On January 1, 2019, ?the professional wrestling world was shaken up with the introduction of a new promotion: All Elite Wrestling. The company, spearheaded by Tony Khan, promised audiences an alternative to the longstanding WWE, with top-notch production, a stacked talent roster, engaging storylines, and, of cou??rse, world-class in-ring competition.

Of course, along with? all of this, plans were ??in place for AEW to merchandise itself. First came a litany of t-shirts, followed by a partnership with Jazwares to produce AEW action figures, and, at long last, a video game.

AEW: Fight Forever, from developer Yukes and publisher THQ Nordic, was announced in 2020, promising gamers an experience similar to beloved titles like 2000's WWF No Mercy. The game eventually made it to store shelves on June 29, 2023, but did it manage to live up to such a hig?h standard?

Upon release, Fight Forever proved a mixed bag. It earned praise for its fast-paced, fun-focused style, which was a welcomed contrast to WWE's slower, simulation-based 2K games. Fans also loved its strong roster and unique match types. Still, Fight Forever left a lot to be desired. Character customization ?is limited, and the story mode, Road to Elite, lacks depth. The graphics (chiefly wrestler likenesses) are h??it-or-miss and, like seemingly every new game these days, there were some gameplay bugs in need of patches. Overall, though, it seemed a solid first outing for AEW in the gaming realm.

With the one-year anniversary of the release of Fight Forever right around ??the corner, one has to ask, is the game still worth playing all this time later? ??Here's the breakdown.

Fight Forever still has a lot to offer one year in

As a whole, there's still a lot to love about Fight Forever, especially if you're looking for a fun wrestling game to play with friends. Though the combat is simple, it's easy to pick up and makes for an enjoyable in-match experience. The match types present are all solid, with unique ones like the Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmat?ch making Fight Forever a must-play.

Thankfully, through the power of patches, most of the big issues plaguing the game around launch time have since been taken care of. Throughout its year in existence, Fight Forever has been greatly enhanced through post-launch content, too. First and foremost is the Stadium Stampede mode, where up to 30 players can wreak havoc in a massive arena in a battle royale-style experience. Other mini-game?s and the fighting game-esque Beat the Elite mode have also added replay value.

Then there are all of the roster additions that make the game feel a bit more current, as much of the base roster feels stuck in the 2020-2022 timeframe. Popular names like Sam??oa Joe, FTR, Swerve Strickland, Toni Storm, and Adam Copeland have joined?? the game, as have a host of others through paid DLC. New skins, arenas, customization options, and more have also come along.

Though it's unfortunate that it had to come through paid DLC, Fight Forever has become a more well-rounded, replayable package in its first year. There are more game modes and wrestlers to try out than at launch, assuming you want to pay for them, and patches have enhanced the overall quality of each playthrough. A year in, Fight Forever is more than worth picking up and playi??ng, but it still has room?? to improve.

How Fight Forever can improve in year two and beyond

Despite all this, Fight Forever isn't perfect. The Road to Elite story mode is still a short, shallow affair, and the online player base has dropped significantly, especially on Steam, so online play is a challenge for most players. This makes it particularly difficult to enjoy Stadium Stampede, as without players?? around to fill out those lobbies, wait times skyrocket, assuming you can find a game at all.

Of course, with AEW constantly making new talent acquisitions there are some major names still missing from the roster, including Will Ospreay and Mercedes Moné. Preexisting Fight Forever characters like Toni Storm and the Yo?ung Bucks could also use new looks to match their current on-screen gimmicks.

So, with all of that said, what should the folks behind Fight Forever focus on in the game's second year and beyond? Adding onto Road to Elite in some way, or adding another story mode through DLC, would be a major plus. The same could be said for keepi??ng up with the roster additions to keep th??e game feeling as fresh and current as possible.

Sadly, the developer cannot do much about? the diminished onl??ine player counts aside from trying to entice players to pick up the game again. However, adding bots to Stadium Stampede to fill out lobbies could be smart, if for no other reason than to keep the mode playable for those who want it.

