AEW Fight Forever is a lot of things: nostalgic, rough around the edges, and a little off-kilter. The same could be said of the real-life wrestling promotion, AEW. The game is a perfect representation of all the things that the promotion stands for and delivers an experience that is wholly distinct from the WWE 2K franchise. This was expected as AEW and THQ Nordic brought on Yuke's to develop the game. With Yuke's being the single-most supreme authority on wrestling titles. with their catalogue extending from the late 90s with hits such as New Japan Pro-Wrestling: Toukon Retsuden to stone-cold classics like WWF Smackdown 2! Know Your Role, Here Comes the Pain and arguably the GOAT - WWF No Mercy. 

With Yuke's at the helm, fans were assured that AEW Fight Forever is going to be a throwback in all the right ways. The promotional material for the game seemed to confirm as much and the game is easily one of my personal most anticipated titles of the year. With nearly 20 hours into the game, I can confirm that AEW Fight Forever is boatloads of fun - combining my favourite aspects from the older WWF titles with the signature wacky AEW offerings such as the brutal Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch. The gameplay paired with the fantastic AEW roster and signature match types is enough to set the game apart from its peers and offer an alternative to the relatively sanitized affair by 2K and WWE. 

Yuke's does a great job at carrying forward the AEW ethos, with a game that isn't quite satisfied with following a "paint-by-numbers" style. The result is a fun wrestling game that takes cues from Japanese titles more than it does the standard simulation-style games of 2K. Despite all of this, AEW Fight Forever feels like a game that is only a starting point for the developers to build on. While there is a decent enough foundation, there simply isn't a lot of variety or content in the game. 

While AEW Fight Forever is a decent enough time in single-player for an hour or so at a time, everything about the game caters to a couch co-op or multiplayer experience. 

AEW Fight Forever; You're Probably Only Going to be Fighting for About 5 Hours

Gameplay, Roster, and Match Types

For those familiar with the older wrestling titles like Smackdown 2! Know Your Role and Here Comes the Pain, you're going to feel right at home. The characters control almost identically to the older titles, which is going to be a massive shift for newer wrestling game fans. The 2K generation will find some of these controls deeply awkward. For instance, gone is the "R2 to Sprint" as the Sprint is now mapped to a single button press, "Circle" on PlayStation. This removes a certain level of freedom from the movement but doesn't really impede the proceedings in a big way.

The game does a decent job at tutorializing the player to its mechanics, but there are still a ton of gaps in the player's knowledge left even after the brief tutorial. For instance, despite having dropped 15+ hours in the game, I wasn't sure of how the Reversal mechanic worked or why Kenny Omega just kicked out 4 Judas Elbows in a row. While the core gameplay seems ridiculous enough to be fun, it also has a severe case of being shallow. While the 2K games have received a ton of flak over the years for stripping away all the fun of wrestling games, they remain deeply functional and offer players a rather rewarding single-player experience.

Ultimately, AEW Fight Forever seems to me a pretty decent party game for wrestling fans, but even then, the shallow roster doesn't quite make up for the cursory nature of the game's match types and systems.

While AEW Fight Forever is a decent enough time in single-player for an hour or so at a time, everything about the game caters to a couch co-op or multiplayer experience. The game is designed with a strong focus on making it the most fun party, couch co-op wrestling game currently. To that end, AEW Fight Forever is a solid party game that can offer endless hours of pro wrestling fun. This is compounded by the inclusion of mini-games. While there are not many of them, and neither of them is particularly fun - it is still a pretty novel concept that Yuke's could further develop. 

AEW Fight Forever never stops being over-the-top unhinged but there comes a time when players will realize that the game only has so much to offer. My complaints with the game stem from its tendency to throw everything at the player from the moment they get in and then blow the proverbial wad in the next 10 minutes. The game simply does not have much to offer in terms of depth. The match types here are fairly standard, except for the Explosive Barbed Wire Deathmatch, that match truly is pretty non-standard. Despite it being fairly graphic and wholly unhinged, the match type suffers from the same issue as the rest of the game - it is painfully shallow. Apart from whipping the opponent into the eponymous barbed wire every once in a while, the match really isn't much to write home about.

