Tekken 6 Review

Hey, what's up? Welcome to my first review, and it's of a game that I've played a bit of lately, and that I've been eager for it to come out. So, was it worth the wait, or was it a complete bomb? Let's find out.

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So before we get into the actual review, I'd like to talk about a couple things first. First, Tekken 6 was released in Japanese Arcades on November of 2007, so it's about 2 years old. Originally it was only going to be on the Playstation 3, because all the other Tekken games had been Playstation-exclusive. But at the Tokyo Game Show in 2008, it was stated that there would be a release for the Xbox 360, which further delayed the game into 2009. There was also a PSP release for it, as well. The PSP version will have some exclusive content that the home console versions do not. There was also an "update" to the game, which came in the form of Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion, which is the version that is on home consoles. There were some gameplay tweaks, and two new characters added: Lars Alexandersson and Alisa Bosconovitch. So the version that will be reviewed is actually Bloodline Rebellion, although the package doesn't say so.

Now that we have that down, let's continue.


Story: Oh, boy, where do we even begin? Tekken 6's story goes inwards and outwards, up and down, left and right, it's just all over the place. In a good way, though. I'm going to assume that you already know the story of Tekken and you're up-to-date. If you aren't, then you can skip this section since you'll probably be pretty clueless at some parts. Anyway, In Tekken 6, the story picks up after Jin Kazama's victory in the last King Of Iron Fist Tournament. He's taken charge of the Mishima Zaibatsu, which is a financial company that offers the winner of the King of Iron Fist Tournament control of the company, and the ability to host the next King Of Iron Fist Tournament. Since Jin won the tournament, he now has control, but he has tyrannical ambitions and ideas. Using his newly-acquired resources, he becomes a "global superpower", becoming very powerful and wealthy, and openly (and defiantly) declares war on all nations. Kazuya Mishima, in charge of the G Corporation, sees this, and doesn't particularly care for Jin getting in the way of his own plans to take over the world. He then places a bounty on Jin's head for anybody who can kill him. Jin's response? Host another King Of Iron Fist Tournament so he can meet up with Kazuya and kill him himself. Pretty good story, if not a bit predictable. Definitely enjoyable, though.



Gameplay: Now for the REAL reason that you bought and are playing Tekken 6. The Gameplay. Tekken 6 is a 3-d fighter, and easily one of, if not the most recognizable names in the genre. Tekken only uses 4 attack buttons, unlike the usual 6 button layout that most fighting games use. You might think this makes the game easy, but that's where you would be wrong. Each button is assigned to a specific limb: Left Arm, Right Arm, Left Leg and Right Leg. The Tekken series was never known for crazy super combos like Street Fighter, or bloody fatalities like Mortal Kombat. However Tekken is more juggle and combo based, and most definitely skill-based. This isn't a game where you can pick it up at the start and be amazing at it, unless you've played every Tekken game in the past or you're some type of prodigy. Tekken 6 is very much mindgames at it's finest, where just one small flaw or one small opening can easily lose you the match. Contrary to what people say, if you place a high-level player and a button masher against each other, the high-level player will win every time. This game requires hours of dedication and practice, like any fighting game. But learning your character's strengths, weaknesses, and their combos will keep you entertained, and keep your hands full for hours on end. It truly is just that deep. Speaking of characters, Tekken 6 boasts a very impressive roster of 43 playable characters, all unlocked from the get-go. Each and every character is unique, and has their own style. Ranging from big and strong, to slow and fast, there is most certainly a character for any player here.

Tekken 6 also brings a new feature to the table, called the "Rage" system. Once your health is dangerously low, your healthbar starts flashing and glowing red, stating that you've now entered Rage mode. This makes all of your attacks stronger, and allows for some dramatic comebacks. Normally you would think this is broken, but it's been implemented in a nice way. You are stronger, but not to a ridiculous amount. It's definitely very balanced, and is a very nice addition to the series.

"Good use of your chin to block my knee."

