Tokyo Game Show 2023 (TGS2023) is here again this year, and I vividly remember last year's offline event, which was a great success with gamers from all over! (Last year was the first time in a long time that the show was held offline, and I vividly remember how excited gamers from all over the world were to be there. Now, this year's event will be held offline again, and gamers from all over the world have gathered again at Makuhari Messe. Numerous game companies were on hand to test out their new titles. Among them, I was most looking forward to seeing the 3D fighting game " Tekken 8 "! In this article, I would like to share with you my impressions of Tekken 8 and its charms!
A dedicated booth with panda statues and cosplayers welcomes you!
After entering the venue, I went straight to Namco Bandai's booth where Tekken 8 is located! When I arrived at the booth, I was surprised! A large statue of "Panda", the mascot of Tekken and also used in the game, and a cosplayer who looks just like the Tekken character greeted us...!
Especially the guy who was cosplaying as Jin Kazama, he was so cool...! (I wanted to take a picture with him...)
Many fighting game fans had already crowded into the booth at the venue, and this author, not to be outdone, headed to the test play space!
Now, the practice!
After waiting for about 15 to 20 minutes, I was approached by a staff member and it was finally my turn to try out the game! This time, there was a line where you could play with a friend, in addition to those who were there alone! (I was playing with a friend this time.)
While I was sitting at the table and listening to the explanation of the staff, Kazuya Mishima, one of the most famous characters in Tekken, kept staring at me and I was a little scared... (I mean, I was a little scared!). My own fighting game history is that I got into Street Fighter 4, and from there I used to play Tekken 7 and Super Smash Bros. a lot. (I'm not that strong, but I once made the Top 16 in a small Super Smash Bros. tournament.) The character I play is Jin Kazama, an orthodox character that falls into the standard position in Tekken. My friend had not played many fighting games and was a complete beginner, so he chose Gigarth, a fighter with very high attack power, based on the visual of the character.
About the controls
Fighting games have long been known for their command controls, a highly challenging game in which the player moves the stick back and forth, left and right, in a predetermined direction and presses the right button at the right moment to unleash a strong move. This made the game difficult for first-time players. However, in Tekken 8, a mode called "Special Style" has been implemented that allows players to perform many command moves with a single button, making it easy even for beginners. Of course, there is more you can do if you input commands on your own, but if you are playing a fighting game for the first time, I think it will help you get rid of the image that it is very difficult at first.
In the previous "Tekken 7" game, there was a system called "simple commands" that allowed players to easily execute moves with a single button, but it did not support "combos," the most exciting part of a fighting game, in which multiple moves are executed in rapid succession to inflict massive damage on the opponent. However, it did not support "combos," the most exciting part of fighting games, in which multiple moves are performed in succession to inflict massive damage on the opponent. However, with the new Tekken 8 Special Style, simple commands now support combos, allowing you to perform a variety of cool combos with a single button! So this time, I did the normal controls and had my novice friend do the Special Style controls.
The action is getting better...!
The first thing I thought when I played was that the overall movement of the characters was more snappy. "Is the whole game faster than the previous one? " to the point where I wondered if the characters' movements, etc., which were sluggish in the previous game, had been improved. Surprised at the improvement, the author tries to perform a command move toward the character handled by his friend.
... The move doesn't come out: ！！！！！
It seems that my own controls had become a little worse, perhaps because I hadn't played Tekken in a while. (However, my friend, who is a beginner, would not know about such a situation, and he would keep trying to use command moves with the special style. The special style itself probably does less overall damage than the normal controls, but for people like me who haven't used the normal controls in a long time, or who are getting used to the controls but still can't perform the moves with precision, the special style is a good choice, It was a critical hit....
Round 1 was quickly taken by my friend, followed by round 2. I, who had improved my control accuracy a little, decided to start with simple command moves. I managed to take round 2 by using the fastest Fu-Jin-Ken with simultaneous presses of →↓⤵+P and the 6-round Kazama-ryu.
Then came the final round. Both players had less than half of their HP, and the player who could land the next big combo would probably win. I had read my friend's habits in this matchup and had learned that when he got into a slightly awkward pause, he would use a lot of lower-level kicks. And now is that pause. Seeing the moment he crouched down for that lower-level kick, I launched the Rage Arts, which is also a special move! However, Jin Kazama's big raised fist was sucked into the opponent's guard and dissipated, and in the gap caused by the activation of the Rage Arts, my friend quickly comboed. The result was my defeat! After that, my friend and I enjoyed playing Tekken 8 until the end of the time limit.
Tekken 8 is fun even for gaming beginners!
I thought that Tekken 8 has a wide range of options for advanced players, but also for complete beginners and intermediate players who have played the previous titles for a while. Even complete beginners of fighting games can compete with experienced players. I can't help but look forward to the release date of Tekken 8! Tekken 8 will be released on Friday, January 26, 2024. If you have a chance to play Tekken 8, please do so! For more information on Tekken 8, please visit the official website.