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Tekken Hybrid
Tekken Hybrid feels like a taste of things
to come, especially with Street Fighter X Tekken and the new Tekken game
to be released in 2012! Interestingly enough, Tekken Hybrid feels like a
history lesson of the Tekken series that contains not just one game but
two. Plus a very cool full length Blu-ray movie.
The games in question include a revamped
version of the PlayStation 2 game, Tekken Tag Tournament with some
decent FULL HD visuals and also Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Prologue of next
year's latest Tekken game. The film that comes with Tekken Hybrid is
Blood Vengeance which is actually a very cool CGI movie and if you're a
fan of this gaming series, you'll simply adore this kick a$$ film.
Before I get the crux of this review, it
should be noted that the main game in this release, Tekken Tag
Tournament feels a little dated. This is not to say that the game is
unplayable but when compared current releases like Marvel vs. Capcom 3
and Super Street Fighter IV, Tekken Tag Tournament feel a little
lacklustre in relation to controls and more importantly, gaming
mechanics and character manoeuvres.
However, as a fan of the Tekken series,
there is something fundamental about its characters and its old school
gaming that is still fun, especially the control system for the Iron
Fist Tournament! Given that, it's dated pretty well. I'm a little biased
as I do love the Tekken series but Sony have done an exceptional job at
recreating the PS2 game and giving players a taste of things to come.
At its core, both games are fighters which
require the player or players to beat the absolute living daylights out
of their opponents in a variety of diverse environments. The first game
we tested was the updated version of Tekken Tag Tournament which
originally appeared on the PS2 but this current instalment contains
updated visuals which look quite decent in FULL HD.
It also contains a variety of gaming modes
such as Arcade, Survival and Time Trial, so there's definitely something
for all fighter purists. We'll just ignore Tekken Bowling which is
basically a bowling game. It's ok but definitely should not be in a
fighter! AI depending on your level is quite decent, however it is
definitely more fun with a human opponent.
The characters look phenomenal and move with this humanlike grace as
they attack their opponents. The only drawback are the backgrounds which
look a little dated but thankfully the gameplay is still quite strong,
all these years later. With accessible combos and an element of "tag"
which allows you to select more than one fighter, Tekken Tag Tournament
still provides an enjoyable fighting experience. The tag mechanics are
not as advanced as say Marvel vs. Capcom 3, however it still provides
the player with an enjoyable experience, especially when matched with
multiplayer.
The next game is Tekken Tag Tournament 2
Prologue which features slicker graphics and more refined gameplay,
however is considerably shorter in value compared to Tekken Tag
Tournament. Supporting two gameplay modes that include arcade and local
multiplayer, this is a no frills Tekken game but when it comes to
combat, the gameplay works surprisingly well.
As opposed to the all-star line-up of the
previous game, the characters included in this game are from the movie
which include Xiaoyu, Alisa, Devil Jin and Kazuya, each with a different
fighting style. With new combos, throws and improved game mechanics,
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Prologue is like tasting your favourite sweet
and unfortunately realising that once you have finished it, you only had
one piece. Needless to say, visually, it's quite an impressive looking
game but because it's so fun to play as a fighter, most Tekken fans will
play the absolute @#$! out of it, even though it borders on a demo.
To round up this release, the last segment
of Hybrid is Tekken Blood Vengeance, a very visual and impressive CGI
movie that revolves around Xiaoyu and Alisa which involves a deadly
conspiracy.
Although from a Western point of view, the
story is a little extravagant and nonsensical but seeing the amazing CGI
animation is definitely worth the admission price alone and the fight
sequence at the end is thoroughly cool. Nonetheless, it looks gorgeous
on Blu-ray and is on par with other Eastern CGI releases such as Final
Fantasy.
Final Level
Tekken Hybrid is an interesting release that although rebadged a classic
and basically gives us a demo of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (ala Gran
Turismo), the inclusion of the movie actually makes this a relatively
decent release.
The updated visuals of Tekken Tag
Tournament on the PS3 is a joy to see and surprisingly the gameplay has
dated well. However the taste of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Prologue is
definitely something to wet your appetite until the next Tekken game.
Definitely for fans! |
