This year there have been numerous
fighting games released, and each has their own dedicated followers. Another
fighting game with a huge fan base has recently released the latest game in the
Tekken franchise. Tekken was the game of choice in the early days of PlayStation
because of the solid fighting engine and great roster. Tekken 6 follows the
tradition set by previous games in the series by giving players one of the
largest rosters in a Tekken game, numerous game modes, and many gameplay
enhancements.
There are several game modes for
players and they are put into three categories: offline, online, and campaign
scenario. Offline mode contains the most game modes that fans of the fighting
genre are used to: arcade, team battle, versus, survival, and practice. These
modes prepare players for fighting against humans once they enter in the online
mode. The online mode is fairly robust and will keep players coming back for
months on end. In this game, there are both ranked and unranked matches for
players to choose from. It is almost like being at the arcade cabinets if it
wasn’t for a slight lag that players will encounter ever so often.
The Campaign Scenario mode is one of
the more disappointing game modes in Tekken 6. It is a scrolling brawler that
will have Lars and Alisha accomplishing a specific goal. This mode combines the
Tekken fighting engine with the classic side scrolling brawlers. However, there
are a lot of applications lacking fine-tuning. This game mode ends up being
extremely repetitive as players will fight against impossible odds with the same
bland enemies over and over again. Players will then meet up with several
horrendously difficult boss fights that force them to start from the beginning
of the level if they die. Unfortunately this is the best place to earn money and
items for character customization. With that, players will be forced to partake
in this mode if they want to unlock items in this game.
As mentioned earlier, Tekken 6 has
the biggest character roster in the series, with more than 40 characters to
choose from. What is impressive is that unlike most fighting games that offer a
huge roster, no two fighters play alike, or are clones of another player. Each
fighter has their own unique moves and gameplay experience. There is the Android
Alisha with a very hilarious move list to fighting as Rocky Jr (a boxing
kangaroo) which also has its own unique moves. Tekken 6 has set a bar that all
fighting games should strive for – having a huge roster where each player feels
and plays differently from each other, compared to having a huge roster where
half the characters are clones of the other.
One of the reasons Tekken has
remained popular throughout the years is because of the fighting engine. Unlike
other games where players have to put in major time to understand how a
character works before players can put up a fight; Tekken allows anyone to win a
game, from a beginner to an experienced player. It is this pickup-and-go factor
that makes this game unique and popular. Even though newcomers might be
heavy-button mashers it will only get them so far; the fighting engine is deep
enough for more experienced players to overcome this and still come out on top.
One of the worst aspects this game
contains is the exceptionally long load times. The load times affect everything
from waiting to load an online match to even going in to a normal match. Another
annoyance is how long it takes when selecting a fight and the character model to
pop up on the screen. Even though these cumbersome load times are annoying, they
are still bearable and do not ruin the overall experience of the game. This is
one shameful issue that Tekken 6 contains.
Tekken 6 is very impressive looking.
Each character mode has many impressive details; especially with some unlock
able costumes. View these in the close up mode. Even the fighting environments
have several details, as well as a lot of background action such as jets flying
by, live stock running around, and even seeing various vehicles crashing around
the fighters. What makes this even better is that the game runs at a solid 60
frames per second, which is perfect for a fighting game.
The sound for this game is also
really good. The music is a perfect fit for a fighting game and never fails to
get the players adrenaline pumping when their "backs are against the wall." The
sound effects are very well done and players will appreciate it most by hearing
the "bone crunching" moments during a fight. Players know they have a good sound
effects in a game when they hear certain things and they cringes with pain as if
they imagine it happening to them. The voice work for this game is something
that could have used improvement.
Tekken 6 is rated teen.
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Gameplay: 8.8
Tekken 6 will keep players entertained for hours on end. This is due to the
great fighting engine this game possess. There are a lot of entertaining
gameplay modes that will have players trying to complete them all just to unlock
the myriads of costumes available for all the characters. The only downside is
the Scenario mode does not have the same polish as the rest of the game has and
it ends up being more of a button masher which is disheartening.
Graphics: 9.1
The graphics for this game look great. The character models are very highly
detailed, and this is most apparent when the camera zooms in during fights or
after the fight has concluded. The fighting environments are very nice looking
and help set the bar for future fighting games.
Sound: 8.7
The musical score found in this game is great, and will help give players an
added boost of adrenaline when they hear it in the background during a fight.
The sound effects heard throughout the game are also impressive. Unfortunately
the voice acting in this game is not the greatest.
Difficulty: Medium
One of the greatest things about this franchise is that anyone can play it
and win fights. Some may claim that this game is nothing more than a "button
masher" and players can win matches by doing this. It does take time for players
to truly master a character and they will be able to get themselves out of any
seemly hopeless situation.
Concept: 8.3
"Why mess with perfection?" This is the mantra that the developers have when
making each Tekken game. Each game features the same fighting engine, but with
new tweaks that really improve the overall experience. This may come in the form
of new moves, fighters, and player modes. This game follows the same mantra and
really improves upon previous games in the series while keeping the entertaining
fun gameplay experience it is known for.
Players will also love the game’s
ability to purchase new items for the characters so they will never have the
same "stock" clothes. When gamers decide to play online they will be in for a
real treat as they see what the rest of the world has done to customize their
favorite fighters
Multiplayer: 8.9
Playing against the AI is Ok, but nothing can ‘beat’ playing with a friend
and utterly defeating them. Tekken 6 has many different game modes that can be
played with a friend or even online which will create some truly memorable
moments. So far the online modes can be a little hit or miss with lag, hopefully
this will get fixed in future updates.
Overall: 8.9
Even though there have been numerous fighting games released this year, no
gamer should be without the latest Tekken game. There is so much to do and so
many fighters to choose from that no matter what players fighting preference may
be, they will find something they will like in this fighting game. Tekken 6 is
not to be missed and ever player should be proud to have it in their gaming
library.
