Reviews

Posted by: jkdmedia

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.

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.