honest review! I was on the fence about waiting for a sale...subbed 😃

[@russellcampbell3500]

Thank god finally a review that echoes the way i see the game also. Most honest reviews ir tjis waste of 76 bucks i ever spent on a game. This should be 35 bucks at most. It would be fun but i m so pissed about the price i cant even enjoy it now. So depressing i wanted this to be great.

[@lanagievski1540]

Ooft. This looks rough.

[@sameoldsameold9239]

Looks like a solid foundation, hope it's expanded/followed up on.

[@meanmug5258]

Thanks for bringing up Wrestlequest. I didn't know it was a thing but it looks awesome.

[@CurtisPutnam]

I'm most excited for the ranked online mode. The gameplay is fun but there just isnt a lot to keep you coming back at the moment. If the ranked online mode is a bust I cant imagine spending more than 5 hours on this.

[@KyleS.1987]

Would've been nice to have a real competitor to the 2K games, but the 2K games are actually good. It's not a Madden situation where the only game in town sucks. The 2K wrestling games, to their credit, bounced back strong after the disaster that was 2K20. I'm disappointed Fight Forever didn't turn out so hot, but all the same I'm happy to carry on playing 2K23. It's a really fun, fully-featured wrestling game with a solid career mode.

[@youngcity4241]

2k23 is really boring in my opinion

[@deademcee]

2k23 so solid. Its hard to compare them directly. But yea its like night and day 😅

[@gammasmash1924]

Same. I'm just fine with 2k23. I was looking forward to an updated version of No Mercy though. I have some fond memories of playing that game. I swore I read somewhere that career mode would have branching storylines based on wins and losses just like they had in No Mercy. I guess not. Yeah, this is disappointing. Back to 2k23. This dude just saved me 60 bucks.

[@Zergrush66]

@@deademceehow is it solid? It’s had so many bugs and issues. Many that won’t be fixed because they’re already working on 2k24. But you guys will continue to support mediocrity. This gameplay is more fun than 2k games in my opinion and it has half the options.

[@tge661]

2K is mid😂

[@Animedogfingamer]

This was obvious from released footage but some fans were trying to force it to be the best game ever even calling it better than Here Comes the Pain and No Mercy. I get wanting to have an alternative to 2K but this game is a barebones live service game, it’s never going to be as good as it COULD be until all its content gets in the game. Don’t know why people would even joke about thinking of it as a 8-10/10 so early on

[@giorhivers1672]

Thank you for the honest review i was looking for. i will def wait until it's on sale

[@raymondbriseno8636]

Glad I thought to look up a review, I been wanting to buy this guess I'll keep waiting for the price to drop

[@truthseeker1867]

Wait until its free

[@DrHiplop1]

this is really sad to see :( great review though