TEKKEN 6 – PS3 – Review

I remember it like it was yesterday.
I was at E3 ’09 and, after being told that my next meeting would be starting a
little late, I looked around the enormous room and saw something truly
spectacular. It wasn’t a booth babe or some unique attraction. No, this little
beauty was something much rarer, especially in America: a real-life Tekken 6
machine.

So big, so beautiful, so capable of
making grown men cry. The arcade cabinet was an instant throwback to days of
public gaming, causing a person like myself to reiterate stories that will no
doubt annoy the younger generation and everyone else who doesn’t know what
they’re missing.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about
the moment (other than watching lines form behind the machine – a truly
memorable sight) is that the console version of Tekken 6 was sitting right next
to it, and you could barely tell the difference between the two. Sure, the
arcade machine was cooler. But that’s not the version we’ll be playing. The
majority of gamers will get their Tekken 6 fix on PS3 and Xbox 360.

Tekken 6 is just what it should be:
immeasurably addictive and exciting. That’s the good news. The bad news is that
it hasn’t changed much since Tekken 3, which was equally addictive and exciting,
nor has it changed much since Tekken 5, which was also addictive and exciting.
Basically, we’re playing a series of rehashes. While that may sound horrifically
devastating, let’s not forget that fighting game developers are scared to death
of change, and for good reason. When Tekken 4 deviated from the path, people
left the franchise. The last SoulCalibur didn’t exactly blow our minds, nor did
Mortal Kombat’s comic book-infused insanity bring home gold with anyone but the
most diehard MK fans, making the change pointless (Midway hoped the DC license
would increase the MK fan base, not keep it in the place it has been for the
past seven years).

Tekken 6, on the other hand, avoids
failure by sticking with what works. That, of course, brings us to the question
of whether a third rehash is worth buying. The answer depends on what you value
in a fighting game. If having perfect one-on-one multiplayer, as many unique
characters as possible, and as many unique moves as possible are the primary
reasons you play a fighting game, then Tekken 6 will be hard to resist – despite
knowing that you’ve played a huge chunk of this game before.

As you’ve likely heard by now,
Tekken 6 comes home with 40 combatants – a new record for the series. Heihachi,
Nina, Paul, Eddy, Jin, Yoshimitsu, Mokujin, Julia, Hwoarang, and Xiaoyu are
among the returning favorites. Lesser-known characters like Asuka and Marduk
have also been carried over. Best of all, the game offers six new fighters: Bob,
Zafina, Alisa, Miguel, Leo, and Lars.

All six are good characters, but Leo
and Miguel are the most predictable, as they both contain moves that are a
little too similar to other Tekken characters. Zafina, however, is sly and
seductive. She forms weird positions that seem to be an offshoot of what a
contortionist might do. This allows her to conceal the type and potency of her
attacks, which are very quick and hard-hitting.

Alisa, who practically moves with
the playfulness of a child, is also trying to hide something. You’ll catch on to
her secret whenever her robotic parts creep out and pummel an opponent. Her
attacks are devastating but she has a few Xiaoyu-type movements that could leave
her vulnerable to retaliation.

Bob, on the other hand, is somewhat
of an anomaly. His large, rotund shape fails to disguise his love of pizza and
beer. But he fights like a kickboxing bouncer, striking with the force of a
battering ram.

If you’re looking for the most
challenging of all the new characters, Lars is the one to master. His low kicks
and open-fist back-hand assaults aren’t likely to turn any heads. But watch out
if a skilled player uses him. To be safe, that skilled player should be you.

Considering how detrimental slow
speeds have been to other fighting games, it has to be said that Tekken 6 is the
fastest Tekken ever. It’s only slightly faster than Tekken 5 (honestly, the
speed increase is so minor that I’m probably one of the few players who will
notice), but slightly faster is always better than a decrease in speed.

Like so many of the previous home
conversions, Tekken 6 contains a campaign (beat-‘em-up) mode that features hours
of button-mashing nonsense. It’s clunky and contrary to the rest of the game
(which is intelligent, engaging and NOT a button-masher), and should be examined
only when trying to kill time.

Even then, Tekken 6’s primary
one-on-one gameplay is so much better you’d be wise to play it instead. If you
need a different challenge, try the survival, time attack or team battle modes.

Gameplay: 8.2
Don’t come to Tekken with expectations of great beat-’em-up action (the
campaign mode is, as always, a disappointment). The one-on-one battles are the
primary feature, and they still rock.

Graphics: 8.9
Stunning. Tekken 6 is the most detailed and most gorgeous fighting game
since Street Fighter IV.

Sound: 8.0
The classic Tekken sounds are still classic, but only to long-time fans of
the series. If I were a newcomer, or perhaps a more casual Tekken player, I
could see where the music and sound effects would become very annoying.

Difficulty: Easy
The difficulty hasn’t changed for the single-player one-on-one battles.
Meanwhile, the new campaign mode is like an unbaked cakewalk (a cake
batter-walk, if you will).

Concept: 6.0
It may be a bit of the same old thing, but at least it doesn’t regress any.
These days, most fighting game sequels are slower and feature fewer characters
than their predecessors. Tekken 6 is slightly faster and features the most
characters of any Tekken game.

Multiplayer: 9.0
The King of Iron Fist Tournament is still the King of the Fighting Game
Genre.

Overall: 8.4
An excellent (albeit marginally updated) sequel that is sure to please
Tekken fans all over the world. Buy it for the thrills and the massive character
lineup.