Bandai Namco
Tekken 6

Tekken is a series of video games that packs a punch and has faithfully accompanied the Playstation over the years. A classic, a title that should not be missing from any Playstation owner's collection. This series has evolved with the graphics in each new volume. As I mentioned, it’s a fighting game where all possible fighting styles face off in a single tournament.

In the first 2 chapters, we could actually count the polygons with which the characters were made, the third chapter was a graphic breakthrough for the PlayStation One, the following chapters for PlayStation 2 began with Tekken Tag, a separate game from the saga, where we have all the characters since historically certain characters often leave the scene for various reasons, including possibly their demise. The 4th chapter went almost unnoticed as it presented nothing new and failed to excite fans of the genre. The fifth was a success, with the new boss Jinpachi being a true challenge and introducing a new concept of final boss, and the Devil Within mode featuring Jin Kazama—a sort of mini hack ‘n slash game that aimed to bring back the origins of Tekken Force from the third chapter—and the new feature everyone always dreamed of: character outfit customization.

The story revolves around the Mishima family, which includes Kazuya, Heihachi, and Jin Kazama, the son of Kazuya and the now-deceased Jun Kazama. These three characters, in all these tournaments, vie for control of the Mishima Zaibatsu, a very powerful criminal organization. However, this simplifies a story that indeed becomes increasingly complicated. It started becoming complex when characters began speaking in their native languages, originating from the 4th chapter. In short, the head of the Mishima Zaibatsu is now Jin Kazama, possibly the icon of this game, and perhaps out of boredom, he decides to declare war on the world. During this global war led by Zaibatsu, the 6th Iron Fist Tournament (Tekken) is introduced, with each character having different objectives. The story is long, and recounting the tale of all characters seems excessive, with too many intertwining plotlines among all characters.

The graphics are worthy of the PlayStation 3 and are marvelous, spectacular. The characters' movements are very fluid, the environments are very bright and spectacular, my favorite being Electric Fountain. Some characters have been refreshed with new costumes, while others have been loaded with more muscle mass. What to say—the graphics are indisputable and well-maintained, with stunning scenarios that never bore because they seem different every time. The sound in terms of music is nothing exceptional; it didn't impress me. I was irritated by the fact that the voice acting for a couple of characters, like Jack 6, was changed, among many others. The game itself begins with about an hour, if not more, of cutscenes entirely drawn in black and white comics, summarizing the old Tekkens, all narrated entirely in Japanese. Bandainamco was considerate enough to have all the characters already unlocked, a good thing if someone wants to play against a friend immediately.

There is the campaign mode that is a mix of Tekken Force and Devil Within, and here's how it works: We have to progress through this mode 40 times, fundamentally following the real plot of Tekken 6. The characters we should use would be the new entries, Lars and Alisa, who are the protagonists of this saga. By following this storyline, we unlock Tekken characters for the arena mode, which is like the arcade where we'll face 4 characters who are rivals or related to the character we just unlocked, except for the last two levels where we'll face Jin Kazama and Azazel, a kind of very challenging Egyptian demon to defeat (for those familiar with the game, it’s a mix between Roger Jr. and Jinpachi). By doing this, we unlock the character’s closing cutscene.

Was this novelty a good thing? Personally, I would have preferred the good old 9 levels of 1vs1 combat only. New items and costumes have been added to modify our favorite character; many can be found in the campaign mode, and each of these has a power that enhances our character but only for the campaign mode. The item move has been added, a move in which our character uses the equipped item, although it remains a mystery which buttons need to be pressed to use this move. New characters include: Bob, an obese man; Miguel, a Spaniard; Zafina, a girl with an ambiguous fighting style; Leo, a German boy; Lars, a Swede; Alisa, a cyborg created to resemble the late Dr. Bosconovich’s daughter; Dragunov, a Russian soldier; and finally, Lili. All these characters, except for Dragunov and Leo, use invented fighting techniques.

A game novelty is the highly requested online feature, where we can face opponents around the world. But I must say it is very difficult since the characters are slowed, and every move seems to be made with great effort, a typical flaw of online fighting games. Many moves of the various characters have been changed, combos have been removed or added, and certainly, Bruce Lee fans will be pleased to see the new Law moving very similarly to the famous martial arts master.

My final consideration on this game is certainly a good title, but these innovations may have somewhat ruined it; the new characters, in my opinion, are not worthy of being in this video game, especially Alisa, from whom chainsaws and rocket thrusters comically and tastelessly sprout; it seems like a character taken from a manga, as with Lars and Miguel, lacking a fighting style. It was wise, however, to modify certain characters’ moves, such as Hwoarang’s. I was deeply disappointed by the final cutscenes, mostly focused on silliness, which ruin the series' underground spirit, definitely an exaggeration of comedy.

The final boss is excessively difficult and frustrating, not to mention the campaign mode, which over time becomes monotonous. It may be the handiwork of the Bandai and Namco merger that produced this series of unforgivable flaws, to say the least, possibly aiming for an innovative product but with poor results compared to its predecessors. Too much innovation sometimes doesn't work very well. Regardless, it's a great game to play with friends in one's spare time.