Tekken 6 Updated Impressions

Namco took the wraps off the PlayStation 3 version of Tekken 6 at its press event yesterday. Sadly, we were taunted by what appeared to be a fully playable roster of fighters in the demo. While we would have liked to try out all the fighters, we were limited to just four--Jin, Kazuya, Bob, and Zafina--by a Namco rep monitoring the demo.

We had a chance to try out some versus matches with the modest roster of sanctioned fighters and are happy to report that, yep, this is Tekken 6. To be more specific, this is a tricked-out Tekken 6. Since Tekken 6 was first announced, the original arcade game has seen some revisions, culminating in the meaty expansion dubbed Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion, all of which will be incorporated into the home version of the game. The result is that fans can expect all of the arcade content in addition to new modes and items to trick out their characters. Best of all, it sounds like the system for unlocking the characters in the roster is being tweaked to be more accessible. In addition, Tekken 6 will feature online play, although we weren't able to try it. The game handled fine with the PlayStation 3 controller, and the fighting system felt comfortable and responsive.

The visuals in the work-in-progress game are coming together well. At first blush the game looks just about on par with the arcade game, but a closer look shows that it's still in need of some polish here and there with background elements and some of the special effects. We expect Tekken 6 to be good and shiny when it ships later this year.

While it has been a long time coming, Tekken 6 is looking just fine. The graphics are almost on par with the arcade game, the control is responsive, and there seems to be plenty of content being packed into the console versions. Fighting fans will want to keep an eye out for the game when it ships later this year for the PlayStation 3, PSP, and Xbox 360.