Tekken Revolution (PS3): "Follow-Up Review"

As promised I spent some quality time getting familiar with Tekken Revolution, it's unique offerings, and it's unusual departure from the core mechanics of previous Tekken games. The fact remains that the game still plays heavily on the punishing mechanics that most of you touch base with in any Tekken match, and in doing so feels nothing like the traditional Tekken fighters of old. The "Free-to-Play" aspect is another matter all in itself, one which I'm not entirely sure about just yet. Unfortunately for that topic I will not be able to give you a definitive opinion until Namco has finished with the trial phases of the game. I can, and will however explain the game in better detail for those looking to join the others who are interested in this particular Tekken spin-off.

Tekken Revolution has been called by some gamers a successor to "Tekken Tag Tournament 2". What I see when I play it though is a mixture of "Tekken 6", and "Tekken Tag Tournament 2". While there are visual hints of TTT2 such as the background intro images, and certain stages that are included, the rest of the game stays more true to the core gameplay offered in Tekken 6. There (as far as I can tell) are no tag teams allowed within the game. It's purely a "1 vs 1" match setup that can be experienced in the usual offline (Arcade), and online (Player & Ranked) modes. What's different this time around though is the character upgrade system, token/ticket system, and gift point system.

Since Tekken Revolution is a Free-to-Play game there are some strings attached to it's basically "Free" offerings. The token/ticket system, for example serves as a means of monetary exchange for those interested in extending their limited time with the game. It also acts as a means to restrict those who are not willing to pay extra in order to continue their playthroughs. The experiences in each mode are indefinitely restricted by a timed limitation that ultimately refills (60 mins for online/ 30 mins for offline) after you have exhausted all of your token/ticket related credits. Arcade mode as a result works with it's own unique set of tokens, and the online modes work with their own.

The "Primary Tickets" that are rewarded through winning online matches can counteract the limited time situation assuming you are good enough of a Tekken combatant. The tickets in essence are a single use free pass that are awarded for wins in an online mode. You can use the Primary Tickets for a single playthrough of Tekken Revolution's offline Arcade mode, or even on a single Player/Ranked match. If by chance you win an online fight while using one of your primary tickets you will be rewarded another ticket for future use. Theoretically you can continue on for hours assuming that you are indeed a skilled Tekken player.

The mechanics of a Tekken Revolution match greatly differ from any previous Tekken game's offerings. Not only can the damage output, life meter, and damage resistance be tweaked via the "Power", "Vigor", and "Endurance" upgrade system but the characters themselves have an new set of special attacks (Special Arts) that leave them invincible to incoming attacks. To make things worse a player will gain "Critical Hit" boosts by meeting certain requirements online. The "Critical Hit" system is a feature that greatly enhances damage output as well as makes matches last a lot less longer than they usually would. With the OP (Over Powered) character creation system, and the combined threat of the new Special Arts/Critical Hit mechanics players are left to endure a full-on punishing match.

Before I get too far ahead of myself I should mention that the character upgrade system works off of acquired skill points that can be won from offline/online matches. Upgrades also require the use of the money you earn from your winnings. You need to keep in mind that winning online pays off a lot more than winning offline. There's also the matter of the bonus earnings from Primary Tickets that need to be factored into that equation. While winning normally without the use of a Primary Ticket will award you with a significant amount of money/skill points, winning with one will greatly increase your overall earnings. I've noticed during my many offline/online playthroughs that some gamers will allot all of their skill points to only one of the character upgrade attributes (Power, Vigor, Endurance) while players like myself play it smart by spreading skill points out more evenly. By allowing the player to choose how they want to distribute the single use (can only be used & set once) skill points the developer has created a unique online scenario in which players are not always evenly matched. In that respect the lower tiered, or less upgraded fighters/players will need to adjust their playing style accordingly.

When it comes to the graphic nature of this fighter you'll find that instead of sacrificing visual quality for extra content Namco has decided to do the exact opposite. The character animations as well as the background environments are all presented in a gorgeous manner which rival both Tekken 6's, and TTT2's offerings. The lighting, and shadowing effects that accent each character is done in a way that makes the characters look more realistic than they have before. The visuals of the menu systems on the other hand are kept simple, but offer that signature detail that you'd find with any fighting game associated with the Namco name. As such the game is not all that indifferent from other Tekken games.

Aside from the new in-game mechanics, and visual enhancements you'll find that there are other changes that have taken place in the world of Tekken. The roster offerings are a prime example of the sacrifices the Namco development team had to make in order to create this Free-to-Play experience. For the most part you will find the usual fighters are still intact. You will be glad to know that most of the Tekken fan favorites are there. At the start of the game though your character selection will be very limited. It isn't until you've played for a while online, and offline that you'll be able to unlock other characters with the gift points that you earn. There are hints that certain characters will be made available through the various "Game Over" images depicted at the end of an Arcade Mode playthrough, but I've still got a long ways to go before I can find out who will be released for certain. As of now I've only managed to unlock a couple of them including Bryan Fury, and Leo. I've seen other gamers who have unlocked Alisa, but for some reason the "Gift" system seems to be more random than not. I did also notice that the Devil Kazuya from TTT2's ending seems to be hidden somewhere within the game, perhaps as an unlockable character?

Whether your skeptical about this Free-to-Play experience, or not there is no doubt that this new iteration of the Tekken Franchise looks to change the way future fighters are experienced, and offered. While it can be argued one way, or the other I found myself falling in love with this game that I once called "Shit". I began my initial playthrough thinking "What a load of crap!", but ended up enjoying the game after the obvious lag issues began showing hints of being patched. Overall it's a tolerable experience that ultimately rewards the gamer for knowing their Tekken games/characters, and also teaches them something new in the process. Old fans of the series will most certainly find some significant changes, but will experience that core Tekken fighting system that most of us have grown accustom to.