At its core, TEKKEN 7 introduces some great new ideas to fighting games.. and to TEKKENitself. Back in the day, when you put your quarters into a shiny new arcade fightinggame, there were always those 'ahh haa' moments when you saw something100% original, whether it was something visual, or related to thegameplay. TEKKEN 7 keeps this arcade dream alive in several ways.

TEKKEN 7 carries itself as a pinnacle of sorts. That's quite a statement.. but nearly everything that put the series on the map hasreturned in a bigger way. Besides a few fan-favorite classic characters being onthe M.I.A list, there's not much from older games to 'miss' necessarily,but there are some major changes to shake up TEKKEN's traditionalgameplay formula:Super moves (Critical Arts), Rage Drives, and Power Crush. These new mechanics can either be your bestfriend or your worst enemy. The good news is, it'snot difficult (at all) to make these mechanics your new friends. TEKKEN 7's newgameplay systems are intuitive,fun to incorporate into your playstyle, and.. best of all.. the 'spammer-types' who would try toabuse these mechanics are easily punishable by fighting game fundamentals.

As a series,TEKKEN has kept serious players coming back by never straying far from itsroots, implementing 'slight yet significant' innovationswith each new installment. Keeping serious players in mind is a particularlyimportant aspect for a game like TEKKEN. While T7's gameplay stillfeels like good old TEKKEN, it introduces some of the boldest changes to date.RageArts (AKA ' super moves') have finally been implemented in TEKKEN,and are enabled only when a player's health is low (signified by a flashy newRage meter activation effect). Rage Arts are by no means foolproof, but can absorb opponents' attacks andcan catch an aggressive opponent off guard. Think of a Rage Art as a one-shot '(possibly) get out of jail free' card. Thisidea replaces the 'Tag Crash' from TTT2, and when timed right,can enable a big comeback.
On the flipside of the coin, Rage Arts are also among the easiest movesto punish when blocked, providing beginners a basic example of how to defend andpunish properly in TEKKEN. Smart and patient players can easily 'bait out'a (spammy) opponent's random Rage Art (and finish them off with style). Rage Arts by themselves can create some amazing moments during gameplay - for example, thedefending fighter being able to block the Rage Art, even if their attacks gotabsorbed (if the move hasfast recovery frames). The slow motion and camera work during Rage Arts isalso excellent, which only add to the potential epicness and unpredictability ofa tense match.
Rage Arts are possibly most effective when used inside of a proper combo, tacking on big damage whenconnected. Even though the damage scaling of Rage Arts is pretty fair, I wouldn'tmind ifRage Arts took off slightly less damage overall. Interestingly, unlike someother fighting games with 'super moves', TEKKEN 7 Rage Arts aren'tsomething you see every single round (or even every set). For a variety of reasons, Rage Arts aren't an imperative part of TEKKEN 7's gameplay.. butmerely that 'get out of jail card' when needed.

TEKKEN 7 provides another way touse the Rage meter besides Rage Arts.. Rage Drives. Instead of a big supermove, mostcharacters canseamlessly initiate a speedy Rage Drive either during a combo to extendit, or to simply surprise an opponent with it. Rage Drives are character-specific and have uniqueeffects.. for example: some launch opponents high into the air, some send opponents flying backward fiercelyinto the wall, and some bound opponents on the ground - creating time for anadditionalstomp or ground throw. Some Rage Drives are exclusive moves for certain characters, others arevariations of attacks or previously impossible combinations, and several even have cancels forvarious mix-ups. I personally enjoy using Rage Drives more than Rage Arts..they're a lot of fun to experiment with.

ScrewAttacks take the place of 'Bound' moves. In past games, Bound moves were a great way to mix up thestyle and timing of your combos. ScrewAttacks serve the same exact purpose, but send the opponentspiraling toward the ground (and in my opinion, look cooler than Bound). Each character has several moves that function as Screw Attacks,coming in the form of either single attacks or multi-hit combinations.
Lastly, Power Crush attacks enable an 'armor'effect which allows the attack to continue even when hit - but the attacking fighter willstill take damage from their opponent. While a seemingly powerful new ability,any player that tries to rely on Power Crush can become predictable and easily picked apartby smart fundamentals and punishes. Now it makes perfect sense why 2013's TEKKEN Revolution experimented withInvincible Moves. Thankfully, TEKKEN 7's Power Crush attacks are muchmore easily punishable than Invincible Moves - and feel more like a true TEKKENmechanic.
