Much like the product on television,AEW Fight Foreveroffers wrestling fans an alternative game that’s fun for different reasons. Both titles present rosters full of upcoming stars and legends. Players can have dream matches and brawls in and out of the ring. However, just like TV shows and PPVs, it’s impossible not to compare wrestling games from the two biggest promotions outside Japan.
Despite the visual differences,AEW Fight ForeverandWWE 2K23are comparable. Players can pick up and learn the mechanics and have great competitive matches. Both wrestling titles use and borrow elements from some of the best wrestling games ever made, fromWWF No MercytoWWE Smackdown: Here Comes The Pain.Let’s examine how both games compare to see who comes out on top.
11Accessibility Settings: WWE 2K23
When it comes to accessibility settings that cater to players from all walks of life,WWE 2K23is the clear winner. In a time when most developers are going out of their way to make games for everyone,AEWneeds to offer features for players that may otherwise struggle with the controls.
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Take the pinning and submission system as an example. It feels impossible for most gamers to kick out after a finisher inAEW Fight Forever,and short of destroying multiple gaming pads, it’s too hard to escape, almost negating the point of a momentum bar. The pinning system inAEW Fight Foreveris terrible because it doesn’t work.
Any players struggling with conditions that limit the mobility of their hands or movements won’t have a good time withFight Forever’s system. By comparison, wrestling fans can choose between twopinning systems inWWE 2K23and alter every aspect of the system with sliders to suit their needs.
10Pick Up And Play: AEW Fight Forever
WhereAEW Fight Forevercompares with the classic AKI wrestling games is that it’s easy to pick up and have fun with.The controls aren’t needlessly complicated. The signature and finishing moves are more straightforward than inWWE 2K23.
The beauty ofAEW’sgameplay system is that even gamers who aren’t wrestling fans can jump in without constantly pausing the game to check on the moves list. Better still,Fight Forevermanages to pull this off without falling into arcade fighting game territories, as there are tons of moves and depth.
9Gameplay Depth: Draw
As mentioned above,AEW Fight Foreveris too deep to be called an arcade wrestler. Yukes (the developers behindAEW Fight Forever) have found a balance between the two. Anyone can pick up and play, but skilled players can have back-and-forth matches. This is thanks to the momentum bar and reversal system. Players have multiple opportunities to counter moves, fight back, and regain the flow of a contest inAEW Fight Forever. However, the longevity of matches doesn’t compare toWWE 2K23.They can be cut short by the weak pinning system and lack of gameplay options. These drawbacks can be fixed in patches and updates to address balancing issues like inWWE 2K23.
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WWE 2K23is more complicated but offers more moves, attacks, grapples, and submissions. It’s also easier to use reversals and counters, as players have more opportunities to mount a comeback.AEW Fight Foreverhas fast and smooth transitions, andincludes chain wrestling. Chain wrestling is a grappling mechanic that fans wanted back sinceWWE 2K19.TheWWE 2Kseries has trimmed away a lot of popular features, butAEW Fight Foreverhas brought them back. BothWWE 2K23andAEW Fight Foreverhave great features as well as drawbacks. It would be great to see some middle ground between titles, but ultimately it comes down to personal preference.
8Gimmick Matches: Draw
Gimmick matches are Ladder, Battle Royales, Back Stage Brawls, Falls Count Anywhere, and more. These matches are featured in bothWWE 2K23andAEW Fight Forever,and offer players something different outside of wrestling matches with strict rulesets.WWE 2K23has more gimmick matches, and players can even create their own, like a Survivor Series match. However, some are frustrating. The Ladder Match and Royal Rumbles are spoiled by the annoying minigames. Otherwise, they have lots of fun things to do, like creating ladder bridges, running up ramped ladders for high-risk attacks, and more.
AEW Fight Foreverdoesn’t have the versatility or the number of matches inWWE 2K23,but they are always fun.Ladder Matchesare accessibly chaotic and easy to accomplish with a small button-mashing minigame. The biggest win forAEW Fight Foreveris the Exploding Barbed Wire Death Matches. These are better than all the hardcore and extreme match types inWWE 2K23.Unfortunately,AEW Fight Foreverlacks enough matches of this kind. Otherwise, this entry would be a win for them, but the variety offered inWWE 2K23makes it a draw.
