Tekken 6 has thrown out the gauntlet play of your older brother's King/Devil showdown and brings to the table what other fighters, even the well-documented ghosts of Tekken past, couldn't – next-generation game mechanics.
Technically the eighth game in the series – including the highly popular offshoot Tekken Tag Tournament – Namco Bandai is looking to shatter the competition with this year's last great fighting game.
Since Tekken's release in '95, the franchise has grown into an internationally praised standout of the fighting genre. The newest installment does anything but disappoint and is so much more than a video game with an Asian battle hymn CD side.
The new Campaign Mode in Tekken begins with a stylized summary of the series, which is perfect for those new to the franchise and also a great reminder for those who have been there since the beginning.
The story continues after Jin Kazama wins the King of Iron Fist Tournament 5. Jin is power-crazed and disillusioned with who he once was, and begins to pave a path of world domination using the powers of the Mishima Zaibatsu.
Here the player takes over, controlling Lars Alexandersson, a former leader of Jin's Tekken Force. The quest is rather long and arduous, as unlocking characters for this mode becomes tedious after a few levels of repetitive game play. The adventure mode is reminiscent of the classic Tekken Force mode found in Tekken 3 and 4, thus creating a sense of a 'beat-em-up' play uncommon to the fighting genre.
However, the game really shines when the player ignores this mode and plays the rest of the single player types, including the spectacular team battle and ghost battle. New game mechanics and stages to explore make this Tekken stand out from its predecessors. The enhanced graphics of the higher end consoles make this game beautiful to look at.
Tekken fans will be happy to see that the arcade mode was left almost untouched, with the exception of two rather frustrating additions. The first annoyance is the 'bonus boss' NANCY-MI847J, a serious piece of machinery that's nearly impossible to defeat on harder difficulty settings.
The second is the final boss, Azazel, who proves to be a ridiculously over-powered demon that was designed solely to eat quarters from the arcade player's pocket. Frustrating doesn't even begin to describe the feelings one will feel after facing these two demonoid phenomena.
In Ghost Battle mode, players will face a continuous stream of ever-increasingly difficult computer controlled characters, while raising the rank from ninth Kyu all the way to ninth Dan. Conversely, Team Battle mode is great for the times you want to challenge your buddy to use five characters against your one. Both modes add great depth to the single player game and the overall shelf life of this title.
Sadly enough, there are some major flaws with the game – the first and largest being that online matches lag horribly, making online competitive play nearly impossible. With no solid online mode, Tekken 6 can't hold up to the competitors in the genre that have locked down the online formula.
The next problem that gamers will face is the new 'Rage' mode. Games like Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe implemented this mode to give the casual player more of a chance and swing the games in the last few seconds of the match. For those who are Tekken veterans, this mode will entirely infuriate you, as in a bad Dane Cook joke, n00bs playing Eddy Gordo will end up winning the majority of matches through this highly controversial addition.
Also, for those considering buying this iteration of the franchise, you may just want to wait for the not-quite-sequel, Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion, which will be released in the first quarter of 2010.
At $60.00 retail price, Tekken 6 makes for a steep purchase, especially with games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Assassin's Creed II on the horizon.
Tekken 6 proves to be promising, but with the next iteration just months away, it promises to do better. Ultimately the fate of the tournament lies in the player's hands, but it might just be worth the wait.
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