Tekken 7

A very particular set of skills acquired over many years

Games like this aren’t just about punching people in the face, you know. They’re about kicking people in the face, too. And not just people, either! Here you can suplex a panda, jump-kick a grizzly bear, and land a vicious combo on… erm… whatever the heck Yoshimitsu is supposed to be. Are you interested yet? Because you should be.

Boasting an impressive 37 characters, Tekken 7 gives you a lot of bang for your proverbial buck. For one thing, a surprising amount of effort has gone into creating the narrative. The epic (for a fighting game) story mode is crammed full of expensive CGI, and the bonus ‘character episodes’ – one-off fights with a brief, usually humorous scene when you win – help explain who most of the characters are and why they’re at the tournament. This is at the expense of intros and endings for the Arcade mode, but that’s no great loss. You may not be shocked to learn that the script and direction are, to put it generously, cheap and cheerful.

MISSED A PUNCH

Mind you, if you’re buying a Tekken game for deep and meaningful narrative, you need to think back very carefully over the life choices that led you to this moment. The Tekken series has always been about the creative violence, and this latest entry doesn’t disappoint. As usual, what you get here is very different to the competition. It’s that little bit slower than other games but, taking into consideration the extra weight behind every move you make, all the better for it.