Tekken 6 Impressions

Playing
Tekken 6
(PS3)

The new Scenario Campaign mode is very much like the Force modes of the past; a slightly awkward, Final Fight-style brawler that pits you against hordes of not-so-intelligent thugs, robots, soldiers, ninjas, etc. It can be fun for what it is, but it’s more frustrating than anything, as you continually get your combos interrupted by soldiers shooting at you with riffles from afar, or almost defeat final boss Jin, only to have him knock you into the air and repeatedly lambaste you with uppercuts until you die. On the plus side, it does provide an alternate way for you to customize your characters and earn cash, as bags of money and boxes containing equipment are scattered throughout the various stages that you brawl your way through. The cut scenes that are sprinkled in between battles are also nice, as they give some depth to new characters Alisa and the otherwise lame Lars Alexandersson.



To be fair, as far as extras go, Scenario Campaign mode is indeed a doozy. The meat of the game is within the fighter itself, and if you take into account the fact that Scenario Campaign is just a gratuitous extra mode, there's really not much to be complaining about. In spite of its flaws, there's still some fun to be had here in that somewhat repetitive Dynasty Warriors sort of way. Upon being robbed of your dignity and hope by Devil Jin in the "Nightmare Train" stage, it’s simple to concede defeat and get on to the actual game.



What sets Tekken 6 apart from Tekken 5? For starters, a handful of new characters, the newly implemented “rage” and “bound” systems, some spiffy new stages and a bunch of new customization options. This is all good and well, but once you get past all the tweaks and goodies, the game feels alarmingly like Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection. It’s still a dream for hardened followers of the series, as a handful of new additions to a favorite character's move list will likely be enough to turn veterans into giddy messes. You can literally spend hours in practice mode incorporating the new moves into your juggles and figuring out their properties, or better still, trying to effectively utilize the new bound system. Unfortunately, it’s just the hardcore players that will likely be enthralled with these nuances, as casual fans may be less than apt to notice them at all. The new rage system, while certainly the most overt addition to 6, won’t push players to adjust their style of play any. "Rage" activates automatically once your health bar is depleted to a certain level, at which point your character’s hands will glow red and their attacks will do additional damage for the remainder of the round.



While this does make comebacks a lot easier to pull off, the rage system, along with the collapsing floors, seem to offer more in terms of visual punch than anything else. Beyond these tweaks, what Tekken 6 basically offers is a streamlined version of the DR engine…which isn't to say that it isn't really damn good. The game is fast and hard-hitting, not to mention incredibly deep; arguably the best installment in the series to date, but you can’t help but feel that the title is lacking something as a true numerical sequel. Given the complete overhaul that Capcom gave Street Fighter fans with SFIV, Tekken 6 just feels, well, familiar. I’ll concede and call it my favorite fighter to come out this year, but it just won’t blow anyone away in what gamers have been calling the “year of the fighter.”

Two big knocks on the title: 1) the long loading times, and 2) the ridiculous lag during online play (or so people say, haven't tried it myself). If you can manage to get past that, Tekken 6 is nothing short of a must-have for fighting fans.