Ultimately, AEW Fight Forever seems to me a pretty decent party game for wrestling fans, but even then, the shallow roster doesn't quite make up for the cursory nature of the game's match types and systems. The roster here is surprisingly small despite the absolutely stacked roster that the wrestling promotion boasts of. This is most likely down to the fact that AEW Fight Forever simply isn't competing with WWE 2K in terms of either budget or production value. Despite the significantly smaller budget, Yuke's and THQ Nordic have developed a pretty fun title that they could build on, title after title. Ultimately, the game falls apart in single-player mode and the "Road to Elite" mode doesn't even begin to cover the players' need for a compelling single-player experience. 

Presentation and Performance

While I never expected AEW Fight Forever to even begin to compete with the WWE 2K games in terms of production value, I was massively surprised to see that I quite prefer Yuke's approach to art style in wrestling games. While 2K might opt for high-fidelity and a wax model look to their characters, AEW Fight Forever chooses to go a slightly more artistic route. Sure, the wrestlers have received flattering animated upgrades, except for Chris Jericho, the Ayatollah has been done extremely dirty. The game ditches any attempt to strive for realism or even fidelity, but somehow, the lighting mixed with the art style creates a much more visually compelling experience.

While that art style was something I could get behind, the lack of any meaningful entrance for each individual wrestler really left a bad taste in my mouth. For pro-wrestling fans, there is possibly nothing quite as important as a good entrance - it receives usually the biggest pops of the night and makes for some truly dramatic spectacle. AEW Fight Forever restricts player entrances to a small 10-second cutscene that has the wrestler come out to their music and pose to the crowd. While it is understandable this was probably down to the budget - it still leaves the pro wrestling nerd in me wanting. 

While there isn't really a "wow" factor to any of the game's proceedings, it also does not falter in any particularly important area of its performance. The game maintains a steady 60 FPS framerate on the PS5 and in my 20 hours in the game, I did not experience any bugs or glitches that could get in the way. This is incredibly impressive for a game on such a budget and given that the developers probably have plans for DLC - this is a good foundation to build on.

AEW Fight Forever: For Marks and Smarks Alike

AEW Fight Forever might be a little rough around the edges and shallow, but its sheer level of earnest commitment to originality and ridiculousness wins you over most of the time. I would recommend the game to anyone who was into wrestling at any given point. The lapsed WWE fans will find some comfort in the fact that this is a game that hearkens back to what I consider to be the Golden Age of wrestling games, taking cues from games such as WWF No Mercy and Here Comes the Pain. While the game doesn't really reach the same heights as those classics, it still makes enough of an impression to perhaps kickstart a new franchise that could rival WWE 2K one day.

AEW Fight Forever is a pretty decent couch multiplayer game and doesn't take itself too seriously and its all the better for it. It is the perfect alternative to the otherwise bland and sanitized offering from WWE 2K. While I wouldn't say the game should be a Day 1 purchase for any wrestling fan, it is still a pretty fun title that could be a great purchase while on sale. 

Review copy provided by THQ Nordic and reviewed on a PlayStation 5. 

The explosive game by Pocketpair, Palworld became an instant hit after its launch on January 19, 2024. The game has garnered millions of downloads and became an instant hit and pop culture mainstay. Now, the developers are getting ready to launch the game on iOS and the game is currently marked in the coming soon section and will be available to play soon. This could be an immensely successful move as reports and data suggest that the mobile gaming audience is significantly more vast than PC and Console combined. Palworld could be primed for another major wave of momentum should the iOS release and a probable Android release goes according to plan. 

Also Read: Palworld Platforms: What Platforms Is The Game Available On?

Palworld iOS Confirmed, What Can We Expect?