Akuma is the first ever guestcharacter to appear in a TEKKEN game. By adding the veteran, original OG, fan-favorite StreetFighter icon to the playable roster, Lord Harada andcompany gave every 2D fighting game player worththeir salt a reason totry out TEKKEN 7.. even if they're not adequately skilled in 3D fighters.That's why Akuma is the perfectintroductory character to welcome new players to TEKKEN. Plus, Akuma is arguably the all-timemost badass martial artist from Street Fighter, making him a perfect fit against TEKKEN's roster. They took it a step further byincorporating Akuma into the actual storyline, which is a gutsy unprecedentedmove - and it worked pretty well in the end.
The second guest character for TEKKEN 7, GeeseHoward,is yet another unimaginably perfect fit. TEKKEN 7 is officially the firstfighting game to venture into the ' dream idea' of a Namco Vs. Capcom Vs. SNKtitle. As is, it's a dream come true for us old school players.. and itgetting my hopes up for a full-fledged crossover someday in the future. The fact that these icons havetheir classic 2D play-styles, projectiles, a super meter, and input-heavycombos.. is not only an amazing achievement for TEKKEN 7, but also apreview of what we can expect out of a future 'TEKKEN Vs. Street Fighter' projectfrom Bamco. The raw 2D mechanics, unique jumping style, and combo style broughtto the table by Akuma, Geese (and Eliza) provide new and fun ways to play TEKKEN.They're not just guest characters, they are new 'game engines' forTEKKEN 7. When you look at the facts, these are the most innovative'guest' characters to appear in a fighting game in a very long time.

In the mid/late 1990's, TEKKEN games grew to extreme popularity without pretty graphics as one oftheir main selling points. Times sure havechanged.. because TEKKEN7 is easily one of the most visually appealing fighting games of this era. If you'renot playing TEKKEN 7 on a PS4 Pro (and a 4k TV) or a high-end PC in 1080por higher, you're missing out on the best-looking 3D fighting game to date. Sadly, the standard PS4 version looks a bit washed out and soft. Alas, to fully appreciate TEKKEN 7's visuals requires you toupdate that 2013 vanilla PS4 technology.

The PS4 Pro enhancements are very significanton a 4k TV and mirror the stunning quality of the arcade version. (Upscalesto 1080p, aliasing gets cleanedup, skin and clothing textures pop, and everything just looks insanely crisp.)Even better.. the PC version running in Ultra Settings is a step towardsgraphical perfection, blasting crispier clothing & skin textures, clearer stagedetail, better shadows, better bear fur, motion blur settings.. (and throw in some beautifully gorgeous stage mods thatdramatically change up the lighting and pop the details, while you're at it). Comign in fat last place, the Xbox One version is the worst-looking of thethree, running(and panting) at a lowlylast-gen 720p. Thegood news is, all versions are solidly locked at 60fps with zero slowdown. One thing's for sure, TEKKEN still looks like TEKKEN.. and absolutely should.
Notable visual effects that must be talked about? For starters, Namco finallydelivered on showing 'sweat' detail in-game (anyone remember that T6 Jin Kazama trailer)? The sweat that builds up on characters' bodiesthroughout the match is one of those finer details that you really notice on PS4 Pro/PC.Special move effects, impact effects, and rage effects all look spectacularlysharp, aswell. I also love how stage / floor damage stays as it is for the entire round. Clothingphysics have also taken a technical step forward.. it's been a while since clothing animation caught my eye in a fighting game.TEKKEN 7's sexy / flowing new costume designs smartly highlight theseclothing animations. The dynamic movement of King's cape, Kazuya's long coat, orthe wayMaster Raven's springy dreads spring around are all great examples of these newphysics. TEKKEN 7 might actually have the most realistic and mostfun-to-watch clothing movement of any fighting game to date.
