Tekken 6

The beat-‘em-up genre has undergone something of a renaissance this generation, built upon dual pillars of nostalgia and consummate balance. About the right time for 34 already tried-and-tested warriors to join the endless struggle, you might say. Time is brief, so we’ll plough on. Visually this is clearly the series’ most polished entry, sporting a series of knowingly flamboyant arenas coupled with understated motion blur that would up the realism, were it not for the robot lady waving her head around like a basketball. Naturally major gameplay changes prove rare, but Namco Bandai’s ‘rage’ feature – offering increased power to those in their death throes – irks us a fair degree. So many matches won by a slither of a health bar, so little apparent skill involved. Ho hum.

Structurally things have been jigged around a little. Though it’s still possible to delve straight into Arcade, Time Attack variants and the like, players can also take their brawling in smaller, bite-sized chunks thanks to Scenario Campaign mode (catchy). As per Tekken Force outings of old, this features a succession of Streets Of Rage-type levels that manage to be both corridors and disorienting at the same time. What’s more it features the kind of meandering, nonsensical storyline of which Hideo Kojima would be proud. During its ponderous opening, players will learn that spiky-haired lead Lars wants revenge for a stereotypical fallen comrade, has lost his memory due to equally predictable amnesia, and so must fight through hundreds of grunts in order to earn some vests. This is not what we imagined the future of videogaming to be, years ago.

We’re left to conclude, then, that the gap in the market once occupied by Tekken – ie that populated by folks who’d show immense pride in getting Eddy Gordo to shake his legs about a bit – has been usurped a little by Capcom. If you’re after meticulous, frame-counting accuracy it’s arguable Street Fighter IV covers this end of the market, too, and even if there’s disagreement Virtua Fighter 5 can be picked up for a smile and well-measured compliment nowadays. All of which leaves Tekken to plough its old-fashioned yet still engaging furrow.