12 Most Hotly-Anticipated Video Games Of Summer 2017 - Ranked

3. Tekken 7

It has been far, FAR too long since Tekken took pride of place on our shelves. The King of Iron Fist Tournament has been a mainstay of gaming ephemera for decades, yet with Tekken 6 being a decade old and the franchise's more recent instalments being Tekken Tag Tournament 2 and a free-to-play edition, it's a worthwhile reminder that when Namco put their minds to it, a 'proper' Tekken sequel is a wonderful thing.

Taking cues from Mortal Kombat 9's story mode and Street Fighter's screen-filling power-ups, now we've got a Tekken with a full-on narrative. T6 had elements of this, but now we're getting a backstory to the Mishima bloodline's devil gene, as Namco and Capcom have partnered to incorporate none-other than Akuma into the canon. Now it seems he had a hand in originating the gene itself, as creative director Katsuhiro Harada has noted we'll also be delving into the backstory of Heihachi, Kazuya and Jin to establish just why they despise one another so much.

On the gameplay side, Tekken 7 has actually been out in arcades for quite some time, allowing Namco to balance and perfect the roster that's finally coming to consoles. Whilst some stick to Street Fighter as their finest fighter of all time, Tekken has always had a substantial cultural pull that will ensure everybody takes part in this year's tournament come July.