TEKKEN 7 is THE spectator 3D fightinggame. The slow-mo camera, the smoothed-out combos, the super moves, the crispygraphics.. TEKKEN 7 isthe mostvisually engaging TEKKEN in ages. The ORGANIC HYPE created by TEKKEN 7'sslow-mo camera is truly innovative to fighting games (and I won't be surprisedif future developers 'copy' this idea in the coming years). Slow-mo'sand super moves visually inform even inexperienced viewers that 'something cool is about to happen'..helping them follow the action. The results of a matchin T7 can be sovaried, that you never know what might happen near the end of around or during a slow-mo. For the record, slow-mo activates when both fighters are low on healthand 'lock-in' their movements so a K.O. is possible. Fighters can even continue fighting after the slow-mosequence occurs if no attacks end up connecting. (It looks badass. Nuff said.) Very few fighting games these days contain anykind of 'special' element that doesn't happen very often. While other games'camera angles and cinematics force-feed the 'idea' of epic in repetitivecinematics, TEKKEN 7's in-engine slow motion effect is something100% innovative and new to fighting games. The basic slow-mo effect after K.O. is alsosatisfying and nicely upgrade TEKKEN's overall aesthetics.
The new Unreal Engine 4 graphics engine is the perfect opportunity tointroduce a new in-game storyline for TEKKEN. The Mishima'sonce again take center stage in an in-game story that blends cinematicsseamlessly with gameplay. The battle between sonand father, Kazuya and Heihachi, has always been an intriguing, emotional battleover the past six story sagas, and finally reaches its conclusion in T7.The main story features some other characters besides Mishima such as Lee,Nina, and Alisa. The variousstory battles were mostly well-chosen, and bring the kooky form of epic you'dexpect from TEKKEN. My personal favorite moment is being able to playthrough the TEKKEN 5 Honmaru battle with Kazuya, Heihachi, and the Jack-4's. (Them Jack-4ragdoll physics are hilariously great.) Story mode even has some entertaining 'mini-games'along the way, soit's not only fighting (like some other fighting game story modes of recenttimes). Story mode doesn't hold your hand too much, but does feature 'StoryAssist' buttons that allow beginners to press buttons and do some coolmoves.

The Mishima Saga story mode assumes you know something about the series..which is a smart direction. TEKKEN is a 23 year-old series; you should know something aboutit by now.While the 'cinematics into gameplay' is smooth and verywell-executed, there are some moments that fall flat. Thebeginning is sleepy and awkwardly narrated by some medicated-sounding gentlemen whosounds like he's never heard of TEKKEN until he got the job to narrate thisgame. It'salso an odd (and unnecessary) choice to have the'narrator' play a major role in the storyline - making him acharacter of his own. The voice actor's lack of energy and motivation sadlykills some of the nostalgic / good vibes story mode has to offer.Thankfully, the story starts to come together a few chapters in, and is an enjoyable playthrough.
As of late, I find myself disliking video game story modesthat drag on and on with cliche after cliche. The Mishima Saga, at thevery least, offers something different and not as predictable as a typicalJoe-blow action movie. There are 4 difficulty levels in Story - which is nice,as the harder difficulties present a legit challenge even for experienced players.The AI is particularly fun on the Hard setting. I was grinning when CPU Nina was hitting chain throws on my Heihachi.. Ilove a good CPU AI that can style on you. There's also a battle where youcontrol Alisa against Nina. Now, I'm not an Alisa player.. at all.. but after the18thretry against Nina on Hard, I had quite a few movesand combos with Alisa memorized. That's when I had an epiphany: This is a great and fun way tostart learning anew character! Too bad Namco didn't have the funds or the time to create a cinematic experiencefor every character in the game. Now that would be a fun 'Arcade Mode'experience I could get behind.

Sadly, TEKKEN characters outside of the main story mode aren't represented with proper endings or side-stories like in past TEKKENgames. This is sure to displease the casual crowd. Program for torrent mac. The 'Character Episodes' are equivalentto the length and overall vibe of PacManintermission scenes. These lazy cutscenes leave much to be desired, as they don't develop characterstorylines or personalities.. certainly a major downgrade from past story elements in TEKKEN games.Once again, the production of the Mishima Saga makes me wish every TEKKEN character hadcool cinematic fight scenes to experience, at least. Other TEKKEN charactersbesides Mishimas definitelydeserve their time in the spotlight.