7Tag Team Matches: AEW Fight Forever
Tag Team matches in theWWE 2Kseries have always been one of its weakest aspects, especially compared to the AKI wrestling games on the N64. Double-team moves are awkward, clunky, and too limited in how and when players can use them. Thankfully,AEW Fight Foreveradopted the AKI mechanics of two wrestlers being able to hit double-team moves and finishers without fuss.
As a result, it’s easier to hittag team finishers, multiple tandem moves and matches with teams. 3-way and 4-way matches can descend into chaotic hilarity during multiplayer contests. Most team moves are executed when both members use the grapple button. There are also more secret moves and finishers to discover, adding to its depth.
6Presentation: WWE 2K23
With its incredible visuals, animation, sound, and commentary, there is no contest thatWWE 2K23is the clear winner here. The authentic feel and look of a WWE match are captured so well inWWE 2K23. Wrestlers look and perform moves like their real-life counterparts.
AEW Fight Foreverhas brief entrances that get the job done, but nothing compares to seeing Undertaker’s theatrical walkouts. There is no commentary inAEW’sgame, but considering how long it took theWWE 2Kseries to become acceptable, fans can look past that. The AEW wrestlers have unique taunts, but the animations feel the same between all the wrestlers. Admittedly, theAEW Fight Forever’sjukebox and music are more varied thanWWE 2K23,where most fans revert to switching off most of the licensed tracks in favor of the entrance music.
5Multiplayer: AEW Fight Forever
Thanks to the pick-up-and-play nature ofAEW Fight Forever,local co-op and matches against each other are a lot of fun. Even players that don’t care for wrestling in general will find a lot of fun inAEW Fight Forever’s matches.
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There’s a silliness to the hardcore matches that will have players laughing out loud at the results of the barbed wire matches and the 4-way matches. Moreover, there are tons of weapons to use inAEW Fight Forever,and the blood effects make these matches even wilder with multiple players. Fans of the street fighting/wrestling combat intheDef Jamserieswill get a kick out ofFight Forever’smechanics.
4Match Selection: WWE 2K23
The biggest drawback ofAEW Fight Foreveris the lack of features and match types. The matches are fun and easy to get into, but there’s no way to edit a match’s rules likeWWE 2K23players can. There are no tornado tag teams or 8-man tags, and players can’t even create elimination Survivor Series matches or Iron Matches.
Considering how many gimmick and 10-man matches occur inAEW,it seems like a missed opportunity to have a lack of Iron Man Matches, Dog Collar matches, to massive tag team bouts. Furthermore,WWE 2K23has the Hell in a Cell match, which is fun in multiplayer and single-player.
3Brutality & Impact: AEW Fight Forever
Fans ofWWE Smackdown: Here Comes the Painwill remember how impactful and brutal every big move and finisher felt. It was a satisfying experience that added the fun and easy-to-pick-up gameplay mechanics.AEW Fight Foreveris similar, because even the smaller moves feel and look good when they hit.
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Furthermore, slamming opponents through barricades and the environment is easy to pull off and satisfying. The blood effects inAEW Fight Foreverare leagues ahead ofWWE 2K23,with blood staining the wrestling mat and cuts appearing on wrestlers' bodies in barbed wire matches.
2Character Creations: WWE 2K23
WWE 2K23has some of the best character-creation tools in gaming, let alone wrestling games. Unfortunately,AEW Fight Forevercan’t compete, but it’s the first game in a series. The character creation community for theWWE 2Kseries is dedicated and keeps players returning until the sequels hit the shelves.
Thanks to the tools available, creativeWWE 2Kcommunity members have made realistic versions of AEW stars like MJF and Kenny Omega, who ironically look better than the character models inAEW Fight Forever.That said,Fight Foreverstill has some good tools available. Creating a finisher list and move sets is in-depth and offers players flexibility with custom characters and the official roster.
