Tekken 8

The eighth mainline release in the Tekken series that continues the story of Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima. Tekken 8 introduces the Heat System, Super Ghost Battles and the Tekken Lounge online hub.

Tekken 8 is a welcome return for the series, with a fighting style that feels fresh through its aggressive combat, and plethora of modes.

Tekken 8 improves on its predecessor with a complete graphics overhaul, drastically improved netcode, and a robust base game package featuring 32 characters and 16 stages. With DLC fighters already in the pipeline, there’s more than enough content to keep fighting game fans packing punches for the foreseeable future.

If this review appears glowing, frankly that's how I feel about the game. It's without a doubt my favourite fighting game out right now, and I've been fiending to get back online ever since they took the pre-release servers down. The one scratch on the game's spotless form is online infrastructure that doesn't quite live up to other games on the market right now, which makes it hard to recommend to those with seperated friend groups or subpar online connections.

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.

Tekken 8 is an incredible evolution for the series, with tons of single player content, an excellent suite of training tools, a great online experience, and exciting new mechanics that make Tekken more dynamic than ever.

Eight years after its predecessor originally launched in arcades, Tekken 8 has arrived, and it has brought the heat to match the long wait. The Heat System is an exciting addition to the fighting mechanics earmarked by flashy moves and multiple ways to use them. The roster is deep and varied, and it offers something for everyone. Both offline and online players will find plenty of things to do, and the customization options all add a personal flair. Tekken 8 is poised for another near-decade of dominance, as it's a Devil of a good time.

Tekken 8 finally took the time to show me the ropes, and now I have to endure every single one of my Tekken-obsessed friends telling me "I told you so" for eternity as a result, because I finally get it. And it's all because they added a decent tutorial and an encouraging pat on the back, and set me on my own way to figuring it out.