Message opinions December 13, 2023, 18:23
We’ve played the full version of Tekken 8 and we already know what to expect from Bandai Namco’s new fighting game. Is it worth waiting for the next chapter of the tournament for the title of “king of the iron fist”? We already know.
Photo source: Bandai Namco
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Thanks to Cenega, I had the opportunity to take part in a pre-release event where the audience could test what was basically the final build of Tekken 8. It was a complete version of the game offering full content and a pool of characters. Of course, there is still some time before the premiere – it will take place on January 26 next year – so the creators can still improve some cosmetic and gameplay balance elements. However, there will be no fundamental changes to the game, so I could form a preliminary opinion about it and compare it with how this fighting game looked during the two previous beta tests.
The creators of Tekken 8 listen very closely to the voices of the community
I admit that the past year has been particularly busy for me with fighting games, which I have been playing addictively in recent months. As a person with a keen interest in this genre, I have been following the eighth Tekken basically since the moment I saw Kazui’s photorealistic appearance announcing the new chapter of this cult series.
Therefore, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to take part in the first beta tests, after which I shared my impressions with you. The first beta showed, above all, that the team was guided by a clear guiding principle, although at the same time the studio went too far and went too far in the philosophy of creating an extremely aggressive fighting game. Tekken 8 appeared as total destruction shining with the glow of a thousand special effects in the name of building drama. Warriors clashed with fists, the earth cracked, lightning crackled, and fluffy alpacas jumped in the background!
Aggression Bonus: +4,000.Tekken 8, Bandai Namco, 2024.
In fact, most of my comments from the first text became outdated already when the second beta started – the game, although still extremely aggressive, made a much better and more sensible impression. The build from the show goes a step further and initially looks like an even more well-thought-out fighting game that has been appropriately improved – taking into account user opinions and comments from both test participants and professional players.
It is clear that the creators have not only drawn conclusions, but above all are implementing sensible changes. Of course, Tekken wouldn’t be itself without exaggerated juggling of the opponent, so juggles are still a permanent element of the game. However, the damage relative to the beta has been slightly reduced. By combining them with the Heat system, you can increase the damage or extend it due to better wall carry, in order to drag the opponent to the murderous wall faster. Additionally, the Heat condition is no longer as deadly and its duration has been slightly shortened and block damage has been toned down. However, time will come to discuss this in more detail.
The fights in Tekken 8 are a huge dose of condensed adrenaline
Next to Mortal Kombat, Tekken is the most popular fighting game in Poland. This is due not only to the strong position of the first PlayStation and the scene that was born with the epic “3” (and became seriously felt with the fifth installment of the series). Tekken is popular because it is perfect for “Sunday” gaming and even simple pressing of random keys always “does something” and “looks somehow”, transitioning into smooth sequences of attack animations – it is not without reason that the neighborhoods were often terrorized by self-proclaimed capoeira masters playing Eddy . It’s always easy to get to the amateur level in Tekken, and it’s a lot of fun and excitement when meeting with a group of friends. “Osema”, it seems, goes even harder in this direction. I feel that this will be a perfect game for both serious competition and casual “clicking” over a beer and pizza with friends. I had a foretaste of this at the show, where the entire group enthusiastically followed the competition participants’ clashes and a series of subsequent fights – a magical moment full of screams and loud cheering. Local competition in fighting games is unique and provides an experience that cannot be replicated, and in Tekken 8 you can feel it especially strongly. The show did not disappoint in this respect and was a fun-filled experience.
Tekken 8, Bandai Namco, 2024.
During it and while watching the struggles of other players, it became clear to me that Tekken 8 reaches out even more to newcomers. Therefore, the combat system has been simplified in several respects. I noticed that some of the more manually complicated movements have been made easier – such gehosen (and similar movements) performed by Yoshimitsu can now be performed by simply pressing diagonal with the fist instead of CD+1. By the way, Yoshik got a lot of animations, movements and several mechanics from Soul Calibur 6. I’m very happy about it, because firstly he seems more solid, and secondly – he looks great during combat. As for commands, the standard ones are still present and reward with an additional bonus. Another example of simplification is the standardization of deadly rage arts and now each character performs them in the same way. I also consider it as a relief that some very risky things are now more difficult to be punished in the block. The biggest help, however, will be the alternative control scheme, which has been slightly developed since the beta. I will try to explain all this more on the day of release and during the review – I have to leave something for now, because I won’t have anything to write about, and a proper analysis requires a little more time spent with the game. Now I want to say one thing – Tekken 8 will be a really cool fighting game for casual play, and I already know that it will be a good start to my adventure with this genre.
The king’s new clothes
During the show, I played through the initial few chapters of the story mode. The first thing that caught my eye was… uneven graphics. So far, I have been delighted with the quality of graphics in Tekken 8, but the longer I look at it, the more and more poorly made assets I see. The pre-rendered scenes pretending to be cutscenes in the game engine make a nasty impression – they clearly stand out and were recorded in low resolution, which is why they are simply blurry. The environment is different, but generally OK. However, you can pick on a few characters. Steve’s face is unnaturally swollen, as if the guy had undergone a botched hyaluronic acid injection. The previously mentioned Yoshimitsu looks as if someone was playing with the sliders responsible for contrast and color saturation – as a result, this character stands out in a strange way from the rest of the warriors. Aesthetes accustomed to the stunning visual quality of recent Mortal Kombat installments will turn up their nose at all this, although I generally like Tekken more – if only because of the more stylized artistic setting. Don’t get me wrong. Tekken 8 can impress with its detailed graphics and it is clear that the creators spared no budget on it, but at the same time it has a few unevenly made elements that have a slightly negative impact on the overall look. Will they be improved by the time of release? I hope so.
The spectacle – excuse the biscuits – is out of this world. Tekken 8, Bandai Namco, 2024.
And the story mode itself is, of course, a long and spectacular session, again reminiscent of the solutions of NetherRealm Studios. However, Tekken is distinguished by QTEs, which allow us, for example, to decide whether during a cutscene the character should defend a scripted attack or avoid it to perform a counterattack. Then there is a smooth transition to a normal duel and the fight resumes. Also keep one thing in mind – the new Tekken is basically an anime with a completely “over the top” character, and the word “overkill” seems to have disappeared from the creators’ dictionary. During the initial fight with Kazuya, the opponent can turn into a devil and then fire a beam that destroys the entire city during a cutscene, killing all its terrified inhabitants. There will be plenty of such actions while completing the story and I am sure that we will witness a lot of madness. After all, one of the arenas was set on a meteorite falling on the Earth visible in the background – seriously.
Great foundations and huge potential
I had a really great time during the demo, and the game left an extremely positive impression on me, although I also have a few concerns about it. However, I believe that these will be resolved during the premiere. Remember that it is impossible to evaluate a fighting game well before its actual debut, but at this moment and after the corrections introduced after beta testing, I am confident about the quality and success of Tekken 8. On paper, this game has everything it should offer at the start, and has a gigantic potential for future development. It looks very good, has a great set of characters and a lot of good single-player content, as well as exceptionally well-thought-out online features. It’s solid, and it may (but doesn’t have to) be even better in the future. However, the first months will be decisive, when players will break down the system’s intricacies into prime factors. Then we will see how this title will stand the test of time. However, the pre-premiere show generally confirms that the creators know exactly what they are doing. This gives us hope that Tekken 8 will debut in really great shape and will proudly represent the entire genre in the coming years.
2023-12-13 17:23:00
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