It’s been a long time since I played a Tekken game with any sort of frequency. I did own and play Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection when I had my PlayStation 3 in 2008, and I played Tekken 5 for review back in 2005. Back then, I developed a hatred for Tekken 5’s boss character, Jinpachi, who I still consider to be one of the cheapest end bosses in gaming history. Despite that complaint, I loved Tekken 5… and I really liked Dark Resurrection, too.
Here we are near the end of 2009 and Tekken 6 has arrived, offering a mixture of new and familiar things.
What’s new? Well, the big news is that a major Tekken release has hit a Microsoft platform for the first time. This continues Namco’s commitment to the Xbox 360 console; we’ve already seen former Sony-exclusive IPs like Ace Combat, Ridge Racer, and Katamari Damacy hit the 360, and now it’s time for the King of Iron Fist Tournament to land on the the 360 as well. There are also new characters, a new mode of play called Scenario Campaign (which is basically Tekken Force mode for a new console generation), and some much-improved visuals which really stand out almost immediately. Lastly, a new wrinkle in the flow of gameplay, called Rage, powers up players who are low on health to make for some truly incredible comebacks at times.
What’s familiar? Many of the characters that we’ve seen gradually added to the Tekken roster have returned for this new installment. As with the other games in the series, success in Tekken 6 may initially come from button-mashing, but there is a need to learn combos and defense in order to avoid consistent beatdowns by many opponents. Character customization also returns in Tekken 6, so players can earn or purchase new outfits and accessories for their on-screen alter egos. Also, like Tekken 5, the final boss here is cheap; in fact, the boss is cheaper than Jinpachi. Seriously.
The Arcade mode is pretty self-explanatory, as you select one of over 40 characters and fight a chain of opponents leading up to the inevitable showdown with Azazel, the formidable final boss. Each character has its own move set and combos to master, although there are only six new characters to become familiar with if you’re Tekken-savvy. Continuing the tradition of cheap final bosses in fighting games, Azazel can be as frustrating– if not more so– than Tekken 5’s Jinpachi to beat. Azazel is huge and moves pretty well, plus has teleport moves and ground projectiles which are difficult to predict and/or avoid. As with Tekken 5, players can advance in rank. I’m not sure that this “level system” is as effective as it felt in Tekken 5, or in Virtua Fighter 4, for that matter. With the arrival of Achievements and Trophies, the need to level up is diminished unless there’s some kind of payoff other than a simple title change.
Online play is sketchy, with lag on more than several occasions. This lag causes all sorts of problems with on-screen slowdown and late registration of controller inputs and button taps. Lag is arguably the biggest issue in online fighting games, but Namco seemed to generally control lag in Soul Calibur IV. Matchmaking seems to be an issue too, so unless you’re at least moderately skilled, your first online fight will most likely be a loss for you. Perhaps Namco will continue to tweak and patch the online experience, but as of now, it’s more frustrating and less enjoyable.
The Scenario Campaign mode is quite flawed, with a nonsensical story (even for the Tekken canon) and quirks that really detract from what this mode of play could have been. The basic idea is that you and another player (who is controlled by the AI in single-player mode) run from Point A to Point B in stage, dispatching anything in your way with each character’s assortment of punches and kicks. Although the stages are supposed to be different from each other, there’s considerable repetition in both the stage environments and the enemies you face. At the end of most stages, you will come across one of the selectable fighters in Tekken 6 and have to defeat that character in a boss battle. Although you’re not alone, a computer-controlled sidekick is sometimes worse to have than taking on enemies alone. The AI character is not adept at healing itself at the right times, and will often claim health powerups right when you need them– and it doesn’t. The one thing that could make players play all the way through the Scenario Campaign mode is the loot that can be gained. Tons of cash can be gained playing this mode, plus special gear for fighters that includes a variety of bonuses. Perhaps my affinity for “loot games” (such as Sacred 2, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, Champions of Norrath, and even Borderlands, to a certain extent) helped to really propel me through this Campaign almost exclusively; I didn’t care for the story, the poor AI, and the strange opponent targeting really had me close to losing interest altogether many times.
The items that you earn in the Scenario Campaign are enhanced versions of what you can buy when customizing characters for your own use. There are plenty of gear options for each character, and these can be purchased with money earned from playing the different game modes. The gear that you buy, however, does not contain any of the bonuses that the same items may be infused with when found within the Scenario Campaign. Without the bonuses, however, customization really isn’t a big deal aside from the character uniqueness factor. After all, seeing Lars in a cowboy hat is funny, right?
Perhaps the strongest assets in Tekken 6 are the game’s graphics and sound. This is the best-looking Tekken game available, with lots of detail and smooth animation for each character. While Azazel may be cheap, it’s stunning to watch such a behemoth move around so smoothly and without many hitches. Tekken games have usually had strong visuals, and Tekken 6 continues that trend. There are more than a few CG cutscenes within the game, all of which are impressive. The soundtrack is another excellent work, with many styles of music worked in. The sound effects are bass-driven and sound as painful as the action that you’re seeing on your screen.
It’s worth mentioning that Tekken 6 has noticeable issues with loading time, irrgardless of whether the game is running from the disc or is installed to the hard drive. Loading is required for almost everything outside of the actual fights, which doesn’t usually last too long. There’s loading time for customization, loading time to display characters on screen for selection, loading time in between levels or stages, loading time for online synching, and more. Too much loading time, especially when it comes to fighting games, can really disrupt the flow of the game. When you finish a fight, you’re ready for the next pretty quickly. It’s understandable that loading time and/or disc access is necessary, but at this stage of development in this console generation, it’s hard to ignore loading times like the ones in this game.
The flaws in Tekken 6 are disappointing, but the game is still very playable. As long as you’re aware of what you’re buying into and are willing to either overlook or accept the game’s imperfect online play and irksome loading times, Tekken 6 is worth at least a look for any fighting game fan… just don’t try to understand the story.
Trust me.