As far as TEKKEN 7's newcomers go.. Katarina, Lucky Chloe,Claudio, Shaheen, Gigas, and Kazumi Mishima all interestingly provide their own unique spin onhow a TEKKEN character works. The purely new characters offermore streamlined / condensed movesets than most returning veterans, but theirplay-styles seem to 'teach' various fundamental lessons of TEKKEN/ 3D fighting games. Each of them is arguably 'easier' to use thanmost veteran TEKKEN Rome total war gold edition for mac torrent. characters, another interesting design choice. Forexample, techniques like Katarina's spammy kicks and Claudio's ridiculously fastlauncher will frustrate some players early on, but some simple defensive studyshould teach players how easy it is to punish even the most effective attacks orattack-strings. The newcomers' personalities don't quite live up to the icons (due to the lack of in-game storycontent).. but their animations,fighting styles, and onscreen presence should inspire many players to pick upsomeone new.
Beginning in TEKKEN5, the series 'set its own standard' for customization in fighting games(since most other fighting games don't even have a customization mode). Naturally,returning fans expect ALL of the features from the older games to return, butsadly that isn't the case in T7. Firstthe good news.. Namco's excellent Color Edit mode has returned, andreturning costumes have more palette options. All characters(except Jack-7, for some odd reason) were given brand new costumes, and they'rearguably the best in the series. Using Color Edit on thesebadass new costumes alone ishours of fun. Like they did with TapOut in 2009, Namcocollaborated with New Japan Pro Wrestling and included (free) KazuchikaOkada and Bullet Club clothing items. There are plenty of new tops and bottoms to mix & match, aswell.On the downside, there are reused items from TTT2.Some items are nice to have return, others not so much. Sadly, theemblem editing from TTT2 is gone, so certain options (for the die-hardcreators) are more limited this time. Also, dumb items like deer heads, shower heads, and butterflywings probably shouldn't exist.
Speaking of costumes, Namco brought back several iconic outfits from classicgames (such as TEKKEN 2, TEKKEN 4, and T5:DR),which old school players will appreciate. It might not be popular opinion, butI personally love seeing classiccostumes and clothing items revamped into a new graphics engine. TEKKEN 7's amazingvisuals, new camera angles, new texture technology, and new animations allow you to appreciate these nostalgiccostumes in a new light. ( Onthat note, this philosophy has actually been a trademark of the series since thevery beginning. It's always nice to see classic things that you appreciate fromthe earlier games recognized and updated.)
While TEKKEN 7's customization mode lacks a few features from prequels,it does bring some new ideas to the table. Newcustomizable health bars, player panels, titles, and custom artwork panels, forexample. Just like in TTT2, you can customize your Versus Screen panelswith amazing 2D artwork from Jbstyle, Junny, ShunyaYamashita, and Tomio Fujisawa. Several other video game artists also did somepieces with their (sometimes comedic) takes on TEKKEN'scharismatic fighters. In an era of fighting games where 'art' isbecoming a thing of the past, it's nice to see Bandai Namco actually put somecare into preserving the 2D artwork of fighting games. And if you don't careabout such things, you're part of the problem.

So what's missing in TEKKEN 7? ..What could be better? For one, OnlineMode needs some work. After spending years in the online modes of T5DR, T6, TTT2,and TR, one would hope for something more than just another basic onlinemode. Colorful online lobbies with 3D avatars (and mini-games) in Arc System Worksfighting games might'vespoiled me, but a little more excitement and more rewards in TEKKEN 7's onlinemodewould be welcome. TEKKEN 7 is also missing 'online events' or any kind of hub thatrewards players for logging in daily or weekly. Even TEKKENRevolution had these events, so I'm very surprised T7 went without thisfeature entirely. While dedicated players will fight online for free, weekly online eventshelp a game feel 'alive,' and have become a staple inother recent games.. TEKKEN 7 not having events could hinder its performancewith less-driven players who remain on the fence.
Alongside the majority of serious players, I wanted to see an improvementin the PS4 version's input lag. Tableau desktop for mac download. Thankfully, Bandai Namco successfully deliveredthe input lag fix in December 2017, bypassing the Unreal Engine 4's addedlatency and dropping overall input lag by 2 frames. (That's a huge performanceimprovement, in case you don't know). Thank you Harada! Game developers like these are the ones you want to support,folks. I find TEKKEN 7's netcode to be mostly decent, but weirdly unstable against certain players. Better punishment forrage quitters would be nice, too. Sadly, the Replay Save option is gone from past titles, which makes thingsslightly more difficult for contentcreators such as myself. Besides that, online is still solid enough to keep mecoming back, and Bandai Namco does a lot of things right with online - whichmany gamersmay take for granted. Ranked match is still done right, as players earn uniqueranks for each character in the game, not just one overall rank. This makeslearning multiple characters fun and rewarding, as you can track your progresswith each individual character.