Another gameplay element added is the "bound" system, where every character has several moves, that when used against an opponent in an aerial juggle combo, will pound them into the ground and bounce them up a bit, letting you continue the combo for a few more hits. Local play is definitely where Tekken 6 shines, but it does include the traditional online mode. While at launch, the online was absolutely terrible, and by terrible I mean you couldn't find a match without bad visual and input lag. Hit a button, and a second or so later the attack would register, making juggle combos, and just combos in general near impossible. Thankfully a patch has been released, and for the most part this has been fixed, for a great online experience, although your internet connection will be a big factor in how laggy it is.

Tekken 6 home console versions also have an exclusive "Scenario Campaign" mode, with compares with the "Tekken Force" mode in a previous Tekken installment. It's basically a 3rd person beat-em-up, but it's not quite what you think. Sure, it's the basic "Start at point A, beat up the enemies, move on the point B" type of gameplay, but as it always is with Tekken, there's a twist. You can move about freely, and pick up items to customize your character, and money to purchase items as well. But when enemies are on the screen, while you are in 3rd person mode, it switches to Tekken 6 gameplay. That's right. 3rd person view, but it's like playing local VS Tekken. This can be a bit confusing sometimes, and all in all, the Scenario feels really slapped on and rushed. I feel it could have been better, but Namco didn't take their time with it I don't think. Plus it doesn't help that the enemies are all ridiculously stupid, sometimes just standing there and letting you beat them up. It would have been nice to see an actual challenge in this mode. Sadly, all the items for your character are super-expensive, so playing through the repetitive Scenario mode is the best way to make Gold to purchase items, and unlock them.

Scenario Campaign is about as fun as it looks. And it doesn't look that fun.

And yes, I said customization. Tekken 6 features a phenomal character customization, with Hair Styles, Colors, Clothing, Accessories, you name it. Give two players the same character with all the items, and you'll never run across the same creation twice, the options are just that vast. It really is a blast being able to customize your character, and like I said, since the options are just so vast, you'll want to unlock all the items, (even if it requires grinding through the scenario mode) and want to see how everything looks.

Character customization in action. It can range from something sweet like this...

...to just plain weird. Depending on your taste, anyway.

Closing the gameplay section, Tekken 6 is fast-paced, and definitely a lot of fun to play, although it takes some time to pick your character and then learn him/her, but it's a lot of fun all the way. It may seem very intimidating to you if you're a new player, or wanting to get into Tekken, but believe me, once you sit down and play it, and give it an honest shot, you'll be glad you did.



Sound: The sounds in Tekken are pretty good. The blows sound good, the subtle sound effects from moving around and during the attacks are very nice. The soundtrack is fitting for each stage and location. The majority of it is electronica/techno based, I'm guessing, but all in all it's fitting for the stages. Whether it be the calm snow level, or the high-energy Electric Fountain, it all works together nicely.



Graphics: Keeping in mind that Tekken 6 is a 2-year old game, the graphics are beautiful, really. The character models look great, each character flows smoothly and fluidly, and they just look great. From Zafina's creepy bug-influenced fighting style, to watching the graceful Elbow and Knee blows of Bruce, Tekken 6 truly is a treat for the eyes. Until you see it in a nice-sized HDTV, you can't really judge it or give an honest opinion. As the saying goes, seeing literally is believing. The stages look great, from the rustic mountain dojo, to the high-energy Electric "Light Show" Fountain. The ripples look great when you move through the water, it's just all so smooth, and just a true sight to behold. Keeping in mind that this game is 2 years old, the graphics are great.

No amount of still shots can capture the beauty of Tekken 6. It must be seen in motion.

Replay Value: With tons of unlockables, and the amazing depth, there's no reason why you couldn't sink hundreds of hours into this game. If you're a casual player, you do have online to play other people around the world with, and the unlockables, but in all reality, if you're playing Tekken 6, chances are you've either thought about playing in tournaments, or you ARE playing in tournaments, in which case it increases the replay value even more.



