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Finding Closure In The Middle Of A Fighting Tournament With 'Tekken 7'

It's kinda weird to review one of the most epic fighting series on the planet when the latest incarnation has been out for two years in Japan and already has an arcade update running around. It's been nearly eight years since we've had a proper Tekken sequel on console in North America and Europe, almost five years if you're counting Tekken Tag Tournament 2 in the mix. A lot of time has passed and other franchises have stepped up and helped redefine the genre in the modern console era. So as we slip our copy into the PS4 we have to ask ourselves one question: Where does Tekken 7 stand these days?

credit//Bandai Namco
credit//Bandai Namco

Tekken 7 starts off by being a history lesson, a recap, and a current story all at the same time. This is done to both catch old fans up about what's happening and introduce new fans to the series if they've never picked up a Tekken title before. The events that started this entire ordeal, Heihachi Mishima beating up his son Kazuya and tossing him off a cliff, are presented in a 1-on-1 fight for you to relive. The game essentially takes a page from the latest Mortal Kombat titles and recounts past events by having you fight through them. Then the game will send you to the present where you'll do combat against random foes and main characters in the storyline.

credit//Bandai Namco
credit//Bandai Namco

Without giving anything away, this particular story is focused on being the final chapter of the Mishima saga, including Jin and Heihachi's wife Kazumi. In the middle of all this, you're following the life of a reporter who has his entire life destroyed as part of the war between G Corporation and Mishima Zaibatsu (Tekken 6). He decides to get to the heart of the entire war, which is what tells the story of the past, while we watch Heihachi start a new King Of Iron Fist tournament for his own nefarious reasons. While the story jumps around between events from previous games and the current story, it doesn't feel jarring or like I'm being thrown all over the place. There's a reason for everything that happens.

credit//Bandai Namco
credit//Bandai Namco

As far as the fighting goes in Tekken 7, there's a lot of positives and some drawbacks. First off, this is the cleanest and smoothest fighting I have ever had in a Tekken game since the series started. Hits are instantly registered, moves happen when you want them to happen, jumps aren't just a floating open spot, and blocking actually makes a difference. Whatever mechanics or complaints I've had in the past have all seemingly been dealt with, and new mechanics have been thrown in to make them stand out.

The first is the Power Crush, which is a defensive mechanism that allows you to absorb your opponent's hits and turn them back around on them for a powerful hit. Think of it as being Bishop from the X-Men. Whatever energy they waste on you, you can throw it back at them for a hard stunning shot. The second is Rage Art and Rage Drive, which is Tekken's answer to the special moves from Injustice with the slight issue that you have to be near death. When you reach 25% health, you'll start to glow red like you're on fire. These moves work like Power Crush for a moment when you absorb hits and turn them into wicked destructive moves, but they are not an invincibility shield or guaranteed win. If you miss, you are left open and can be defeated pretty quickly. But, the lower in life you are, the greater the damage dealt.

credit//Bandai Namco
credit//Bandai Namco

The drawback to a lot of this is that you're still fighting in an arcade style of game, and Tekken is starting to show it's age. Not like the genre of arcade fighters has grown much compared to console-based fighters since the early '00s beyond graphics and additional mechanics for anyone, but it does at times feel like Tekken is stuck in the past with itself. Maybe that's just observational from playing all of the games over the years, maybe that's nostalgia creeping in, or maybe that's what the story has made me think of since we're twenty years later and it's still a blood feud that fuels these games.

The one area the arcade shines at is the online competition, where you and everyone else in the world are on the same level. Patiently waiting for the next battle while waiting for them to choose the character, neither of you seeing who the other chose until the fight kicks off. I have zero complaints about the online fighting other than it may take a while to match you up. But this also feels like a slight add-on to the game, much like the cosmetic additions you can make to your fighter profile for online, or the costumes you can purchase with in-game currency from winning battles. The one add-on that made me feel both old and special inside was the inclusion of all the previous Tekken soundtracks, which you can play at any time in the menus.

credit//Bandai Namco
credit//Bandai Namco

The biggest and most satisfying payoff to this all is the story, which finally answers a lot of questions about the family and brings closure to many questions that people have had about the series since Tekken 2 started giving it a deeper meaning than just people fighting in a tournament. It's not going to be a cure-all for fans, in fact, I'm sure this will start up a new level of anger and outrage when they discover who the final boss is and get answers as to what the hell is actually going on here. But at least it's closure, which is something the Tekken series has always been in short supply of. Every game feels like it's just building to the next game with random side characters and subplots that mean nothing while you get to the eventual family feud. While this one follows that same pattern, at least the ending gives some ray of hope that whenever they make Tekken 8, it will be a brand new story with something different to offer.

credit//Bandai Namco
credit//Bandai Namco

Tekken 7 is exactly what I hoped for with a few spots that didn't live up to expectations. Online fighting is fine, the weird customization of profiles and characters that add nothing to the battle are alright, and the story is far more coherent than a lot of the game's predecessors. That being said, this game could have been a lot more of they explored the other characters with greater depth and didn't just make it about the Mishima family like we've seen over and over. It makes me happy on a certain level to see that grand saga come to an end and the possibility for something new the next time they make a game. As for right now, it's a damn fine fighter that fans of old and new will enjoy.


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Gavin SheehanAbout Gavin Sheehan

Gavin is the current Games Editor for Bleeding Cool. He has been a lifelong geek who can chat with you about comics, television, video games, and even pro wrestling. He can also teach you how to play Star Trek chess, be your Mercy on Overwatch, recommend random cool music, and goes rogue in D&D. He also enjoys hundreds of other geeky things that can't be covered in a single paragraph. Follow @TheGavinSheehan on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Vero, for random pictures and musings.
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