The game offers a wide variety of modes to indulge in, including the main Scenario Campaign mode. This story mode, which plays like a somewhat third-person action adventure game, has Lars travelling to various destinations and fighting a multitude of generic enemies and an end-level boss all while trying to recover this lost memory with the aid of Alisa. Defeating the end level boss unlocks him/her in the campaign mode, after which the fighter can then be optionally used to continue the campaign instead of Lars.
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The cutscenes still feature Lars, which makes it clear it is still Lars’ story that is being followed albeit with a substitute. Once a fighter is unlocked, he/she can also participate in the Arena battles, which revert to standard fighting view. Unlocking a character in the Scenario Campaign and then fighting 4 opponents in the Arena is the only way to unlock that fighter’s epilogue and ending movies. The gallery unlocking and the massive amount of money awarded after each stage with some costumes and other customisations thrown in mid-stage, and the fact that this mode can be played in co-op, become perhaps the only reasons to play this mediocre campaign mode, which still feels forced and may easily last more than 8-10 hours. Having to play the entire level again after dying at the end-level boss is definitely the most frustrating experience the game offers.
The other offline modes include Arcade, Ranking Battles, Time Trials, Survival and Practice. Arcade is similar to the Scenario’s Arena mode, albeit with more battles and a bonus mid-campaign boss thrown in in the form of Nancy, a gigantic robot, whose health bar is perhaps even more enormous than its 10+ foot stature. The Arcade end-boss is the demon Azazel, who comes off as quite a cheap final boss, almost even more than Street Fighter IV’s Seth. With a wide variety of close and ranged attack moves, the massive demon can be quite a challenge to take down. The Ranking Battle mode is possibly the best mode among the rest with one unique AI opponent after another thrown in with varying difficulty levels. The best rewards of these modes is the money earned, which can be used to customise one’s favourite fighter to give it that unique look, with the ability to alter even the hairstyle to a great degree, when playing online. But with each battle ending in an average of 3,000 points, and with accessories costing millions, the Scenario Campaign mode offers the best money for time spent.
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The online mode is where Tekken, just like most fighting games, shines and where true fighting skills can be tested. Post-patch, Tekken performs quite well and the lag is minimal enough to play online either ranked or unranked. The ability to save replays and ‘ghosts’ is a fairly nice touch. The inability to team up with a fellow player in Team Battles online, as can be done in local multiplayer, is however disappointing.
The high definition graphics of Tekken 6 appear similar to its previous HD incarnation, Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection (for the PS3) at first, but are definitely upgraded a few notches. The players move more fluidly (with most having additional moves) and the dynamic lighting adds to the beauty of the game. The players also look a lot sharper and even the long tresses of some characters move a lot more realistically. The stages are now more interactive, with some having multiple levels with collapsible floors. Some backgrounds even feature interactive sheep and pigs which sometime annoyingly get in the way during battles. The only gripe with the game’s graphics remains to be the long loading times before each battle, especially in online mode. The sound is nothing to write home about. The voice acting in the Scenario Campaign is cheesy and the music feels even cheesier, but is a small aspect to overlook in an otherwise polished presentation.
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Conclusion
Tekken 6 is an extremely refined game with enough content to last a small lifetime. Although completing the mediocre Scenario Campaign mode might seem like a chore, the other aspects of the game definitely do not and ensure sufficient replay value. The polished graphical overhaul, the new gameplay elements and the excellent new additions to an already enormous fighting roster are more than enough reasons to upgrade from the franchise’s previous iteration, while the easy to pick up gameplay makes it a preferred choice over Street Fighter IV for casual local multiplayer matches. A worthy addition to the fighting game genre indeed.
(+) Excellent new additions to the fighters
(+) Overall gameplay refinement
(+) Superb character customising options
(+) Beautiful graphics
(-) Forgettable Scenario Campaign mode
(-) Might still feel like just another Tekken game at times
Title: Tekken 6
Developer/Publisher: Namco/Namco Bandai
Genre: Fighting
Rating: 16
Platforms: Xbox 360 (Rs 2,999), PS3 (Rs 3,999)
Reviewed on: PS3
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