Title: Tekken 7 – A little bit of old, a little bit of new.
Author: Stunt
Recovered Author: Stunt
Published Date: 2017-06-13
Original URL: https://geeknode.co.za/2017/06/tekken-7-little-bit-old-little-bit-new
Wayback URL: https://web.archive.org/web/20171027052424id_/http://www.geeknode.co.za/2017/06/tekken-7-little-bit-old-little-bit-new/
Recovery Confidence: high

- Developer Bandai Namco Studios
- Publisher Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Distributor Megarom
- Where we got our copy Megarom
- Genre Fighter
- Game modes Multiplayer
- Players 2
- Reviewed on Xbox One

- Available on PC, Playstation 4

- Where to buy Xbox One , Playstation , Steam ,

- Stunt

- 5 months ago

- 0 0

Bandai Namco’s Tekken is undoubtedly one of the founders of the Arcade-Fighter genre and since it premiered in 1994 it has stood firm through every generation. With Tekken 7, another successful chapter of the Mishima family saga and the “King of Iron Fist” tournament is unveiled this time on current generation consoles and PC.

Heihachi Mishima returns (once again) to host the “King of the Iron Fist” tournament following a brutal attack on his family during the World War, precipitated by Jin. What’s brand new in this iteration however, is the way the story is told, in the same vein as the Injustice and Mortal Kombat, it follows a more progressive telling of the story. Sharing similarities with what Injustice established, but still managing to set itself apart with two narrative perspectives and unique design styles. It quickly becomes evident though, that this is not enough as the story is arguably the worst thing about Tekken 7. Even though it does finally give some backstory to the feud between Kazuya and Heihachi (father and grandfather of Jin) everything else about it is just bad. Now this would not have been an issue a few years ago because Arcade-Fighters aren’t narrative marvels, they’re technical, skill driven beat-em-ups. But since a new standard has been set by the more modern fighters, there’s some expectation from the story. Sadly Tekken 7’s story feels like nothing more than a 3 hour tutorial filled with elements that resemble mimicry of other franchises more than it does originality. A good example of this would be the SMG sequence in Chapter 4 where you take on a stream of enemies but are almost forced to use a Submachinegun at the oddest of times, like directly after pulling off a combo and just as you prepare for the next one. Even though I appreciate the gesture of keeping the narrative clear, it completely broke immersion with its weak implementation – it would have been way better had the focus been purely on fighting, which Tekken does really well.

And to make matters worse the story is centered around the Mishimas leaving out many core, beloved characters from being fleshed out a little more. But hey, we have arcade mode endings right!? Nope… Unlike previous Tekken games, when you win the final boss fight of your characters arcade run, you no longer get a character ending, but instead the same credit roll for them all.

Fortunately, Tekken 7 holds firm in the gameplay department, which is ultimately all that matters. The series has always been a technically complex, three-dimensional fighter which was as easy to pick up and play as it was difficult to master. Tekken 7 is no different in this regard, besides it maybe being more forgiving with combos and juggles having reduced damage to make it more accessible and less punishing for newcomers to the series.

Boasting a massive roster of 37 playable characters (at time of writing), the sheer diversity of characters from slow, tanky hard-hitters, to agile combo-chainers makes sure that there’s something for every playstyle on the roster. Featuring most of the series regulars like Jin, Law, Nina and Kazuya it is sadly missing quite a few token characters we’ve come to love. Both Julia and Michelle Chang don’t feature in Tekken 7, nor does Lei Wulong – one of my absolute favourites in the series – which is upsetting when you see the inclusion of a character like Devil Jin, who is basically a clone character with a few different special moves, taking up a slot Lei could have filled. Director, Katsuhiro Harada, has also confirmed that none of the older cast will return as paid DLC, so unless Bandai Namco will be releasing free character DLC, it seems there’s a chance that we won’t see some of our favourites return to Tekken 7. The lack of Lei is atoned for (for me at least) with the inclusion of Akuma, from Street Fighter fame. Being my favourite SF character by far, I really love seeing him in Tekken 7!

If anything else can make up for Lei being off the roster, it’s the character customisation that have been added. Featuring the option of customising your character to almost unlimited variations of uniqueness, this will definitely please other fans who aren’t too happy with how their favourite characters look in this entry of Tekken. The source of these cosmetic items is tied to a new game mode named Treasure Battle. Although it provides extended singleplayer longevity, Treasure Battle Mode (TBM) lacks in variety, which does make it feel like a grind after a while. With the only other way to procure cosmetic items being Online Tournaments, TBM will remain the go to mode to earn your custom items, even if it’s a painful grind.

