It’s been 10 years since Tekken 6, and 6 years since Tekken Tag Tournament 2. The franchise has been in the dark for many players for several years, with only a few Japanese arcades allowing a new Tekken game to see the light of day. But with just over a month left remaining before Tekken 7 hits stores and Steam, it’s time to take stock of the reasons why Tekken 7 is slated to be a game that deserves to be paid attention to. Here’s why we should be hyped:
1) The game has been in development for a long time.
It’s no secret more and more people are complaining about the lack of well polished games these days. Mass Effect Andromeda is the example to go to recently, but we can look back on the lackluster and buggy releases of several other titles over the past year or so. Street Fighter V, Assassin’s Creed Unity, No Man’s Sky, and etc. Tekken 7, however, has been been out in limited arcades since March of 2015, and has been receiving updates to its combat engine and balancing since then. Hoping for a perfect and flawless title is always out of the question, but the odds are very high that Bandai Namco will release a product of very high quality.
2) It will be the first mainstream Tekken game released for PC.
While it’s true that Street Fighter X Tekken is on PC, it was more of a Capcom crossover game that favored the physics of Street Fighter. This will be the first time a main entry will make its way to PC, and this is exciting for several reasons. The PC community will have access to another big budget fighting game, something that the PC library has always lacked. There will be the support of mods and high-end rigs that will help increase the lifespan of the game. Not to mention that playing online for free will be a big boost in getting people to connect and learn the game from one another.
3) The Unreal 4 Physics Engine.
Tekken has always been a physics-heavy game due to the nature of how juggling combos work. It’s practically a staple of the franchise. Now that they’re using a top of the line piece of software, the input response of juggling will be even more gratifying to pull off. Tekken 7 is meant to be the biggest and most elaborate production the fighting game genre has ever seen, and this new physics engine will help Bandai Namco pull out all the stops when it comes to achieving this goal.
4) The tournament scene.
Just as Street Fighter V continues to evolve through its tournament scene, there’s much to hope for with Tekken doing the same. The game has already been having several tournaments across the world lately, most notably the King of the Iron First Tournament back in December of last year. It was a grand gesture referencing the tournament from the series’ own canon, and served as a major PR stunt to gain some momentum for the upcoming game. Once Tekken 7 officially drops in Western audience’s homes, more and more people will be practicing and participating in the global fight. There will finally be another game in the eSports of the FGC besides Street Fighter that can deliver the hype, salt, rivalries and triumphs that makes watching competitive gaming so grand in the first place.
5) Akuma from Street Fighter.
Akuma ia of the most well-known characters from SF (and one of my personal favorites), making this is a big deal. This is like when Link was announced to be in Soul Calibur 2. Having Akuma in the game is not only a great way to get Street Fighter fans into Tekken, but he acts as a wild card among the game’s roster. He has trademark abilities like his purple fireball, hurricane kicks, shoryukens, and his well-known finisher, Wrath of the Raging Demon.
Akuma also retains two mechanics from Street Fighter that all characters had, bringing in more general SF concepts as well as his own personal fighting style. The charge attack that can be canceled with a dash (known as an FADC, or Focus Attack / Dash Cancel), and an EX bar that builds meter over the course of a round, allowing him to spend it to release stronger versions of his regular special attacks.
Street Fighter veteran Poongko has already spent a lot of time in Tekken tournaments exclusively using Akuma, and has gotten several wins and Top 3 places. This compilation showcases just what this character is capable of in the hands of a truly skilled player.
Tekken 7 releases on Steam, PS4 and Xbox One on June 2nd.
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