When it comes to improvements to TEKKEN 7's gameplay, there's not muchI'd want changed.. but I think alternate Rage Arts & Rage Drives would be a great addition in a future (major) update. A few characters' Rage Arts arevisually unappealing and uninspiring.. so more variety would be great. Somecharacters like Paul Phoenix have cancelable Rage Drives, resulting in combomix-ups. More characters should have these types of variations!
In closing, TEKKEN 7 features some great extra modes, including Jukebox (PS4 exclusive), Gallery (PS4 exclusive), and Ultimate TEKKENBowl.While character endings are missing in T7, having immediateaccess to hours of classic endings, intro movies, and high qualityartwork - from every TEKKEN game ever made.. nearly makes up for it. TEKKEN7's Gallery possibly has the most content I've ever seen in a fighting gameGallery mode. Like TEKKEN Tunes in TTT2, Jukebox lets players to listen to theentire soundtracks of every TEKKEN game, and use any track on anystage (including stage transitions). It's truly an excellent mode to showcase TEKKEN's highquality music over the years. TEKKEN 7 also features VR Mode exclusivelyfor the PS4 VR headset, which basically allows you to watch a match play out inVR.. nothing to write home about really. Last but not least, the DLC UltimateTEKKEN Bowl is an unexpected throwback to the TTT1's classic bowlingmode. Ultimate TEKKEN Bowl has surprisingly gorgeous visuals and bowling pin physics, and for a random mini-game, it's high quality stuff. (Toobad there's no online bowling though.)

Page Updated: December 2nd, 2020 Developer(s): Bandai Namco Publisher(s): Bandai Namco Designer(s): Katsuhiro Harada (Producer), Yuichi Yonemori (Director) Artwork By: Junny, Shunya Yamashita, Tomio Fujisawa, JBStyle Platform(s): Arcade, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC Release Date(s): Feb. 18th, 2015 Arcade 'pre-launch' Mar. 18th, 2015 Arcade 'launch' July 5th, 2016 Arcade - TEKKEN 7: FR update June 2nd, 2017 PS4/XB1/Steam - as TEKKEN 7 Feb. 13th, 2019 Arcade - TEKKEN 7: FR Round 2 Characters: Kazuya Mishima, Heihachi Mishima, Asuka Kazama,Bryan Fury, Lili Rochefort, Leo Kliesen, FengWei, Steve Fox, Paul Phoenix, MarshallLaw, King, Ling Xiaoyu, Hwoarang, Sergei Dragunov, Lars, Alisa, Claudio Serafino, Katarina Alves, Lucky Chloe, Shaheen, Jin Kazama, Devil Jin, Josie Rizal, Gigas, Yoshimitsu, Jack-7, Kazumi Mishima, Nina Williams, Bob, Master Raven, Lee Chaolan, Miguel, Kuma, Panda, Eddy Gordo, Eliza, Akuma, Geese Howard, Noctis, Lei Wulong, Anna Williams, Craig Marduk, Armor King, Julia Chang, Negan, Zafina, Leroy Smith, Ganryu, Fahkumram, Kunimitsu Featured Video: Related Games: Tekken,Tekken 2, Tekken 3, Tekken 4, Tekken5, Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection, Tekken:Dark Resurrection, Tekken 5: DarkResurrection Online, Tekken 6, Tekken6: Bloodline Rebellion, Tekken 7, Tekken Tag Tournament, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, TekkenAdvance, Tekken Hybrid, Tekken 3D: Prime Edition, Tekken Revolution, Street Fighter 5, Soul Calibur 6, Dead or Alive 6 GameplayEngine 9.5 / 10 Story/ Theme 7.0 / 10 OverallGraphics 9.5 / 10 Animation 9.5 / 10 Music/ Sound Effects 8.5 / 10 Innovation 8.5 / 10 Art Direction 8.0 / 10 Customization 9.0 / 10 Options / Extras 8.5 / 10 Intro / Presentation 7.5 / 10 Replayability / Fun 10 / 10 'Ouch' Factor 9.5 / 10 Characters 10 / 10 BOTTOM LINE 9.4 /10 Review based on PS4 Pro / PCversion Final Words: If you're not playing TEKKEN 7.. you're missing out on one of the greatest and most rewarding fighting games of the era. However, the game doesn't 'hold your hand' and beg you to play it. There's not much extra fluff to draw you in. You either learn how good TEKKEN 7 is throughplaying it and improving, or you miss the bus (and nobody's going to miss you). The proof is in the pudding.. and the dedicated players know what's up. Play online on PC. The netcode is great (P.S. You have to be able to play high level TEKKEN to realize that.) An honest game like TEKKEN 7 is the reason I still play fighting gamesafter all these years. TEKKEN 7 gets the fundamentals right, very veryright. What you see is what you get..a tried-and-true, deep 3D fighter that takes years to master. What you do with it is your choice. (I personally enjoy learning 10-15+characters and uploading matches & video compilations, which keeps me busy foryears. Also, there has never been a better time for entering tournaments and getting