10 Ups & 4 Downs For AEW: Fight Forever - REVIEW

8. The Audio Is Spectacular

Every audio element of AEW: Fight Forever is such a genuine joy to behold.

Many may have questioned the game's graphics ahead of release - and some will still question certain wrestler models upon release - but the audio is one of the true standout parts of Fight Forever.

When the game initially boots up, you get the AEW Dynamite theme while the initial title screen loads up, and then you're greeted by a slew of AEW entrance tunes and custom tracks as you navigate through the menus.

There's an extremely extensive jukebox of tracks on offer to accompany your gaming experience, with this jukebox also giving you the option to remove certain songs from circulation. In total, there are - if your writer's counting skills hold up - 222 songs to play with here, including some grin-inducing 8-bit renditions of AEW's biggest hits.

Interestingly, some of these songs are for wrestlers who aren't in the game, with Maki Itoh, the Acclaimed, the Gunns, and FTR amongst those absent from the game but having their theme tunes included. Of course, we already know that Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler are on the way as part of a DLC pack, and maybe this is an indicator that Maki, the Acclaimed, and the Gunns are other names who will follow suit down the line.

One particularly noteworthy point, is that AEW: Fight Forever doesn't actually have commentary for its matches. Instead, like Fire Pro Wrestling or certain games of yesteryear, we have a soundtrack which plays over the in-ring action. Said soundtrack consists of the songs on your jukebox playlist, but can be kept at a not-too-distracting volume.

It was a little jarring upon realising there was no commentary team in place on Fight Forever, simply because a commentary track has long been commonplace on so many wrestling games. Still, it's something that doesn't take too long to get accustomed to. That's not to say that the AEW commentary crew are completely absent, for you will get a quick line of dialogue from, say, Jim Ross or Excalibur prior to, or after, a match.

On an audio level, the hands-down most impressive part of Fight Forever is in and around the ring during any bout. The crowd really comes into their own during matches, chanting along for each wrestler at times that feel utterly naturally. As for the wrestlers themselves, the grunts, struggles and impact of attacks are brilliantly done, and the crunch of big moves makes those manoeuvres feel bone-crunchingly brutal - with the audio of Kenny Omega's V-Trigger a particular highlight.