Palworld will soon be playable on iOS devices but there is no confirmation about when the game will be available for Android phones. Palworld was found in the "Coming Soon" section of the App Store with the Palworld iOS expected release date as February 4, 2024. In a now-deleted Reddit post, a user mentioned that the game is now available for pre-order and will be available in the store soon. The price of the game for iOS is also now sure.

Palworld is an open-world survival game that has over 100 Pals in the game that players can tame and capture. To capture the Pals, players will have to fight them against their own Pals, which are hopefully at a much higher level and will be able to defeat the wanted Pal. From that moment on, players must strategically throw the Pal Sphere to capture the Pal.  As soon as the game garnered millions of downloads, Pokemon Company released a statement that they will be investigating a game that has assets similar to their game, but didn't name the game, but fans were quick to figure out which game they were referring to. 

For now, the game is available on Steam and Xbox for $29.99. Players interested in playing the game can download it from either of the platforms or wait until Palworld comes for iOS devices.

All employees of Annapurna Interactive have resigned from the company following a leadership shuffle last week. Publisher heads Nathan Gary, Deborah Mars, and Nathan Vella were not the only ones to leave their chairs; the entire staff team also followed suit.

According to Bloomberg’s report on the matter, the staff resignation followed a dispute with the company owner. Annapurna Interactive president Nathan Gary was engaged in a negotiation with Larry Ellison's daughter, which ended unsatisfyingly for the company.

Also Read: PS5 Pro Announced: Launch Date, Price, Specs, Games, And More

All of Annapurna Interactive Staff Resign Following Failed Negotiation 

Annapurna Interactive president, Nathan Gary aimed to stick to a deal of making the video game division an independent entity. However, Ellison pulled out of the negotiation, which led to not only the heads resigning, but the entire staff team from Annapurna. Gary and the management team from the company added in one of their statements:

“All 25 members of the Annapurna Interactive team collectively resigned”

Despite being a relatively small video game studio, Annapurna Interactive has given the industry some of the most memorable titles in recent years. Some of their most notable works include games like, Stray, Outer Wilds, What Remains of Edith Flinch, and Ashen.Gary also added more to his statement following the resignation, stating:

“This was one of the hardest decisions we have ever had to make and we did not take this action lightly.”

Another spokesperson from Annapurna Interactive also confirmed that the two negotiating parties initially worked on a spin-off division for the company, however, they failed to reach an agreement confirming its initiation. This news has been a bit chaotic for the developers involved with Annapurna, as they are unsure what the future is for the upcoming projects. Annapurna was responsible for various involvement in games, including services like quality assurance, local market distribution, and marketing.

With the recent news of the studio resigning, there has been no word from the management team regarding the projects. That said, Ellison has told Bloomberg that their primary goal is to assist the team with their transition and support them till it's complete. The new president of the company, Hector Sanchez has mentioned that despite the dissolution, the company will honour its “existing contracts”. This is good news for the studios involved with Annapurna, as they can continue working on their future projects. 

According to the new ESRB ratings, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is officially coming to PS5 and PC. Gamers can enjoy Aloy's journey again, with unlocked frame rates and next-gen visuals. Sony Interactive Entertainment will launch Horizon Zero Remastered soon on the current-gen Sony console and Microsoft Windows, however, the release date for the Remastered edition has not been confirmed yet by the publishers. Horizon Zero Dawn is easily one of the most popular Sony Studios games, launched as an exclusive to the PlayStation 4 in 2017. The title merged open-world gameplay with many unique elements, in a sci-fi setting.

Also read: PS5 Pro Announced: Launch Date, Price, Specs, Games, And More

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered Set to Come for PS5 and PC

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered holds the potential to display the power of current-generation hardware to the fullest, especially with the announcement of the PlayStation 5 Pro last week. The original Horizon Zero Dawn from 2017 still holds up as a visually appealing title among other gems in the industry. The title was used to showcase the full power of the PS4, PS4 Slim, and PS4 Pro, where the title successfully maintained excellent framerates on all consoles.

