Tekken 6 the Good the Bad the Crazy

The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6

Tekken 6 is a fighter just about any gamer is at least familiar with. Known for it's complex fighting moves and combinations, Tekken 6 has received mixed reviews. So what's the good? What's the bad? Here's my take on Tekken 6.


Tekken 6 Characters Old and New

The first thing I'd like to talk about with Tekken 6 is the huge roster available to the players from the very beginning. Most of the players are all at the player's fingertips right from the start, something I'm sure people will appreciate. Chances are, if you have a favorite character to beat the snot out of the computer or a friend or someone online, he or she is available right from the beginning. That's a win for gamers everywhere. My personal favorites are Heihachi, Kazuya, and Jin. What can I say? I like characters with a history, a background, and a story ahead of them. And the three main characters, in my opinion, have the best of all three elements in terms of story.

Tekken 6 Beat Down

The combat is better than ever, with better graphics and a more crisp, clear, look about the animations than in previous Tekken games, Tekken 6 provides the player with a real sense of power. Perhaps the biggest reason for this is that the combos in Tekken are a bit more involved than in other fighting games and many require some practice before a player can spam their favorite combos without pause or interruption. As many of you know, juggle, juggle, juggle is how a martial artist achieves victory. But for the more casual gamer, simple button mashing can win the day against the computer on most difficulties, and perhaps a few online players if you're lucky.

Tekken 6 Trailer




Tekken 6 Story

The story of Tekken 6 is..... complicated to say the least. The world has plunged into chaos and ruin as Jin Kazama, the protagonist since Tekken 3, has seemingly turned to the darkside without Vader or Palpatine having to tell him how cool it is. He's waged war across the globe using the Mishima Zaibatsu. His father, Kazuya Mishima, leads G Corp as the only military force with the power to stand against the Zaibatsu. This was an interesting twist as Kazuya was seen more as the antagonist in previous Tekken games.Kazuya places a bounty of sorts to anyone who can take Jin down. In response, Jin holds the King of Iron Fist Tournament to finish Kazuya and destroy G Corporation once and for all. Yeah... and that's actually just an over-simplified explanation with as few spoilers as possible. I really think a simpler story would have sufficed as most gamers who primarily play fighting games don't care that much about a complex story as, say, a die hard RPG gamer. Don't get me wrong, the Tekken story is actually a highlight, but I'm concerned that it's becoming more and more complicated with each release and the developers are in danger of isolating potentional buyers who either won't care about the story, or may even be turned off by it in the long run as they won't want to take the time to look into the story and just jump into the game and beat someone's head into the ground.

Some Tekken 6 Characters and Combos




Tekken 6 Scenario Campaign

Speaking of the game's story, Tekken 6 has a new mode called Scenario Campaign mode, which acts as a sort of main campaign or story mode. It seems other reviewers like this new mode. I DON'T. This is Tekken, not some third-person masher. I'm all for working outside the box and trying something new. But Tekken 6 drops the ball so hard in this mode. The controls are awkward and clumpy. You'll often fight against enemies you're trying not to fight or save for later because you're fighting a group of other guys and the guys you're not fighting are taking pot shot at your sides and back. And when you finally get around to them you're just trying to position your guy so you can land a hit. I can't tell you how many times I was trying to point my guy at some thug swinging a bar at me, and ended up punching the air on either side of the bad guy. FAIL. You get to use some weapons and items as you go along that pack no punch and are even boring to use. Why? What kind of game makes it BORING to use a flamethrower? Or gatling gun? HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE? The levels are linear and boring. It's pretty much get from point A to point B and punch and kick anything that stands in your way. There's a few cut-scenes here and there to break up the constant button mashing. Which brings me to my next complaint. The main characters of Tekken 6 are two new characters Lars and Alisa. Who's idea was it to take two new and unproven and unfamiliar characters, who, frankly, should be minor like all the rest, and stick them in the roles or the main characters, brushing aside Jin, Kazuya, and Heihachi? Without giving too much away, Lars and Alisa are just bland stereotypes. They feel like they were ripped straight out of a manga. Lars, the strong, confident leader of his organization, which I won't go into but it's basically a military resistance. And Alisa, an android with no real memory of how she came to be and for what purpose. She has that annoying high-pitched gasping-whisper voice manga people seem to love in their voices for the females in their shows based on the respective manga. She lacks confidence and is generally submissive. You might as well watch Naruto's Hinata or Bleach's Orihime or something and you'll get the same experience. Strong male leads getting things done through knocking guys on their rear and striving against seemingly impossible odds...... and the girl.... weak, always chasing the guy, and wanting nothing more than his acceptance and affection, and being really insecure with herself. There, I just saved you about 40-50 bucks.

Tekken 6 Online Gameplay



 Tekken 6 Customization

The Tekken Series has been among the best when it comes to customization. Players can choose the look they want for their favorite player. And this adds hours to the game. Just about every game mode grants money for completing levels and objectives. Another option available to the players is finding items through the campaign mode. The problem is, the campaign mode is such a hassle and chore to get through, most players won't want to do it. Good thing players can pretty much buy what they want.

Tekken 6 Online

Online mode is fun and challenging, especially when you happen upon someone who is just as good as you are. Of course, there is always the possibility you'll encounter someone who couldn't beat you even if you tried really hard to lose, and you may run into a player who can beat you in about seven seconds and knock you out before you even realized what happened. No matter how it plays out, you'll have fun, especially against a few friends. Which brings me to team matches. You and a friend can pick up to eight characters and test your collective might against and other team of two.

Tekken 6 Visuals

The character models are a bit inconsistent. One moment they look seamless and realistic, and the next, well, they look kind of doey, if that makes sense. It's hard to explain until you see it for yourselves. Once in a while they even look a bit like gelatin or clay. But for the most part, the characters look just the way they're supposed to, bad, in a good way.

Tekken 6 More or Less the Same

The gameplay is solid, which is the most important thing. Having said that, there are so many things wrong with Tekken's story mode and the old, usual, game modes that really haven't seen any innovative or mind-blowing changes, leaving much to be desired. However, the huge game roster and addictive gameplay that almost forces the player to learn the different combos in order to compete makes for a game that's too good to ignore.

Tekken 6 Final Verdict

Tekken 6 earns a competitive 7 out of 10 and would have been higher if not for some major hiccups with the story mode, slightly clunky controls, and dated graphics.