Tekken 7 EGX Preview

When you talk about fighting games there's generally two camps you're going to be in, Tekken or Street Fighter - There's no in between. I would class myself as a Street Fighter fan but I do have a weakness for Tekken, I regularly use my Vita to sneak in a round with Law on Tekken 2. So it's fair to say I was at least intrigued by Tekken 7’ inclusion at EGX.

Unlike a lot of the other stands Tekken was set out in a much more open manner, there were no “formal” queues and no barriers. It was clearly set up in a way to encourage multiplayer bouts with people you don't know, shining a light on the genres hail Mary, competitive fighting.

First thing's first, Tekken 7 is absolutely gorgeous. Shunning the more cartoony art style of Street Fighter V, Tekken 7 is a far more gritty and visceral experience. Punches crunch and fold opponent's bodies, while the particle effects during special moves add an element of fantasy. The build I played had some occasional framerate issues, usually during particle heavy attacks; the game isn't due till next year so there's plenty of time for polishing.

In an attempt to give the series a fresh feel the developers have included new context sensitive fight moments. Some of which include quick camera cuts and zooms to action happening during the fight, or certain moves no longer stun locking characters. These work well enough during fights but the zooming in can sometimes be a little too distracting. The competitive fight scene will likely turn these kinds of things off, especially the stun lock feature.

One of the biggest additions to the new Tekken game is the inclusion of Akuma from Street Fighter. He sports the same moves and fighting style that he uses within the Street Fighter series and even has the EX/Super Special gauge at the bottom of the screen, replacing the rage meter than the Tekken characters have. Rather than just have him as a bonus choice in the game, Akuma has been written into the lore and will show up as a hidden boss for those playing through the story mode. I always enjoy these kinds of crossovers as it’s a win/win for everyone, it’s a great form of marketing for develops and it gives consumers more choice. Bravo Bandai-Namco and Capcom, bravo.

My biggest complaint with Tekken 7 is just how bad the loading times were. Considering your standard fight on Tekken usually takes no longer than three or four minutes, a minute loading period between each different opponent is just far too long. When you take into consideration that some rounds can be over pretty quickly, it makes these lengthy loading screens seem far longer. This is something they need to fix for release as it could really affect how the game is received.

Considering how far we are into the current generation of consoles, it’s surprising that this is the first iteration of Tekken on the new consoles. The developers have clearly done well with the machine as they game looks absolutely stunning. While it is a little rough around the edges, it’s nothing to be worried about this early on in development. All in all, yeah, it’s not bad.