AEW Fight Forever: A second look one month later
Match types and mini-games
The second criticism was that the game paled in comparison to WWE 2K23 in terms of content. Match types were limited. There is no cage match, six man tag, first blood, or tornado tag. Wrestlers can have managers at the ring-side in story mode, but not in regular matches. At least, the next major update promises a fun 30-player arena weapon fight.
From a 1 vs CPU perspective it is still fun to pick your favorite wrestler and knock around the AI with weapons. The computer can put up quite a challenge. I can even see YouTube influencers playing out fantasy matches with the game engine. The online multiplayer is all but dead on Nintendo Switch. I am lucky that I found one match with a human.
Ladder matches are one of my favorite modes in the game. There is something simple and non-frustrating about climbing the ladder and loosening the prize from the hook. When the wrestlers get knocked out of the ring they go into dizzy mode and there is nothing you can do (not even smash buttons). The mode feels a lot better if the AI is dumb.
Mini-games have left a bad taste in my mouth. Playing against the CPU is the worst use of your time because of how ruthless it is. Besides, there is no replay power in trying to find a picture of Orange Cassidy with a magnifying glass, trying to make Penta dance to a rhythm, answering trivia questions, or trying to figure out the broken physics of Shida baseball. When you first boot up the game you are given three mini-games. At first I was bummed that I couldn’t unlock all thirty of them. Now that I have tried some of them, I can safely say unlocking the mini-games might be the least rewarding part of AEW Fight Forever (at least if you are playing them alone). The mini-games at www.coolmathgames.com would be a step up.
The odd editor
I was very harsh on the wrestling editor when I first played and that feeling is still unchanged. I will admit that I was wrong about a few things I said back in my review. I said there was no way to speed through the alphabet options for naming your character. There is a way but the game does not mention it you have to figure it out on your own. I mentioned that the game is devoid of wrestling shirts in the ring for men and women. There are wrestling shirts and jackets for men and women, but you have to find them in the entrance attire. I am glad it is not as bad as I thought, but the game makes these things needlessly difficult.
The process to make a wrestler is simple once you are able to look past the odd hurdles in your way. Your wrestler MUST have a last name or they will be called Wrestler, the game has only six faces to choose from, and putting on facial and body scars is more important then editing a nose or a mouth. If you can look past that bizarreness you will find the editor to be blazing fast and easy to go through.
The main draw for wrestling games is for influencers to make fantasy rings and wrestlers to pretend they are running their own show. Anyone looking for that in AEW Fight Forever should stick with WWE 2K23.