Final Thoughts/Closing Comments:

All in all, Tekken 6 is the complete package. It's got something for everyone here. A casual player can pick it up and enjoy it, but if you're not going to spend time with it, then put it back on the shelf, and go play Thomas The Tank Engine. Because only when you start learning a character and the entire game itself does Tekken 6 truly shine as a great fighting game. The visuals are great, the gameplay is smooth, and the entertainment factor is there. But a rushed Scenario Campaign, overpriced items that force you to play the pretty Scenario Campaign are a bit of a downer, and the online should have been great to begin with, not making you wait for a patch. Thankfully the patch actually worked and the online is pretty good now, but the fact that it wasn't great from the get-go is a disappointment. Step it up, Namco, we know you can do better.


Pros:

-Great Visuals
-Incredibly Deep Gameplay
-Customization has been improved


Cons:
-Only hardcore Tekken Fans will get their money's worth
-Rushed Scenario Campaign isn't that much fun
-Can be a little intimidating for new players at first




Rating: 9.0

Stick Building/SSF4 Update!

So first up, I've been busy lately so I haven't been able to update, unfortunately. Something called Life has been keeping my time occupied. So a week or so ago I acquired a new Fight Stick case in a trade, so I figured I'd just gut my current Madcatz Standard Edition Fight Stick and swap everything into the new case. So let's dive into a little bit of the process and what all transpired.

So it finally came in the mail today. Super happy about that, being that this is my first "custom build". Normally I've just swapped parts, so this is the first one I'm putting together. Anyways I immediately jumped into building the stick, but it wasn't without some hiccups. I'll post the pics first and then elaborate. Here it is, still not 100% finished though.

Pic #1

Pic #2


So first up I ran into a problem mounting the joystick. 2 of the screws on the mounting bracket were pretty badly stripped *thanks to madcatz's professional craftsmanship, lol*, so I couldn't get it off. However, it was just a hair off of slipping through , so I filed part of the wood down really slightly, and it slipped through without a problem. The screws wouldn't actually fasten for some reason, so I just pushed them in and left the plexi on. The plexi is putting enough pressure on the screws to keep the stick nice and secure, so it's all good. And lastly, it's a bit cramped inside, so i'm going to do a bit of re-adjusting and moving, if I can.


My final to-do list:

-Add some artwork. *You can view what I plan to have on it. Click Here. I wanted a simpler layout, and trying to have the cards "shooting" out of the buttons.*
-I gotta get a pink balltop, since it's a stock Madcatz stick the pink balltop I have doesn't fit. :(
-2 extra buttons on the way to fill the Start/Select, got a couple green ones on the way. I don't have them wired up, because the start and select buttons were soldered, and don't have QD's. This stick will be strictly for tournament play anyways.


Kind of amateur, but I'm really happy with it so far. ^__^


Then I've been busy trying to take care of things while dad was in the hospital. He's been holding fluid for a long time now, and it's been making life really really hard for him. He was having a hard time breathing, walking, and just doing his daily routine. Finally he went to the cardiologist seeing if there was anything else to be done, but there wasn't anything else to do except either A.) Go to the hospital and get the fluid drained, or B.) Go home and die. He went with option A, and went in. He was in for about 8 days, and lost a grand total of around 110 lbs of fluid. His clothes no longer fit him, and he looks really different. Better, really. He's out of the woods, and he's on the road to losing some more weight, and we're all here to support him and be there for him when he needs it. We're trying to be more on the lower-sodium diet with him, as well. It's not too bad, but if it helps him, then it's worth it.


Next up we got a new trailer for Super Street Fighter 4. This trailer confirms the inclusion of Cody, Guy and Adon. So combined with Dee Jay, T. Hawk and Juri, that's technically 6 of the, and I quote from several interviews with Seth Killian ,"8 ish new characters". So far the rumored list is coming true, so this would leave Dudley, Ibuki, Makoto, and one new character that's rumored to be another grappler. Like SSF4 needs more grapplers. Pffft.

