20 Great Video Games That Everybody Turned Against
2. Tekken 8 (2024)
Tekken is still, decades after its first game, the fighting game to beat, and the most recent game, Tekken 8, is proof of this success, arriving three decades after the original game, and still drawing big numbers.
As usual, we play as our choice of a large assemblage of characters from different parts of the world, universe and other dimensions, with all the old favourites but this time including, amongst others, the angelic transformation of he-devil Jin Kazama, Angel Jin; JACK-8, the latest upgrade in the line of robotic JACKs we’ve been piloting from the start; and the preposterously named Nomenjanahary Miary Zo Andrianavalona, an animal-themed martial artist in a bikini…
It’s all the usual thrills and spills, but this time built for ninth gen consoles (and Windows, of course), and packing dynamic new mechanics including the Heat system and Tornado hits. So what got everyone’s knickers in a twist?
Well, while the focus on aggressive gameplay is exciting and a new move for an old franchise, long-time fans of Tekken have gradually discovered that this is not what they signed up for. The new mechanics and style are fun, and it’s unquestionably a good game, but this comes at the expense of the difficulty Tekken is known for. The hours of grinding away learning combos and specials and niche tactics to get the edge on other players has been swept aside in favour of easier, simplified play for mass appeal – and yet it hasn’t appealed to the die-hards.