Now as gameplay goes, Tekken 7 seems to take less risks than previous titles, but still manages to bring something new to the table. With all the beloved dynamics still in play like crush, breakable environments and bound (which has been modified for the worst, mind you) they’ve added a new Rage system. A two part mechanic, which can allow you to either interrupt attacks or mitigate massive combos, rage is quite the game changer.

The first, Rage Arts (RA), allows you to deliver a super blow that interrupts your opponents combo and is capable of pushing right through to them and dealing massive damage. RA can only be triggered once your characters health drops below 25%, you’re given a visual cue as you character glows red, the lower you health the more damage you do. RA serves as one of the saltiest ways to finish an opponent by far and I love it!

The second is Rage Drive (RD), way more advanced than RA, RD is very character specific. Also fueled by low health, this time your character will glow blue and you’ll have frame advantage (basically like an EX move from Street Fighter) it gives you a block advantage and the ability to land a full combo when executed.

Rage along with all the gameplay mechanics defined by Tekken throughout the series makes Tekken 7 a perfect fit for a fighter game. Even though it does try to be something it shouldn’t, the 3-dimensional fighter still manages to hold itself up as a great fighting game with excellent collision detection, accurate controls and a very fun solid online mode (even for South Africans).

Built more for the hardcore fighter fans, than the casual player like myself, Tekken 7 is in my opinion not a must have title given the other options but definitely one for fans of the series.

Bandai Namco's Tekken is undoubtedly one of the founders of the Arcade-Fighter genre and since it premiered in 1994 it has stood firm through every generation. With Tekken 7, another successful chapter of the Mishima family saga and the "King of Iron Fist" tournament is unveiled this time on current generation consoles and PC. Heihachi Mishima returns (once again) to host the “King of the Iron Fist” tournament following a brutal attack on his family during the World War, precipitated by Jin. What’s brand new in this iteration however, is the way the story is told, in the same vein as the Injustice and Mortal Kombat, it follows a more progressive telling of the story. Sharing similarities with what Injustice established, but still managing to set itself apart with two narrative perspectives and unique design styles. It quickly becomes evident though, that this is not enough as the story is arguably the worst thing about Tekken 7. Even though it does finally give some backstory to the feud between Kazuya and Heihachi (father and grandfather of Jin) everything else about it is just bad. Now this would not have been an issue a few years ago because Arcade-Fighters aren't narrative marvels, they're technical, skill driven beat-em-ups. But since a new standard has been set by the more modern fighters, there's some expectation from the story. Sadly Tekken 7's story feels like nothing more than a 3 hour tutorial filled with elements that resemble mimicry of other franchises more than it does originality. A good example of this would be the SMG sequence in Chapter 4 where you take on a stream of enemies but are almost forced to use a Submachinegun at the oddest of times, like directly after pulling off a combo and just as you prepare for the next one. Even though I appreciate the gesture of keeping the narrative clear, it completely broke immersion with its weak implementation – it would have been way better had the focus been purely on fighting, which Tekken does really well. And to make matters worse the story is centered around the Mishimas leaving out many core, beloved characters from being fleshed out a little more. But hey, we have arcade mode endings right!? Nope... Unlike previous Tekken games, when you win the final boss fight of your characters arcade run, you no longer get a character ending, but instead the same credit roll for them all. Fortunately, Tekken 7 holds firm in the gameplay department, which is ultimately all that matters. The series has always been a technically complex, three-dimensional fighter which was as easy to pick up and play as it was difficult to master. Tekken 7 is no different in this regard, besides it maybe being more forgiving with combos and juggles having reduced damage to make it more accessible and less punishing for newcomers to the series. Boasting a massive roster of 37 playable characters (at time of writing), the sheer diversity of characters from slow, tanky hard-hitters,…

Games: Tekken 7 – A little bit of old, a little bit of new.

Games: Tekken 7 – A little bit of old, a little bit of new.

2017-06-13

Stunt

Total - 7.5

75
7.5

Tekken 7 might not be the most alluring fighting game for the casual gamer, but it definitely stands solid as a technical, skill driven fighter for hardcore fighting fans!

User Rating: 3.55 ( 1 votes)

8

The following two tabs change content below. - Bio
- Latest Posts

Stunt

Gaming Editor / Tech Author at Geek Node

Some say that he sees the world at 144 frames per second and his thumbs are actual analog sticks. All we know is he's called Stunt.

Latest posts by Stunt ( see all )

-
Games: Tekken 7 – A little bit of old, a little bit of new. - June 13, 2017

-
Video Game Review: The Surge – Good but not Great - May 30, 2017

-
Video Game Review: Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 – Being More - May 9, 2017

-
Video Game Feature: Star Wars Day – Favourite Star Wars Gaming Moments - May 4, 2017

-
Video Game Preview: First Hour Gameplay of PREY - May 2, 2017

Article Categories:
Games
