Getting the skinny on Tekken 6
Published Thursday November 5th, 2009
The Tekken series is arguably one of the patriarchs of the 3D fighting genre. Fans of the Iron Fist Tournament will be glad to know that the latest chapter in the series, Tekken 6, was recently released for the PS3 and Xbox 360. I had the chance to speak to In Joon Hwang, Brand Manager for Namco Bandai Games, a few weeks before the game's launch.
The last console edition of the Tekken series was Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection. Tekken 6 for the consoles also includes the Bloodline Rebellion expansion. What can players expect who are going to make this big jump?
In Joon Hwang: Tekken 6 was originally introduced in arcades a couple of years ago in Japan. They (developers Namco Bandai) introduced additional characters and took in a lot of consumer responses from the arcade and they refined the gameplay and introduced Bloodline Rebellion. As far as the arcade game goes, that's the closest version to the console version that we are introducing.
However, a lot of fans have been wondering, "Isn't it just Bloodline Rebellion (that they're porting over), why are they taking so long? Why do you need an additional 11 months to complete the console version?"
As far as the head-to-head versus mode, it's based on Bloodline Rebellion. However, Tekken 6 for the consoles is so much more than that. It's going to have an extensive online versus mode, and in the near future an online co-op mode for the brand new mode called Scenario Campaign Mode.
What is Scenario Campaign Mode?
IJH: For the first time in a fighting game brand, we are introducing, just like in a first person shooter, you can actually call in your friend and play online with them. A lot of people were wondering about Scenario Campaign Mode. I can't believe how extensive that mode is. Tekken 6 has everything you have been waiting for: the largest character roster, online versus mode, customization ... everything. The campaign was a mystery but what it does, it introduces hours and hours of solid gameplay. You don't need to be a hardcore Tekken fan to enjoy it. You'll be able to venture through 40 different areas in the world of Tekken in a completely open environment where you are leading a battle into the street and all types of areas. You are still doing your combo moves against your enemies. You can unlock different things, like weapons, and you can actually play as Nancy (the robot bonus stage boss during the arcade mode) and the mode introduces numerous cut scenes and cinematics that explain the story. It's a very immersive experience for the fans.
So it sounds like the side-scrolling beat'em up inspired Tekken Force mode introduced in Tekken 3. Does the game come with standard offerings: Time Attack, Survival, etc.?
IJH: It comes with everything you are accustomed to. Absolutely.
Are the characters move sets/tweaks/balances based on the Bloodline Rebellion build or were there things further refined for the console version?
IJH: I can't really pinpoint the specifics. I would have to confirm it, but refinement has been made. Most of the engine is based on Bloodline Rebellion.
Will people who have played Bloodline Rebellion notice subtle changes or tweaks to characters?
IJH: Characters who were overpowered in Bloodline Rebellion were actually balanced out.
The Tekken series is one of the pioneers of 3D fighting games. What are you guys doing to keep it fresh and relevant? Especially since it seems that 2D fighters are having a resurgence with great games like Street Fighter IV and BlazBlue.
IJH: Additional characters definitely introduce different gameplay elements. Bob, for example, is a chubby character but is actually very versatile and nimble. Additional characters do help. Overall, we make incremental changes. What we are trying to do is perfect the gameplay rather than introduce something completely radical. We're not going to change the 3D elements into 2D but if the gameplay is solid than we would rather do refinement than do something completely different. The Scenario Campaign Mode is a radical mode we are introducing but it's not destroying what the fans like about Tekken. We are trying to do some experimentation but the core is not going to radically change at this point. What we realize though is that once we have solid gameplay, we are trying to use the next""gen consoles to their maximum capabilities to improve on what we have.
With such a huge roster, how difficult is it to keep the game balanced?
IJH: It's a challenge. That's why the development team has been working on the game for such a long time. They have somehow managed to keep all of the characters. We actually thought to ourselves, why do we hold onto some of the characters? Maybe it was time to kill off some of the characters, but there are so many of them and they have millions of fans around the world. We really didn't want to alienate the fans. For example, when I went to EVO (one of the top fighting game tournaments in the world), when you see the final matches of Street Fighter IV or Soul Calibur, you always see the same characters in the finals. For Tekken, a lot of players were choosing different characters at the high rank level. It means the team is doing a good job in balancing the characters.
What about downloadable content?
IJH: There was some debate about that. The producers believe in providing almost all of the content in the build so that people do not feel obligated to buy downloadable content. If there is any type of downloadable content in the future, as far as I know, it would be free.
Will you guys ever do patches for the game if players notice any major gameplay issues or imbalances?
IJH: I think that is a strength in going onto the next-gen consoles. You can actually do that. I think that if any issue like that ever existed, we would address it.
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