Tekken 8

I’m going to assume that most Tekken fans are no longer on the fence after seeing the overwhelmingly positive coverage of Tekken 8 over the last few weeks. Truth be told – Tekken 8 has earned that praise and more. Its immersive combat is fluid, cinematic, yet visceral. It sticks to its serious yet goofy roots through utilizing imaginative character archetypes and flat-out silly character customization. Its Special Style dramatically simplifies Tekken 8’s combat for new players to get them up to speed against series veterans like me. If you’re new to the series, Tekken 8 is the fighting game you should play this year. If you’re still deciding between which fighting game to play this year, Tekken 8’s combat and mechanics are the most satisfying yet. I highly recommend Tekken 8 – it’s helped 2024 start off on the right foot.

Tekken 8 is yet another great chapter in a series incapable of making missteps. The new mechanics change the skin of the game and, although the historical detractors will not find particular reasons to change their minds (the famous "volleyball simulator" for the emphasis placed on juggles), all the others will find an incredibly deep game, which will accompany them for several years to come. Who knows, maybe thanks to Ghosts even those who are completely resistant to online gaming will find the courage to take their first steps in a new world.

Tekken 8 blows fresh air into the ultra-popular series that was slacking behind the competition in recent years, delivering one of the best fighting experiences of this generation and maybe ever.

It’s honestly a testament to how much fun the developers packed into the narrative experience. The game manages to entertain and poke fun at itself in equal measure, resulting in a terrific time for series vets and a solid introduction to the gameplay for newcomers.

Tekken 8 is a modern fighting game masterclass. It doesn't skimp on single-player modes, its online offering is robust, and it's a serious visual spectacle. But most importantly, the battles are brilliant; accessible yet deeply technical, and supremely satisfying to be a part of — perhaps more so than ever before. There's no fighting game series quite like Tekken, and Tekken 8 is the franchise at its bombastic best.

As a complete package, Tekken 8 doesn’t reach the heights of recent rivals like Street Fighter 6 and Mortal Kombat 1. But when the match begins, and you’re exploiting openings to unleash flashy combo strings and air juggles, it remains a thrilling, if very familiar, one-on-one experience. The latest King of Iron Fist tournament still has work to do to feel wholly satisfying or ground-breaking, but it remains a fun arena to test your mettle against friends and rivals.

Tekken 8 is the definition of everything that is good about Bandai Namco's fighting game. It is dynamic with a technical section worthy of this generation and has entertaining game modes such as Heat Mode. It has a decent roster of characters with new additions that fit the formula very well.

-Visually it's excellent -The plot is utter garbage, it's more absurd than anything I've ever seen in a fighting game. I really love the series, but this time they went beyond anything imaginable. A fight on a meteorite, seriously? And you have to fight Kasuya for an absurd number of rounds. -Microtransactions are the worst thing they could have done. I know they have to get money from somewhere, but seriously, $8 per extra fighter? It's really not recommended.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Great fighting game that does not do much differently than previous ones. I think they could have done more with the story. Even though it feels a bit "samey" to me, it was still a lot of fun to play as the core features of the game holds up to this day.

I loved playing Lili in Tekken, but in season 3 there are a lot of mechanical problems; her moves don't register, you have to press the button multiple times. She's very slow and has lost all her charm. You've ruined the character. You've nerfed her too much.

Too many microtransactions, the fight passes are unnecessary, hitboxes are deplorable and there are terrible balancing issues. I've been playing Tekken since 2 in the arcades of the 90s so well over 30 years and I've never been frustrated with Tekken until now. It's very beautiful and fluid but like Mortal Kombat 1, the big corporate companies are eating it's soul and the gamers are paying for it.