Next week, after 9 years, a new part of the legendary Tekken series will finally be released. For MeinMMO author Nikolas Hernes it is the most anticipated game of the year because it reminds him of his childhood.
Tekken 8 will be released next week on January 26th, 2024 and is the latest part of the fighting series after 9 years. Alongside Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, the game is one of the biggest representatives of the fighting game genre and aims to offer an incredible amount of content.
In addition to a story mode and a classic arcade mode, there are even more modes for single players, but also some features that are intended to prepare beginners for online modes. But for me personally, that’s even secondary, because I’ve loved the Tekken series since Tekken 3, especially because it always reminds me of how I spent hours fighting virtually with my family.
Tekken 8 Gameplay – Game Awards Trailer
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Tekken is a family affair for me, not just in the game
At its core, Tekken is about a family dispute between the Mishima family. It’s been fought for decades and usually ends with someone being thrown into a volcano. The other bizarre characters then have their own little stories in their arcade endings.
I love the characters of the Tekken series. Especially because everyone takes themselves so incredibly seriously. A bear is trained by Heihachi and loved more than his own sons? Wrestlers wear tiger masks and roar while everyone understands that? These are things that happen in Tekken and are simply taken seriously in this world.
This seriousness in such silly premises made me love many of the characters. At the same time, I associate many iconic characters with my family because I played Tekken from a young age.
When I was younger, we often went on vacation to my grandmother in Poland. Included was the PlayStation 2 and Tekken 5. With my grandma we played the game for hours and gradually unlocked new characters. Everyone had their own favorites. As a fan of kung fu films, Feng Wei was a favorite of my father. My sister loved to push buttons with Eddy and my mom loved to fight with Marshall Law or Nina.
And my grandmother was there too. She didn’t really play video games outside of Facebook farm games, but she was into Tekken. There were nights when I was already asleep and heard the banging of keys coming from the living room. The next morning all of the characters were suddenly unlocked.
Tekken is a great game for beginners
Don’t get me wrong, Tekken is an incredibly difficult and complex game at the highest level. There are almost endless possibilities to playfully express yourself with the characters. But unlike Street Fighter, which requires you to do moves like quarter circles with the stick, Tekken lets you pound wildly on the keys and it still looks spectacular on the screen.
If you don’t take playing with friends and family seriously for a relaxing evening, then even complete gaming noobs will experience a sense of achievement because you’ve conjured up a good-looking combo on the screen. A lot of people hate Eddy, but a character like him is perfect for gamers who are just gaming for an evening with friends.
Tekken 8 is even more effective. The fight itself looks more cinematic and the characters are even more magnificent and, in my opinion, cooler designed than before. In addition, several single player modes have been announced as well as new ways to train.
I’m really excited to play the game next week. I’m keen to improve and play online, but also the single player content. But I’m most looking forward to playing with my friends who might not be big gamers, to show them why Tekken is one of the best game series of all time.
Aside from the old friends in Tekken, I’m also looking forward to the new characters who are also well received in the community: “She’s brutal and I love her” – players are excited about the evil new fighter in Tekken 8