Tekken 8 Review (Drunken_Viper)
There will be always be 50/50s in fighting games, but the keyword here is 'forced'—forced by the universal mechanic, not by the unique characters or player agency over them. When you factor in those heat interactions over all the sets, it becomes a core mechanic that decides the outcome of the match. It's as if it 'fills the entire game,' like an anchor point, and the characters' unique styles and stances take a back seat. The matches are way too fast and aggresive for any deliberate play.
Bottom line is, I hate the heat mechanic itself and want it gone. Heat engagers break momentum (like those long goddamn rage arts were not enough), push the other player to the wall, and force you to guess. Yes, it gives you a chance to redeem a mistake, but it's like the game is forcing me to play a certain way that I never asked for. I also have to use my heat, be aggressive, and win that one interaction or avoid losing to it, or the other player will force me to the wall. This was not the case in T7, as you could only do that with good reads and combo execution, not absurd pushbacks. T7 was also very good in terms of balance in season 5. Yes devs are 'fixing' the game but the game itself is the problem. They just want the fights to look good on streams and tournaments; hence heat, but they killed defense now there's no turtle syle , baiting etc you just cant do it and there's no incentives its just mash mash heat engager heat smash forward momentum mash mash. I play when I can but I don't enjoy it as much as tekken 7, strangely it doesnt even feel good to win as its more mentally draining than fun imo. Maybe that just me idk.