good at TEKKEN, since the competitive scenehas never ever been better.) In retrospect, told you TEKKEN 7 was good in 2015.. what I didn't know is that Bamco had a 'SF4 level' hit on their hands that would redefine fighting games in eSports and the FGC. TEKKEN 7 is so huge that evenpro Street Fighter players have come over to the TEKKEN side. My, how times have changed since 2009. I like what I'm seeing. TEKKEN 7 truly is 'back to basics' TEKKEN, withoutsacrificing much depth from the prequels. T7 offers a brilliant balance of new andreturning mechanics, making for a fun, rewarding, and accessible fighting game. Relearning old mains and learning newcomers isintuitive and as fun as ever. The new mechanics are great tools to help newplayers enjoy TEKKEN (and give them a fighting chance against 20+ yearveterans).. but asalways, higher-skill strategies and fundamentals by smart players will prevail.With TEKKEN'shigh-skill ceiling, casual players having a 'chance' for a comebackusing a Rage Art, Rage Drive, or Power Crush should encourage more players to enjoy TEKKEN 7 formany years to come. The science of what each character can do, and what each character can doin specific match-ups.. presents limitless options.TEKKEN 7 is a sandbox of skill and possibilities. Other fightinggames these days are not as much of a sandbox, forcing you into specific repetitions orgimmicks. Possibly my favorite aspect of TEKKEN was always the freedom of creativitythe game gives you for not only each character, but the open-ended combo system.TEKKEN 7's combo system is as familiar as ever, but now there's an emphasis on'prettier / harder-hitting' moves. New and old moves have been brilliantly retooled- giving combos in T7 a fresh look and feel. This aesthetic design element is an important enhancement for spectators, and at the same time, healthily mixes up combooptions for veteran players. Timing for advanced, longer combos is still as precise as ever, with somecharacters being very execution-heavy (Akuma, for one). However, if you're not savvy enoughto hit those longer combos.. there are several powerhouses thatcan deal big damage with 2-hit, 3-hit, or 4-hit combos.. just like the olddays. Creatively throwing Rage Drives and Rage Arts into combos make for even more fun.Perhaps not quite as much fun as TTT2 in combo creation, but still very fun. Even though the console version of TEKKEN 7 isn't 'overloaded with content'like the past few TEKKEN games (which didn't win thosegamesany awards or high ratings from mainstream reviewers btw ), there are some veryobvious reasonswhy TEKKEN 7 stands out above most others inrecent times. There are also some harder-to-see reasons that players have todiscover for themselves, by actually playing the game. If you bought TEKKEN 7 to play TEKKEN, you have your work cut outfor you. There's so much to learn, and Bandai Namco's excellent Practice modehas all the training options you could ever want (and more). If you're a more casualfan who enjoys single-player modes, well.. maybe you should invest your timeinto a 1-playergame, not a fighting game. TEKKEN 7's story campaign is more than I'dever expect from an arcade fighting game, and while it leaves you wanting more,it's the most fun I've had with a fighting game story mode in quite some time. The Mishima Saga was a fun play-through, and that's more than I can say aboutseveral other fighting game / video game story modes in recent times.If you grew up with fighting games like me, 'story' was never a major partin enjoying the game. Story is a nice 'bonus' for a fighting game.. and can be an important tool in getting new playersinterested in said series. To state the obvious, story modes were never the reason usarcade kids popped 100's of dollars of quarters into arcade machines back in the80's and 90's. We threw quarters in to get good at the game, so we could playlonger and keep our spot. However, seeing Bandai Namco put such a high production value into TEKKENis astep in the right direction, and at least they're being 'competitive'in this new era of fighting game story modes. I think and hope we'll see bigger and better thingsin future TEKKEN story modes. Since I often comment on how other companies market their fighting games, I will makea few notes regarding T7. The PR and advertising leading up to TEKKEN7's release was.. questionable. For the entire time T7 was indevelopment, it seemed like the high-ups at Bandai Namco were 'too busy' with other big