The Tekken franchise may have previously graced a current-gen console with Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection on PS3, but Tekken 6 is the first to truly take advantage of current-gen technology. Tekken 6 looks great, plays well (for the most part—more on that in a bit), and sounds good. But is that enough for fighting fans to part with their hard-earned money when there are so many other great fighting games circulating on consoles today?

My answer is “yes,” but with a few caveats. Tekken 6 offers a fighting system that is easy to pick up and play, like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat; and also like those games, it takes time to master. For example, I’ve played every Tekken game since the original and I still don’t fare well in tournament scenarios. There are only four buttons to worry about, including two punches and two kicks (one for each hand/leg), but plenty of combinations exist. Experimenting with combos often yields better results than simply jamming on the left punch button ad nauseum, but player are welcome to do so.

If you plan to just play with friends, Tekken 6 provides a richly rewarding experience. I say this because playing with strangers invites the possibility of discovering a horrid flaw in the Tekken fighting system: juggling. It’s often far too easy to set up an opponent for a juggle, then keep them in the air for so long that up to 90% of their health is whittled away without a chance to counter or parry. Sure, experienced players can counter the juggle before this onslaught occurs, but newer players will be hard-pressed to get out alive. Also, the online mode is a bit wonky at the moment, with random disconnects and horrible lag occurring far too often. Hopefully these issues will be patched out very soon. In the meantime, playing online with a friend (preferably with a strong connection) is your best bet. (more…)