You can view the trailer here:



2 things I'd like to note:

-It sounds like they've remixed all of the character's original themes from the older games to go with SSF4. Nice touch.
-The English voice acting. I'm kind of disappointed with Dee Jay and T. Hawk, for a couple of reasons. I guess I should've expected Dee Jay's voice, but it just seems unfitting to me for some reason. T. Hawk just sounds too young, IMO. You see this massive tower of muscle before you, and he sounds like my older brother when he was a teenager. Terrible. I'm sure it'll grow on me as time goes on, but for the moment i'm kind of disappointed. The other characters so far sound pretty good. Adon is still sounding great, Cody sounds like a cocky street punk, Guy sounds cool, and Juri sounds good as well. Pretty satisfied with those voices, and the animation of the attacks look really nice as well.


As for my thoughts on the "new" characters so far:

-Guy. I'm really hoping that he isn't a pile of trash, and that he'll be actually usable. I think Alpha 2 was his best version, from what I heard, *don't quote me on it, though* so hopefully they bring that version back. I'd really like him to be usable, since he's really cool to watch when he's fighting.
-Adon. Sounds really cool, and he looks relatively stylish. I'm guessing he'll be pretty strong, or at least hoping he will be. I really liked using him in Alpha 3, he was a rather unique character, I thought.
-Cody. Good to see he still has his knife back in SSF4. I heard that his second Ultra will only be able to be used if he has his knife. We've seen the one where he doens't have to use it, so hopefully it'll be somewhat useful. Throwing rocks was his projectile, and his uppercut, when used as a jab version wasn't too bad. EX version should be pretty good, I'm guessing that it will be something like a combination of Sagat's EX Tiger Uppercut and Ryu's EX Hurricane Kick.

Can't wait for spring of 2010. And let's keep our fingers crossed and hope that Dudley, Ibuki and Makoto are in! ^_^

So I'll leave it at that, I'm happy that Dad's fine now, and everything is good at the moment. I'll have a review of Tekken 6 coming up soon, as well, since I played a lot of it the past week. :) Lastly, I'm hoping to get to one of the local Street Fighter 4/Tekken 6 tournaments soon, so I can try and get a video interview of Alucard, one of, if not the top SF4/T6 players in the state. We'll see how it works out, hopefully I'll be able to go.


Stay cool.

Inspiration

So I know I just made a post, but I ran across this, and I wanted to post it up and share it since I think it's so awesome. Let's get going.


So first up I was on EventHubs.com reading the latest posts, and there was an interview from this girl Tara, who interviewed Justin Wong, Daigo Umehara and Seth Killian. She was from the site/group called "AbleGamers", which is a group for videogamers with a handicap. She asked them if they had played any people with a handicap, and what they thought about them trying to compete. Needless to say they were all for it, and were very supportive. In the interview a couple of the big names mentioned were "The One Handed Terror", and "The Real NOM4D". The One Handed Terror is just what he sounds like. He was born with only a right hand. His left hand didn't fully develop, so he has a bit of a stump for a left hand. Somehow he figured out how to use a fightstick with it, and he's done pretty well competitively. Went out to Evo and got to play with the best players there. He's hung up the towel on the competitive scene, but honestly, I hope he goes back into it. It's such an inspiration to see him play. On a random note, I think I played him on XBL before. His name sounded really familiar. Anyways, here is a video of him introducing himself and giving a bit of his backstory:




Next up is "TheRealNOM4D". He was born paralyzed from the waist down. Sound impossible to play? Think again. He uses his face. Literally. He took an interest in video games, and he just "evolved" with each controller that came out, and figured out how to use it. Here's a video of a news spot he had on TV:



Quick little note. The NOM4D layout in COD4 was actually made specifically with him in mind. Kinda neat, actually. But all in all, I find it really inspiring to see people like these going strong, and being able to compete. It makes me want to push even harder to try and get better. Seeing these guys work with these two handicaps is just amazing, and again, I'm sure it's inspiring for a lot of people out there, myself included.


So that's about it. Nothing else to report, so I'm gonna go crash for the night. It's a new week, with the possibilities of new thrills, frustrating situations and just plain laugh-out-loud moments. This is Q, signing off. As usual, Robo-Ky says "Stay Cool."

My hand hurts...