At the end of the day, Fight Forever still has a lot to offer gamers a year after its release. It has improved in more ways than one, amounting to one of the most fun modern wrestling games on the market. If you haven't played it in a while or haven't yet given it a shot, if you're a wrestling fan, you owe it to yourself to get in on it. At the same time, there's still plenty the minds behind it can improve upon. Should they do so, Fight Forever can and will go from great to truly elite.

The post One year lat?er, is AEW: F?ight Forever still worth playing? appeared first on Destructoid.

A new wrestling game enters the ring very soon

The All Elite Wrestling fighting game AEW: Fight Forever has set a date for its debut in th??e ring. The new wrestling competitor will arrive on June 29, 2023.

In a video today featuring AEW wrestler and video game fan Kenny Omega, the release date in June is locked in for PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch. THQ Nordic is partnering with All Elite Wrestling for publishing, while former WWE 2K developer Yuke's is developing the new title.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JEyDX8vvlw

The release and readiness of AEW: Fight Forever has been up in the air for some time. Since it was first revealed, the project has gone through some bumps. We've seen some hints of it and its minigames over the years, but now it looks to be arrivi?ng, and pretty soon at tha??t.

As for features, AEW: Fight Forever is boasting a fair number of modes, as well as the customization options you usually like to see in a wrestling game. Attire, appearance, move sets, entrances, teams, and arenas are all part of the customization. Add in the AEW roster and online play, and? it's looking like it could put up some competit??on.

A new fighter enters the ring

Competition is what wrestling fans are hoping for, I think. The WWE 2K series has had some serious ups-and-downs lately, and even when it's somewhat stabilized out, I still see some reminiscing about the old days of No Mercy.

There seems to be a hope for rekindling some of that older-school arcade magic here??, and for those who want that, I hope they get it. Either way, I'm interested to see how a new wrestling entry is received, and if it can shake up the wrestling genre.

AEW: Fight Forever head?s to PC, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch on June 29, 2023.

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The Greatest Trailer in The History of Our Sport

During its THQ Nordic Digital Showcase 2022 presentation, the publisher dropped a new trailer for its upcoming pro-wrestling title AEW: Fight Forever, which is cur?rently in developmen?t at studio Yuke's.

The trailer, which contains far more "skit" than it does "gameplay" sees veteran announcer Tony Schiavone settle on the couch with the inimitable Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D, (I hope y'all did the little hand gesture), as the duo (pretend to) battle it out in All Elite Wrestling's console debut. We don't really get to see much of the game in action, frankly, ??but we do see Baker apply the lockjaw to her beau Adam Cole before laying in a beating with a selection of weapons, including bins and fire extinguishers. Spirit of '99.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rdrmi13XI0

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the trailer, however, is the reveal of a selection of AEW-themed "mini-games" which see a bevy of AEW wrestlers bagging a torrent of casino chips, partaking in some kind of bizarre human batting cage, and indulging in what appears to be some rhythm-action calisthenics. Schiavone, everyone's favorite earring dad, looks almost as bewildered b??y the chaotic action as he did that one time in 1995 when The Yet-ay and The Giant pulled a train on Hogan.

While I won't deny that the reveal of a selection of Mario Party-style mini-games is most definitely a fun and surprising addition to AEW: Fight Forever, I'm only really left with one question for the development team: Can you deliver a rock-solid wrestling game? That's all anyone honestly wants at this point. That's what the market has been craving, and that's what AEW fans are hoping will be delivered in Fight Forever. And with rumors that the project i??s already way over budget, these added extras are welcome, but in-ring is hopefully key focus here, as it?? is absolutely where the game will live or die.

AEW: Fight Forever is currently scheduled to release on PlayStation, PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch platforms. There is still no word of an official launch date outside of its tentative release window o??f 2022.

The post AEW: Fight Forever trailer showcases mini-games and Tony Schiavone’s deck shoes appeared first on Destructoid.