With the Remastered version announced, gamers can once again experience the breathtaking environments and gameplay, on current-gen specifications. Moreover, PC gamers will likely receive extra options, such as Frame Generation technologies, DLSS, and AMD FSR.

Gamers can expect an official announcement from Sony, with more details regarding the Remastered version of Horizon Zero Dawn, which will also include a system requirements list for PC users. Much like most of the recent titles, HZD's Remastered version might also come with a demanding requirement list for pushing the new technologies and upgraded visuals. Horizon Zero Dawn delivers a wonderful experience where one gets to fill the shoes of a master huntress Aloy in a post-apocalyptic environment. We have yet to see what the Remastered version brings.

Activision Blizzard has confirmed that Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Open Beta was the biggest in the franchise's history through an official X post. The Black Ops 6 Open Beta ended with a massive positive response from gamers, as it showcased various new additions coming to the franchise, including the new movement and human shield features, which were used by players during the beta session.

According to the X post by Activision Blizzard, the Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Open Beta was on top in terms of total players compared to all the past Beta Sessions, alongside maintaining the same ranking in total hours played, playtime per player, and most matches played.

Also read: Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 Live Action Trailer Revealed

Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Open Beta Beats Records in Total Players

Treyarch and Raven Software delivered an extremely satisfying experience to gamers with the Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Open Beta last week. Moreover, after the tepid fan response from recent COD titles such as Modern Warfare 3, fans are desperately looking for a refreshing Call of Duty experience from the developers.

It seems the Black Ops 6 Open Beta did exactly that, offering fans new game modes, weapons, a fluid movement style, and a decent campaign to look forward to. The Open Beta lets players enjoy the latest 'omnidirectional movement', where one can sprint, dive, and slide in any direction they desire. This movement style is the newest addition to the franchise, as the previous COD games only focused more on fast and responsive movement towards a singular direction, when in action.

Various fans and content creators have also confirmed that this movement style makes the gameplay much more special and allows for creative moments in intense situations. With the Open Beta over, Call of Duty Black Ops 6 is also ready to bring a brand new campaign set in the early 1990s. Fans can enjoy the story mode with the official release on October 25, 2024. Activision has described the campaign to be a "dynamic and intense spy thriller", highlighting the iconic Black Ops theme from the previous games. Call of Duty Black Ops 6 will be available for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. Moreover, gamers can also catch the game on day one through the PC Xbox Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate.

BGMI is one of the most popular battle royale games in the country. Adding to its popularity are the ample in-game cosmetics, which include gun skins, car skins and costumes. Recently, Krafton has been adding a variety of voice packs of popular BGMI content creators and athletes. All of these can be purchased with the help of the in-game currency, Unknown Cash (UC). Here are all the ways that you can buy UC in BGMI. 

Also Read: How to Buy UC in BGMI? All Methods Explored

How to Buy UC in BGMI with Extra Bonus?

There are multiple ways of buying UC in BGMI. The most common way of purchasing UC is through the game. All you have to do is go to the app, select the UC pack you wish to purchase and then proceed to make payments. If you buy UC from your Android device, this is how much you will have to pay: 

However, if you use an iOS device, your UC will cost: 

Additionally, if the players are looking for some lucrative offers, then they will have to try buying UC from trusted third party apps like the Rooter Shop or Uni Pin. Apps like the Rooter Shop will send the UC directly to your account if you purchase from them. What is more interesting is that you will get a lot of lucrative offers, which include bonuses that are not available in the game. In addition to this, you can also avail more discounts through the app if there is a promotion going on. The Uni Pin app works in the same way. Here are all the things you can buy from UC in BGMI: 

• Outfits
• Treasures
• Parachute skins
• Emotes
• Accessories
• Gun skins
• Vehicle skins

Once you have purchased UC, you can spend it on buying anything in the game.