One of the biggest titles at E3 2016 is Bandai Namco’s Tekken 7, which looks to change the long-storied fighting game franchise forever.
I got to play Tekken 7 at Bandai Namco’s meeting rooms and to say this game will be the frontrunner for Best Fighting Game in 2017 is an understatement, and considering NetherRealm Studios is releasing Injustice 2 the same year, this is a big compliment.
UNREAL ENGINE 4 MAKES TEKKEN 7 UNREAL
Sorry, not sorry, for the pun but you can’t help but notice how beautiful Tekken 7 looks. Fighting games have come a long, long way since the early days of the arcade, but Tekken 7 really has a lot going for it in terms of graphics.
The Unreal 4 engine that’s being used in Tekken 7 gives the game more dynamic weather effects and stage effects are more crisp. There’s also a ton of slow-motion animations while battling, especially during ties and finishing hits, which every fighting game player can get psyched up for and get ready to brag about.
This is especially the case during the story campaign with cut scenes and some real-time elements.
FIGHTING IS A BIT SLOWER
The fighting itself in Tekken 7 is very similar to what fans of the series have been playing for years, but I and my opponent, a GameStop employee who has been playing Tekken since the first game, agreed that the fighting is a bit slower.
That’s not to say it detracts from the fighting, it’s actually quite the opposite. Strikes and combos are slower to give players a sense of strategy as they wait to make their move. You can still try and suffocate opponents but, in true Tekken fashion, the 3D environment and controls allows for easy getaways.
My friendly opponent even compared the fighting speed to Mortal Kombat, which I kind of agree withm but it still feels like Tekken.
NEW CHARACTERS ARE UNIQUE
There are plenty of new characters in Tekken 7 and they all feel different and unique, which should be the norm but it’s always nice to feel it while playing. I purposely chose Claudio, Shaheem and Lucky Chloe to try them out and they all have different attack speeds and inputs.
Claudio strikes faster than Shaheem and Lucky Chloe is more acrobat than them so players need to utilize different play styles to bring out their full potential. It’s going to be fun to explore these new characters deeper once the game comes out.
RAGE MODE
One of the returning features of Tekken 6 is the Rage Mode that you’ll enter when your health is low. However, Tekken 7 brings Rage Arts that are unique to every character to help perform special moves. These are essential to making some big comebacks, and even when your health is low you’re never out of it.
Rage Mode is great for that reason, as your strikes appear stronger but it can also be sort of detrimental in that the Rage Arts are very powerful and will turn the tide of battle in your favor. It’s similar to Mortal Kombat X ’s X-Rays in that way, but Rage Arts are a lot harder to perform; in the heat of battle you may not even have a chance to use it.
Overall, Tekken 7 looks to bring the franchise into a new era with story elements that fans will want to check out and new ways of fighting that will make battles even more heated. We’ll learn more about Tekken 7 in the coming months but this game is looking to be one of the best of 2017.