So I got to hang out with Micaiah today, which was pretty cool. We decided to play Marvel Vs Capcom 2, since I brought my TE fight stick over. At first it was a bit boring, because all Micaiah was doing was complaining that I spam the same move with Sentinel. Which I do, since I don't know any combos with him for the moment, lol. I decided to switch it up and start picking random teams, obviously picking the better characters, but then I started mixing in some terrible characters for kicks and giggles. I ended up using Magneto/Juggernaut/Storm, which isn't too bad of a team, since Magneto and Storm are two "God" tiers in the game, but I don't know how to use 'em too much. That all changed today.


Micaiah went a few rounds, then decided to take a break and let the others play. They were just gluttons for punishment. I figured we'd play a few rounds each, then we'd move on to something else to do. Nope. After winning 55 straight rounds they finally quit, but we weren't without our battle scars. Timmy ended up getting a blister on his left thumb from using the D-Pad so much, and my left hand was just killing me from going crazy on the joystick. Using Magneto gets a bit rough after a while. Needless to say, I now have a basic idea of how Magneto should be played, after all this. Although it's not like I'll be going competitive with it any time soon.


Granted they aren't the best marvel players, but it was still fun, all in all. It's always fun chilling with friends and having fun. :) Anyways, that ought to do it for now, I guess.


Q signing off. Robo-Ky says "Take It Easy." lol.

I Got Next/Online Tournament

So I just recently watched a documentary called "I Got Next". It's been out for a month or so now I think, and it's really good. Essentially it's a documentary on the fighting game scene. It primarily focuses on Street Fighter 4, and what it's single-handedly done to bring back Street Fighter competition, other than the two big tournaments in the USA. *Season's Beatings and Evolution* It was created by Ian Cofino, who originally started this as a school project, but the hype and the support from fans, friends and family grew and turned it into much more than just a simple documentary. You can check out the trailer below.


*Be sure to click the black "HD" button once the video starts! Helps increase the quality.*



I also recently competed in a small online tournament for Street Fighter 4. One of my buddies from a forum that I used to be on got ahold of me on PSN, and said he was holding a tournament with a bunch of the members that used to be competitive with SF4 on the forum. Winner got a brand new fightstick. I think the number of entrants were around 15 or so. Everybody in the tournament thought that I had been slacking off and not playing competitively, or just playing in general. They thought I had washed up. They were wrong. I came in and swept the competition. As for the fight stick I won, I was pretty excited after finding out which one I was getting. A Hori Real Arcade Pro 3, or an HRAP3 for short. It's the Special Edition, which means that it's all Sanwa parts instead of the terrible stock Hori parts. Meaning that I don't have to do any modding whatsoever, which is a plus.


Also I received my Tekken 5 Hori Stick in the mail a couple days ago. The circle button doesn't work, probably from a bad connection/bad soldering, from what I can see. I need to go pick up a soldering gun to get this taken care of, otherwise it's just an over-sized paperweight, or I got a nice Blazblue Stick, lol. *Since Blazblue only uses 4 buttons* Either way I really got to fix this, 'cause I also got that Hori EX2 stick coming in that's gonna need to be modded.



Alright, so that just about sums this blog up. This is Q, signing off.

Tournament Edition Stick/SSF4 Info!

What's up people? Q here, and guess what? Decided to get a blog. Figured it'd be a good way to rant and rave for the things that I enjoy, or the things I disagree with, and to just post my daily drama that I sometimes have to go through. Plus it's a good way for me to practice web design, I guess. Go me. Anyways, let's cut to the chase and get on with a massive first blog entry containing all sorts of stuff that you guys probably couldn't give 2 cents about.