names like Smash Bros and POKKEN Tournament (and other anime games) to properly market their trademarkfighting series. The game also took too long to come out..and the communication / news updates leading up to the release left much to bedesired - especially when compared to how other companies (overly) market theirgames. I traveled toseveral tournaments to play TEKKEN 7 early, and appreciate Namco'ssupport at major tournaments by bringing the game there, but the wait stillfelt like forever. The good news is.. Bandai Namco taking 3 or 4 years to develop a fightinggame and not rush out a product, showsin a lot of ways. Some other company might've released 2 or 3 versions ofthe game on console by now - asking fans to buy it multiple times over, makingonly small adjustmentsalong the way. But no. Good old Bamco asks you to buy their game only once, andthat's admirable these days. However, T7 is so damn good.. I know manyplayers who bought the game on multiple platforms. That'swhen you know a fighting game is good. If you 'require' more content than what TEKKEN 7offers to enjoy a fighting game, you probably would've been bored with the 90%of arcade fighting games back in the day. Do you even play fighting games, bruh? TEKKEN 7 has more to do offline than mostcurrent-gen fighting games (but you really should be putting most of your time into learningyour characters, anyway). TEKKEN 7 is a fighting game built to last, a game meantto be studied and played. A company who created a fighting game to be'casually played for 3 months and put down'.. is a company that didnot make a real fighting game. Most of the 'greatest of the great' fighting games of all time didn'thave a fourth of as much content as TEKKEN 7. Even though manycasual TEKKEN fanswould love more content and effort.. one can't fault Namco for putting most effortinto balancing, eSports presence, and actual gameplay longevity. With future DLC characters, stages,and other content planned, there's a lot to look forward to. Worth mentioning.. with other competitors in the fighting game genre 'cashing in'on mainstream superheroes and other household-names, it's nice to see some actualthrough-and-through fighting game characters represent us here in 2017.I was happily surprised to hear TEKKEN 7 sold 2 million copies in under 3months. Those are great numbers for an arcade fighting game in the current gaming climate/ demographic. It's nice to see old school fighting game characters stillselling in today's market. Tutorial modes seem to be another talking topic within the fightinggame community these days. According to 'Harada data,' in-game tutorial modes arethe least-played modes in past games. I can understand that, because even I don'tuse in-game tutorials.. I use Youtube. I think Bandai Namco should put a Tutorialtab on the main menu with a search bar.. and it should link to Youtube. The FGC / TEKKEN community puts so much work into fighting gametutorials, more work and time than Bandai Namco would ever be willing to putinto an in-game tutorial mode. Why would Bandai Namco do all that work when thecommunity does it for them? That said, support content creators and tutorialmakers. They put out some great videos that WILL help you improve your game.However, I still wouldn't mind seeing a 'fun' but effective in-game TEKKEN tutorial that assists players whomight've missed the last few iterations, and still have no clue about the deeper gameplayelements. It definitely wouldn't hurt, but I still don't feel in-game tutorialsare 'necessary' in this day and age. As I always like to say in my TEKKEN reviews.. as a 20+ year dedicated player, I don't ever wantTEKKEN to change 'much'. Baseball players like to play Baseball,Billiard players love Billiards just as they are, and TEKKEN players.. you get theidea, we love our TEKKEN. I welcome the gameplay updates, and even though I occasionally feel'robbed' by getting hit with a Rage Art, I understand their purpose inthe game (and I do love punishing players who try to rely on such things). As great as it is.. TEKKEN 7 still leaves me wanting more. Athird major T7 update to could be the recipe for a near-perfect game. I'd like to see thereturn of some classic characters, and empty slots on the character selectscreen keep my hopes alive. As with every quality fighting game, you get out of TEKKEN7 what you put into it.. just like real life martial arts training. Now getoff your ass, stop making excuses, and get good. ~TFGWebmaster