I remember the first time I played a Tekken game. It was in an arcade during my teens and I remember thinking how good it looked. Yet it was a little bit different compared to some other fighting games in that time. As the years passed and I grew older, I played several more games from the Tekken series on different platforms including the PlayStation, PS2 and the PS3. With each game I noticed the progression and improvements in graphics, characters and fighting styles. Overall, I have enjoyed the Tekken series of games and with every release I could count on a solid game.
That is until I un-wrapped this latest game in the Tekken series. It just was not what I expected it to be. The game disappointed me on many levels.  Tekken Hybrid is a game made of one well animated movie that otherwise has a poor story; one shallow demo of an upcoming Tekken Tag game (Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Prologue); and a high definition revival of the original Tekken Tag Tournament that really does not measure up. As far as new games go, Tekken Hybrid is anything but and for those Tekken fans looking for a new Tekken experience, you will not get that with Tekken Hybrid for the PS3.
First, let’s take a look at the main component of Tekken Hybrid which is the Tekken Tag Tournament HD (TTTHD for short). For those unfamiliar with the original Tekken Tag Tournament, players pick two characters and fight in either arcade, time or vs. mode. Players can then switch between the characters (tag in and out) during the match until one is defeated. Tagging in and out characters provide several advantages such as allowing the resting character to recover some lost energy, players can create combinations and you can gain a temporary boost in strength when timed correctly. Controls involve one button for a left kick, a button for a right kick, and so forth with the punches. In combination with the D-pad, players create various combinations of kick and punch moves (both high and low) as well as some throwing moves.
Players can pick a variety of characters each with their own unique moves/fighting style. Some of the characters can also be non-human and include a robot, a panda, a kangaroo, and demons. These characters can also be equipped with different weapons including swords and claws. The use of non-human fighters and weapons is an aspect of Tekken games I have always enjoyed considering most fighting games involve humans fighting other humans.
Considering that TTTHD is the main bulk of Tekken Hybrid and is now in “high definition”, you would think Namco would have polished the game a little bit more than they did. Granted the characters look smoother than in the original but they don’t look very realistic or detailed in comparison to games of today. The skins are unnatural looking and the textures lack detail. In fact, the high definition aspect seems to magnify the shortcomings of the character models. There also seems to be a sense of disconnect between the players and their stages especially when there are bystanders in the background, as if they were plopped into the scene. The camera angles can be occasionally off in that the background seems to spin faster than the foreground when the characters move around, giving the impression that you are fighting on a moving circle rather than a camera circling you realistically. All in all, Tekken Hybrid could have used a lot more polish. Â The characters could have use a complete face-lift with added detail, shadow, texture, and proper skin complexion rather than just smoothed out the edges. That would have been impressive.
Despite the graphical shortcomings, TTTHD itself is still a fun fighting game in that there is a sense of satisfaction of seeing your character being able to pull off some good looking moves and crazy combinations while avoiding your opponent’s attacks. The basic moves themselves are not difficult to do and one can do reasonably well with some button mashing for at least a short period of time. Pulling off some of the more complicated moves; however, involves more practice especially for those not familiar with the game. Also, as you win more matches, the difficulty increases with the AI being able to block and counter more effectively thereby requiring you to fight more smartly and avoid button mashing.
One of the things that prevent TTTHD from being considered a ‘must-have’ fighting game is that it does not offer online play. An online multiplayer or a ranking system is almost taken for granted this day in age with fighting games. Sadly no such modes or system are included in TTTHD.
The TTT2 Prologue gives you a sneak peak for the next sequel in the Tekken series and offers players to choose between 4 playable characters. The available characters are two female characters and two devil-like male characters that all appear from the movie and appear in other Tekken games. While the pairs look similar, the characters and their moves are different and have their own style of fighting. Nevertheless, it would have been more beneficial to have more characters to choose from or at least offer some that look a little more different from each other as even the female characters were dressed the same. Otherwise, I just did not get a huge sense of anticipation of what is available in the future or what to expect in the next Tekken game in terms of character selection.
One thing that I can look forward to in the next game are the graphics in TTT2P. The visuals are very well done and are up to par with what is out there today. Some of the moves seemed to be inspired from action movies including blur effects to emphasize quickness. The characters seem to interact with the environment such as how their clothing moved when they jumped or the destruction of their impact when they hit the ground or a wall. The background levels look impressive as well and I really felt like there was a lot of work put into the stage design. That being said, there are a couple of minor flaws including a stage where the lighting reflected oddly off the characters and gave them a strange, white, shiny outline. Hopefully this will be worked out in the final product because otherwise it looks fairly promising.
The sound in both TTTHD and TTT2 is good in that it does the job of capturing the effects of the characters being hit and falling on the surface. The music is better in TTT2 but it’s still a lot of electronic music and it is not particularly memorable. There is not a lot of voice acting in the game itself except for the yells of the characters and in the movie. Which brings me to the last part of Tekken Hybrid: the animated movie of “Tekken: Blood Vengeance.”
Briefly, the movie (Tekken: Blood Vengeance) is done in an anime style with the story of a student sent as a spy to find out what happened to another missing student that was part of an experiment done by the Mishima corporation, who are seeking his immortal powers. Along the way, friendships are developed between characters and battles are fought between rivals. That is the story in a nutshell and overall I just did not enjoy this movie. There is no real character development or plausibility and the story is a little too thin and cheesy. I’ve watched my fair share of anime and while the animation in this movie was excellent, the story isn’t very interesting or suspenseful. The voice acting was a little exaggerated and at times very aggravating, especially the female characters when they try to talk extra sweet or childish (in the manner of some anime but in English it just doesn’t translate very well). Also, the English dubbing was not done as well as I hoped as it sometimes did not match the lips of the characters whereas the Japanese version is probably more suited.
As I mentioned the animation is very good. There were times when I found it hard to believe I was not watching a live action movie. The detail from strands of hair to the pores on skin made me really admire the work the animators and artists put in. It is just too bad that there was not more of an effort placed in the storyline and that it was sold as part of what is essentially a demo (that really should be just be a free download) with a game that is several years old (that needs way more work to be considered currently relevant). I really think all of these should have been available as separate components with the first two being available as downloads and the last as a movie to be sold on its own.
Overall, I was disappointed with this instalment in the Tekken franchise. Much like a salesman who is selling you a refurbished product, Tekken Hybrid does not offer gamers anything new other than a demo, an anime movie and a high definition version of a game Tekken fans have likely already played over and over.   The Tekken franchise would have been better served to focus on a completely new Tekken experience which would have included new characters, new environments, online play, a ranking system and a revamped single player progression. This holiday season, I would suggest you stay clear of Tekken Hybrid.