So I got my Tournament Edition Fight Stick today. Hooray. Bad rhymes, I know. *I swear, it wasn't intentional. Seriously.* I got it for free, actually. Back when Street Fighter 4 came out in February this year, I got a message from some guy that was on the forums I was on, wanting some tutoring help. I went along with it, and helped him out for a few weeks. He had a tournament in his area that he was going to compete in, and he ended up taking top 3. For appreciation, he said he was going to send me a fight stick since he knew I wanted one. Awesome, right? Nope. He ended up getting kicked out of his apartment with his wife and kid, so I told him not to worry about it, and just send it when he could. Well, that was back in March/April, but then I got a message from him a week or so ago, saying he was back on his feet and moved into a new apartment/condo. He said that he got my Xbox Live message to all my friends, stating that I had traded in my Xbox 360 for a PS3. He had bought a Tournament Edition Fight Stick for the PS3 to send me, and he was sending it out. Totally cool with me.

So it finally gets here today. I open it up, and plug it in, all ready to test it out. Well, being that I live in "John's World", *fancy name for the "Twilight Zone", basically. Where nothing EVER goes as planned* I had a feeling it wouldn't go right. Of course it didn't. The guy had tried out some arcade parts he bought on the stick, and re-installed the joystick improperly. So out comes the toolbox to take this sucker apart. Re-positioned the joystick, but was only able to fasten 2 screws instead of the 4 required, because the mounting plate for the joystick wasn't meant to be put in the position it's in. But hey, it works, and it's solidly mounted, so it's not going anywhere. Time to test the buttons. Yep, you guessed it. He re-wired the buttons incorrectly. Away to the forums we went looking for the original wiring setup. Found it, and yet again, you guessed it. He re-wired it differently from the default wire setup. So after a few hours of trial-and-error, I finally got the right wires to the right buttons, and all was well. We did have a casualty, though. My hand accidentally slipped, and one of the quick disconnects came off the wire, so now I have to re-crimp the wire. I just swiped a same-color wire from the Xbox 360 fight stick I already have to make sure this works. Gotta head to the hardware store to try and replace it, or else it's a dead duck.



So that's taken care of. Now I got a Hori EX2 Fight Stick coming in for the Xbox 360 that I'm going to try and mod, just to see what I can do with it, and to try and learn how to solder, possibly. Who knows. Also got another message from the guy above, and he said he's sending some extra arcade parts for the trouble I had. Awesome. Good thing I kept my laptop box. That's right, I'm going to try and turn my laptop box into a fight stick, since I know for sure it's possible. If people can use shoeboxes and tupperware containers, why not a laptop box? Even has a convenient carrying handle.


In other news, picked up a Fallout 3 GOTY Edition Strategy Guide at Gamestop today. Over 800 pages big. It's like a bible, seriously. Everything you could possibly imagine is covered. Also, I had heard rumors of Super Street Fighter 4 being able to be reserved, so I asked the store associate. I was happy to be informed that they WERE taking reserves. I reached in my wallet and slapped down $5 faster than you can say "It's MAHVEL BAYBEE!" *inside joke, you probably won't get it* Turns out that store employees get first dibs, so other than the manager reserving his copy, I'm the first person to reserve it. Looks like their nickname of "The Street Fighter Kid" for me is living up and going strong.




Speaking of Super Street Fighter 4, we do have some quote-on-quote "Unofficial" character portraits of the new characters:

Dee Jay


T. Hawk


Dee Jay and T. Hawk were requested to be in Street Fighter 4, but never made the cut. Due to the demand for another Street Fighter game, and several petitions and hundreds of thousands of e-mails requesting that they be released as Street Fighter 4 DLC, they were a no-brainer to include in the cast for Super Street Fighter 4. Now for the new girl:

Juri


She seems to be an interesting looking character. Judging by the trailer, which you can see below, she seems to have the same "Psycho Drive" that M. Bison *AKA Dictator for you hard-core fans out there* has. Plus she's all kicks, so she'll be an interesting character to use, to say the least. Couple of things to point out from the trailer below:

At 1:47 she seems to have an attack that's similar to Dudley's "Cross Counter" from 3rd Strike. Interesting. That Ultra Combo she does at 1:52 looks pretty nasty, as well.

Here's the trailer showcasing all 3 characters:


So that should wrap it up. If you've managed to last this long and have read all of this, I applaud you. So in closing, I have 2 words:

GET HYPE.

This is Q, signing off. Robo-Ky says "Stay Cool."