Tekken 8 Review (AdventjX)
Preface
By no means am I Tekken master nor am I a fighting game maniac. But as a gamer who is familiar with almost every genre, I try to play every fighting game I can get my hands on. It's safe to say that I at least know the basics of fighting game mechanics and what it takes to "get better." In the recent years, with the help of my best friend from high school, I've had a chance to learn the ins and outs of games like SF6, Dragon Ball Fighterz, MK, and even some anime fighting games. As a result, the more I invested, the more I learned. The more I learned, the more I enjoyed the games. I grew up with the OG Playstation and Tekken 3. Now, 20+ years later, what a great time it is to be alive: to witness the eighth installment of the Tekken series.
Positives
Gameplay
In the fighting game genre, I think we can all agree that if the game is fun, the game is already great to a certain extent. Back in the day, that's all that mattered. Now, we've got other categories to consider like amount of content, cosmetics, replayability, updates, etc. But let's face it: when it comes to Tekken, no one can deny that it's the legend among legends when it comes to the bare bones. They solidified the game and introduced the new heat drive(?) system. They went the same route as Street Fighter 6 in that they brought the "special style" for newcomers - akin to Modern controls in SF6 - to just press buttons and enjoy the game for what it is. Of course, we all know that this will only get you so far; and to really delve deep into Tekken, one needs to get the kids' gloves off and play like the Tekken legends of old (lol) to learn combos w/ manual inputs and understand what you're actually doing. Regardless, there are many ways to enjoy the game by whatever means necessary. The game perfected the Tekken recipe and it is indeed the best Tekken to play in 2024.
Content
Two things that were noticeable: companies know that a lot of players are not as hardcore and excited to play online/ranked so it feels like they implemented a strong Ghost system for players to enjoy in the long-term, especially those who deem themselves "less competitive" like myself. When it comes to replayability, I think this is a good way to enjoy the game further past the story/arcade modes without stressing out about playing online. Second, the special style allows players to "see" what certain characters can do without lifting a finger, really. Well, maybe using your thumb to chain simple combos but it definitely makes the character bust out the flashy stuff on the fly.
Negatives
Story
Tekken's story is beyond disappointing, and this has been the case since T4. It's your average hero beats villain, angel vs demon routine that every Tekken has brought so far. No real character development, no real stakes. Just a Jin/Kazuya fest as usual. I have this lowkey feeling that the writers have this hard-on for making the Japanese characters look cool and have the characters that represent the rest of the world be their side pieces, but this might be just minor politics at play and wouldn't really bother me.... IF THE WRITING WASN'T SO SUBPAR. $20 says AI technology can do better for Tekken 9. Then again, every anime series post-2010 has had similar subpar storylines all over the place so.. I guess they just lack creativity and prefer to take the "safe" way when it comes to stories (just like Ubisoft).
Customization
This one's a bit disappointing. Do they plan to release more accessories and outfits in the future? If so, are they gonna be paid DLC...? Case in point, the customization options that are available at launch are underwhelming to say the least. I don't know why I was expecting to feel more excited to see the likes of T6 and TTT revived. But I might have gotten my hopes up a bit too high. At least we can make LEON from RE4? Cyberpunk for Jin? A bootleg Kenshi from MK for Victor? GOKU FOR LARS?
Conclusion
Final Verdict: S
Arguably the best Tekken game of all time, for veterans and newcomers alike. The biggest compliment I would like to throw is that in a game industry where we're used to companies releasing unfinished games to rake in the $$$, Harada and his team really took their time and sweat blood and tears to bring Tekken 8 to a near-perfect state before unleashing it upon the world. Also really looking forward to how Knee dominates the tournament scene once again.
Yeah, I think I'll be sticking with this one for a while.