Techtite Game Reviews ---

Let's be honest. While it's nice to see another former Playstation exclusive on the "360," Xbox fans know very little about Tekken...and why should they? Dead or Alive 3 had the sole flaw of no multiplayer; a flaw which was easily solved via Dead or Alive 4. Then there are the latest entries for Street Fighter and Soul Calibur. Did Xbox 360 really need Tekken 6? The answer might surprise you: while Tekken 6 is not exactly the best fighting game of all time, it is an admirable addition to any game shelf, especially for the diehard fighting game fan.

Newbies to Tekken needn't worry. The opening of the single-player missions (here called "Campaign" mode) narrates everything that happened in Tekken 1 through 5. That's the good news. The bad news: the whole single-player story mode is all about...Lars. After that looong prologue slide show, newbies are bound to ask: "Wait; what part of the Tekken 1 to 5 back story talked about Lars?" The answer, again, might surprise you: none. Lars is a totally new character.

To be fair: devoting a sequel to a totally new character isn't a new concept for the Tekken series. Tekken 1 was all about Heihachi, while Tekken 2 was all about Kazuya, and Tekken 3 was all about Jin Kazama. Still, given how much of a "niche" these three quasi-heroes have had in the past three Tekken games, it might be a bit distressing for some fans, when they learn that the core story of Tekken 6 has little to do with the original three "main" characters at all. In fact, as we learn from the game's opening prologue; Jin Kazama is now the villain. Huh?!?

Now, I know what you're thinking: "Steve, why complain about single player mode so much? Just jump to multiplayer!" I would love to, except for one little flaw that is typical for all fighting games since Tekken 1. All the best characters are locked. You have to play Campaign mode to unlock each character. Each level of single player mode ends with a boss that is one unlockable character in Arena mode. Defeat them and you can play that character in multiplayer. The good news for single player fans; with one character unlocked per each mission, and around 40 characters in all: this means a single player campaign well over 40 levels long. The bad news for multiplayer fans: Jin Kazama is the last boss you fight, so (wait for it)...you can't play as Jin until you complete the whole Single Player Campaign. Here's hoping you're really patient!

The good news is that Single Player mode is actually quite fun, albeit a little repetitive. The enemies come in swarms and you have to fight them with the help of Alisa ("who"...? In short, she's your robotic BFF...though in her defense: she is a very formidable AI ally!). Enemies at random drop power ups ranging from health boosts to temporary power boosts, and even the occasional new attire for your character. Here's a free game tip: Do not shrug off the new attire! While you can buy a new shirt or pair of shoes with your battle money (a la Soul Calibur 4), the items earned in single player mode come with power boosts ranging from "health bar increased by 100" to "randomly freeze enemies." Cool.

[Hint!: If you don't customize your character with these newfound abilities, LONG before the final missions of single player mode, you will have a VERY hard time completing single player mode. Again: hint, hint!]

While it's a bit silly to complain about the story of a fighting game, allow me to be fair and honest: Lars is the core character of the single player campaign mode, and well...he's a pretty boring dude. He is captain of a task force which gets caught in a trap and Lars gets amnesia and soon learns...well, not much really. True: a major plot twist happens, though it leads to the most aggravating boss battle I've ever played, in all fighting game history! This is coming from someone who played Dead or Alive 4!

Yet when the dust settles and single-player mode is over for the first time, there is a lot of fun to be had. All the characters are unlocked and it's time to enjoy Arcade mode, and best of all, Multiplayer. These are the modes that made prior Tekken games so cool, and it's here where Xbox fans finally see why they should welcome Tekken to their shelf of Xbox fighting games. Feel free to customize your favorite character. Make "your" Jin Kazama stand out from the rest, in style. Then play each of the 40+ characters in Arena mode, to see each character's individual CGI-animated "finale." Some characters even have multiple endings. Cool.

Perhaps the biggest hurdle this game has is inevitable for any new fighting game: the bar has been raised...and raised...and raised. The environments are barely interactive (unlike Dead or Alive 4). The additional costume options are not half as imaginative as, say, the colorful and often bizarre costume options of Soul Calibur 4. I also must admit that the new characters, while numerous, aren't as appealing as the classic characters. When you unlock the voluptuous "Christie Montero," keep in mind she was Tekken's "new" character back in Tekken 4. Why don't they make a new character as amusing, vibrant and appealing as this?

Yet many of these picks are nitpicks, at best. This is still a finely polished fighting game and a lot of fun for single and multiplayer fans alike. It might have flaws, though to be honest; so does every fighting game on the shelf these days. Its biggest flaw is that its little flaws could have been resolved very easily with just a small "tweak" here and there. Perhaps such tweaks will happen in the obligatory Tekken 7. Let's just hope that sequel comes sooner than Tekken 6 did, with new characters that are as appealing as this game's original roster of characters are, to this very day.

	Final Rating : Large Crater. Though a fine addition to any fighting game shelf, this game's biggest flaw is how a few little mistakes could have all been removed, so very easily.
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Tekken 6

A Techtite Review by Steve Akyuz