Check it out before TK has a trademark change of heart

Yukes, THQ, and All Elite Wrestling (AEW) have "officially announced" the company's first-ever foray into the video game world, AEW: Fight Forever. While the existence of the game was no secret, the teams put out today's statement after multiple retailers �including Amazon UK and Xtralife �rev?ealed several features, modes, roster members, and the cover art to the debutante wrestling title.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNI16NzyV1Y

According to the retailer listings and the official statement, the digital ring-rocker will feature newly optimized tag mechanics, support for online Vs/co-op multiplayer, as well as a huge arsenal of over 40 weapons, daily in-game challenges, and much more. A selection of feat?ured match types includes standard one-on-one, multi-wrestler, and tag-team showdowns, Ladder matches, Unsanctioned Lights Out brawls, Explodin??g Barb Wire Death Matches, and, an AEW trademark, the Casino Battle Royale.

A selection of new screenshots, (alongside what is hopefully placeholder artwork for the final release), features known roster members Kenny Omega, Nyla Rose, Kris Statlander, and Chris Jericho depicted alongside as?-yet-unannounced AEW stars such as Dr. Britt Baker, Jon Moxley, Yuka Sakazaki, Darby Allin, Abadon, Thunder Rosa,?? and the current AEW TBS Champion, Jade Cargill. Referee Aubrey Edwards is also present, presiding over the in-ring action.

"One of the first things I did after signing with AEW was to ask [AEW promoter] Tony Khan to let me help assemble the best gaming team on the planet, to make the best wrestling game ever," said Omega, EVP of AEW. "Well, we just landed the perfect finisher by partnering with global publishing and distribution powerhouse THQ Nordic for AEW: Fight Forever. The THQ brand has long been synonymous with wrestling games �there is simply no more qualified partner to bring AEW: Fight Forever to the ?millions of wrestling fans the world over."

The road to release has been something of a rocky one for AEW: Fight Forever. Originally announced back in November 2020, the drip-feed of information and in-game footage has been relatively slow �with even these retail listings offering up far more information on the title than anything that has been officially released by the promotion itself. There have also been online whispers that Fight Forever is having a difficult development cycle, with stories of creative differences between the developers and wrestlers involved, as well as unconfirmed rumo?rs that the project has al?ready gone way over budget.

AEW: Fight Forever, deep in development at veteran wrestling game studio Yukes, is currently scheduled to release on PlayStation, PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch platforms. There is st?ill no word of an official ??launch date outside of its tentative release window of 2022.

The post AEW: Fight?? Forever features officially a??nnounced following store leaks appeared first on Destructoid.

You Know What That Means

Publisher AEW Games has dropped some new development footage for its upcoming All Elite Wrestling video game, which has been officially titled AEW Fight Forever. The new? ring rocker is currently in development at Yuke's, though platforms and a release window are yet to be confirmed.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwO6CsnS0SI

The two new videos focus on AEW wrestlers Nyla Rose and K??ris Statlander, (not forgetting referee Aubrey Edwards) as the two warriors battle it out in squared-circle action. While the footage obviously reflects a title still in its developmental stages, and is thus is a little janky, Yuke's recognizable wrasslin' game style peeks through.

From the chunkier, "action-figure" look of the character models to the exaggerated, thunderous impact created by the moves themselves, AEW Fight Forever wants to recall the glory days of Yuke's earlier work, such as the Toukon Retsuden series, and the formative releases in the WWE SmackDown! line. While AEW Fight Forever isn't quite Shut Your Mouth just yet, this early footage shows promise.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=egU5k2_lYbo

There is a lot riding on AEW Fight Forever, at least in the hopes of wrestling game fans. A lot of players have found themselves severely disfranchised with pro-wrestling games for many years, as 2K Games' WWE 2K moved from stagnation to abomination. While the excellent Fire Pro Wrestling World can be held up as a shining light in regards to a dedicated sandbox wrestling game, some players are still looking for that semi-casual, fun, party feel of classics such as WWF No Mercy and WWE Here ?Comes the Pain �/em> both of which push two decades old.