REVIEW: Tekken 6 – XBOX360

It’s been nearly a half decade since the last Tekken game hit consoles. And Tekken 6 continues the legacy of great fighting games, touting the largest roster in Tekken history and more game modes than you can shake an aracde stick at.

The game has 40 playable characters. And unlike a lot of fighting games in the past, you don’t have to continuously grind through the game to unlock everybody. Everyone’s unlocked from the start. Tekken 6 is deep, but still accessible. If you’re not exactly a fighting game nut, worry not. You can pick up a controller and still do plenty of damage without worrying about terms like “combos” and “juggles.” However, the seasoned pro will easily lay waste to your Eddie Gordo’s arbitrary breakdancing. The diversity in the characters is great, and I couldn’t find a single one of the 6 new fighters that I disliked.

And Tekken 6 has a buttload of modes. Smartly organized in two main categories: online and offline. Arcade is a standard affair, though I could have done without the larger-than-life final boss. Ghost Mode is a better alternative: it’s similar to arcade mode, but it keeps on going for as long as you feel like playing. Team Mode is a cool addition and adds variety to the gameplay, but you can’t “tag out” as in Tekken Tag Tournament, you change characters only when your current fighter is KO’d. Time Attack and Survival Mode are both nothing new to fighting games, but are still a hell of a lot of fun when playing solo.

New this time around is the Campaign Scenario mode. Imagine a 3D Streets of Rage, except less fun. Though this mode is great for scoring in-game currency and unlockables, it’s a ultimately tedious grind as the gameplay pales in comparison to the rest of Tekken and the controls are wacky. Also, there are wayyy too many cutscenes. While some of them look nice enough, they drag on to no end. For example, there’s just about fiften minutes of (mostly nonsensical) cutscenes at the start of Campaign Scenario, before you even have to touch the controller.

The customization in Tekken 6 is deep. However unlocking new outfits for your fighter takes a hefty amount of in-game currency and feels somewhat limited, as each character can only wear a certain number of pre-selected outfits.

While the load times do take a bit longer than they should, it’s nothing to throw a tizzy about.

Tekken 6 is pretty enough, but it certainly isn’t the prettiest game out there. Some of the levels look a little 2005, while most of the character models look pretty hot. Especially Julia. The game sounds just fine, but the generic pumping techno is sure to eventually get on anyone’s nerves. The voice acting is hit-or-miss. I found it odd that big, tall, and badass-looking newcomer Miguel was so delicately soft spoken.

Overall, if you never liked fighting games, Tekken 6 isn’t going to make you jump ship. However, if you’ve ever got an ounce of enjoyment from any fighting game ever, Tekken is certainly a game worth checking out. Everything aside, the game is fun, online modes are easy to access, and there’s enough modes and unlockables to keep you glued to your TV for hours and hours.