Tekken 6
04/11/2009 15:22
Times have drastically changed for gaming since 1998 when Tekken 3 wowed PlayStation owners. A decade later we’ve got characters of all description running amok in myriad scenarios; fighting games aren’t the only show in town to depict flamboyant protagonists in sumptuous detail. Nor are they the sole purveyors of fantastical backdrops, elaborate in detail. On consoles, the online first-person-shooter deathmatch has replaced best of three rounds featuring crazy combos. Although Tekken 6 does look great this won’t bring home the trophy in 2009. Forget the razzle-dazzle; just tell me why I should bother going through all this again?
Well, for one important reason: Tekken has never lost its way. It may appear to have stumbled with Tekken 4 in 2002 (in which one of the most popular characters suffered a bizarre overhaul, and started wearing hoodies) but hindsight reveals that Tekken 4 enabled follow-up games to expand tactically. The core appeal of the Tekken fighting-game series has always been its idiot-proof four button system (left / right punches and kicks), dazzling kung-fu combination moves that’ll even happen while button mashing, outlandish protagonists (including devils, angels, dinosaurs... kangaroos, bears, ogres) and slick, slick presentation without fail.
Namco Bandai has once more delivered a bullet-proof package on console, and for the first time Xbox gets a version – until now Tekken was a Sony exclusive. The full arcade experience is here based on the coin-operated videogame that has remained top of the Japanese charts for countless consecutive weeks. This comprises 40 characters, among them six newcomers to the series, all of them worthy of practice. On the plus side, Namco Bandai (previously just Namco) has refined existing characters to enable the most balanced competition of any fighting game. The down side is that, like we said right at the beginning, this is all very familiar.
We’re pretty sure that the character animation hasn’t changed a great deal in over a decade for guys such as Eddie Gordo, whose Capoeira once looked astonishing but now sort of silly. Same goes for Anna and Nina Williams and the notorious Mishima clan. They may look a million dollars now but they move just as woodenly as they did in 1998. This is even more noticeable because recent newcomers are genuinely more exciting with their new motion-captured skills intertwined with impossible feats. The game designers have had a beano this year with character creation, in particular Alisa the dry-humoured robot girl who can remove her head for use as a bomb. Every character is also massively customisable with an almost unnecessary assortment of clothes and accessories to modify your chosen warrior(s). Sega’s Virtua Fighter series started this trend, but Namco Bandai has since given it a double espresso.
The guys pumping money into arcade machines in Japan won’t care much about the new Scenario Campaign created for the console editions. After a couple of hours we dare say that neither will you, although it is quite richly developed for a straight-forward beat ’em up with its funky weapons and collectibles. We’d rather the Tekken team gave us back our Tekken Bowling, which was genuinely good fun in Tekken Tag Tournament for PlayStation 2. Who keeps asking for these odd-ball quests?
In summary, for people who couldn’t be bothered reading all of the above, Tekken 6 is pretty much NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL FIGHTING for 2009. Its overblown visuals and trademark sound-effects, including the hang-over voice-over, still feel like the main event. Knowing that you’re taking part in the hottest fighting tournament in the world also helps you smile through the pain of being humiliated online. UFC it ain't, but for pure showbiz nothing beats Tekken at the top of its game, and you're looking at it.
Format Xbox 360 & PS3
Developer NAMCO
Publisher NAMCO
Genre Fighting
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