Review: Tekken 7 packs a powerful punch on PC, PS4 and Xbox One

The Tekken series debuted on the original PSOne back in 1995 and has been one of the most popular 3D fighters ever since. Bandai Namco continues the trend with Tekken 7 now hitting on the PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

The last Tekken game to come out was Tekken Tag Tournament 2 back in 2012. It's now 2017 and Tekken 7 is available for the much more powerful PC, PS4 and Xbox One platforms. One of the best things about this release is that it is a buttery smooth 60fps on all platforms.

I tested out the game on PS4 and it is 60fps at all times. The only thing that takes a hit is the resolution if you are playing the game on the original PS4 and Xbox One. The resolution is just under 900p on PS4 and 720p on Xbox One. You don't have to worry about the resolution on PS4 Pro and PC as it's a full 1080p.

Despite the resolution, I thought the graphics of the game look great even though I tested the game on a vanilla PS4. Tekken 7 is by far the best looking Tekken game to date as it has bright colours and the most detailed character models in franchise history. Unreal Engine 4 is used to its full potential in this game. Bandai Namco also added much more special effects to pack more impact when you hit your opponents.  The overall presentation in this game is excellent too. The cutscenes are excellently animated and the in-game graphics almost look like it's CGI quality. Not to mention this game has creative level design as you will fight near a volcano, in the jungle and in lots of other pretty exotic locations as well.  Outside of the graphics, the core gameplay in Tekken 7 is downright addictive. It doesn't matter if you are a beginner or Tekken veteran, you will still have a lot of fun playing this game. The 60fps makes the experience smooth and very satisfying.

This game also adds a new feature called Rage Arts which is like a special move. If you are dying, you can execute a special move to catch up. These Rage Arts look cool as every fighter has their own unique move. Battles are more intense and unpredictable in my opinion thanks to the addition of Rage Arts.

In terms of fighters, many of your favourites return such as Jin Kazama, Heihachi Mishima, Kazuya Mishima, Asuka, Lili and more. They are joined by a myriad of new fighters such as Shaheen, Lucky Chloe, Kazumi Mishima and others. My favourite new addition though is the guest character of Akuma from Street Fighter.  The only thing that might disappoint hardcore fans is that some characters are still missing from the launch roster. Some old favourites such as Lei Wulong, Julia and Anna Williams have been omitted. Bandai Namco has announced more fighters will be released as future DLC, so we just have to wait and see.  Contest wise, Tekken 7 adds a story mode that focuses heavily on the conclusion of the Mishima saga. The story is engaging, although it's not as enjoyable as the movie-like quality of Injustice 2's story mode. Not to mention it has unnecessary narration from a boring journalist character too.

The other thing I didn't like about the main story mode is that not every character is involved with it. All of the other characters in the game just have a one fight storyline with a cheap cutscene added to the end of it. It's not as cool as the many epic character endings that were included in previous games.

This game also has some missing modes. There's no more Team Battle, Survival or Time Attack modes. Outside of the Story and Arcade modes, the only other offline mode to play is Treasure Battle. In this mode, you gain credits to earn more money to buy costumes and items to dress up your character.   Thankfully, Bandai Namco released a patch this week to fix up the online mode. I have tested the online mode on PS4 and things have improved a lot since release date. You compete in tournaments and I didn't notice any game breaking lag when playing against gamers from New Zealand and Australia.

Overall, Tekken 7 has great graphics and some of the best fighting mechanics out there. The characters are diverse and fun to play plus there's loads of content for you to unlock. Unfortunately, the game doesn't add features from previous titles which is a bit of a shame. Hopefully more of the other modes are added back in future update patches.  Verdict: 8.0/10