Tekken Revolution
Namco
PS3 (2013)
_____________________________________________________________________
Tekken Revolution is Namco's latest entry in what is arguably the best modern fighting game series. It's an apt title considering they may have revolutionized the way fighting games are distributed. Revolution is downloaded from the Playstation Store and free-to-play as long as you have tokens that are earned through winning or waiting. Otherwise, you can purchase up to 30 tokens at once for five bucks.
The best thing about a free-to-play fighting game is that the competition is a lot less stiff. Revolution is all about online play, and you don't have to be an expert to rack up wins in ranked or friendly matches. Friendly fights are more balanced because you can turn off ridiculous character enhancements which give players more power and health. Ranked matches offer no way to turn off the handicaps, so you may run into someone who can take twice the damage.
Revolution can't avoid comparison with Tekken 6, which has remained one of the best PS3 games since its release in 2009. The core gameplay is still intact, but each fighter has been given three extremely useful and easy-to-perform super moves, which is another reason you don't have to be a Tekken aficionado to succeed. Tekken was always packed with cutting edge music, but the soundtrack to Revolution is perhaps the best in the series.
Where Revolution can't stack up against Tekken 6 is sheer content. It's to be expected that a free-to-play, online-based game won't have too many extras like the action levels instituted in each installment since Tekken 3. What's alarming about Revolution is the wanting character roster. While Tekken 6 boasted over forty fighters, Revolution has slowly garnered half that amount, and only eight of them are available from the offset. To unlock the rest, you can pay the hefty $6.99 per character or play almost endlessly with premium tokens. There are also some staple fighters missing like Lei, Bruce, and Eddy Gordo, and no one with similar fighting styles to select in their stead.
Regardless of the small roster, Tekken Revolution is a no-brainer for fans, and is paving the way for the future of fighting games in terms of distribution and community, ultimately pulling it closer to its roots in the arcade.
Regardless of the small roster, Tekken Revolution is a no-brainer for fans, and is paving the way for the future of fighting games in terms of distribution and community, ultimately pulling it closer to its roots in the arcade.
