Taking Apart the Tekken 6 E3 2009 Trailer

Lars Alexandersson: The Rebel for a New Age takes the Spotlight.

Okay, boys and girls… surely by now you’ve all seen the wonderful new E3 trailer for the console versions of Tekken 6. It’s full of in-game action and shows off the new features we can expect in the home versions. Of course, it’s not even E3 yet, so that shouldn’t be all- there should be lots to see and enjoy even more once the actual expo begins; I’m still pining for that ‘huge surprise’ being teased by SD-Tekken, and there will hopefully be more footage of the new mode. Namco will supposedly be prepping a playable demo of the game for E3 guests, so even more gameplay and vids of the home versions should be available soon. Anyway, since we all don’t have anything better to do, how’s about taking a more anal look at the trailer and do what we all love to do- muse.

Jin vs Kazuya. Once again, Tekken’s most dysfunctional father and son (though arguably Roger and Junior are also pretty messed up) take the front page. Their struggle is the centerpiece of the plot- supposedly if these two meet and clash, something Eeh-vil (read: A big, bad demon named Azazel) will be unleashed upon the world. As if a war between two megacorporations wasn’t bad already…

Lots of in-game action was shown. The console version is looking good, and should be pretty much pixel-perfect to the arcade graphics in the final version. Just remember, if we’re to take what has been said by the devs, the trailer is in 30fps- the actual game, running on your PS3 in front of your eyes on a good HDTV- should run in 60fps and look absolutely brilliant. You’ve still got time, mates- save up for that nice, big LCD. Tip, get something bigger than 32-inches, and your home setup will kick any arcade’s ass. Size really DOES matter in this case. Heheh…

There’s a New Stage. It’s the Elevator where you fight Nancy the Robot on right before taking on Jin Kazama. This wasn’t available on the arcade version of BR, so that’s already one point the console port has up. Sweet!

Lars Alexandersson and Alisa Boskonovitch are featured in the trailer quite prominently, finally laying to rest any lingering doubts that the home version is based on Bloodline Rebellion and therefore the Ultimate Version of Tekken 6 you can get come Fall 2009. Both of the newcomers sport new CG portraits.

With all the swooping camera shots of the action shown in the trailer, I’m really hoping there’s a mode where you can just pick two fighters, customize them and just sit back and watch as the CPU A.I. duke it out for your pleasure. All the better to enjoy…

… the option for Motion Blur ON/OFF. Harada-san mentioned this on his IGN blog, and it’s apparently in. Which is certainly a great little feature. If you’re playing it should be best to keep the blur on, since it looks pretty bad-ass. If you wanna have a closer look at the crisp, clear characters, turn it off. Now I’m hoping that Namco puts in a Clean Pause screen then…

With the lovely, long-legged Lili Rochefort as the model, the trailer showed us that the Character Customization feature is in full force. Hair Customization is supposedly much-improved in the home versions, as it was a bit complicated (and pretty expensive) in the arcade game. The feature is greatly improved from Tekken 5, and there are literally dozens of pieces and options for each character, and really- I’ve been playing Tekken 6 for almost two years now and I’m surely nowhere close to seeing all the customizations available. Pimping out your fighter should be one of the reasons to keep playing this fighter for months and even years to come… probably until the next Tekken..?

This sleeping beauty awoke for a reason. Find out in the new Tekken Force mode…

The Tekken Revolution. Okay, here it is… the New Mode. It’s Tekken Force with Co-op. The BR newcomers have pivotal roles given how they seem to have special CG cutscenes. The mode may reveal Lars’ personal sage and how he comes to lead a rebellion against the Zaibatsu; the circumstances that bring about Alisa’s awakening (or activation) should also be shown, and as well to where her loyalty or goals lie. That said, thankfully it seems you won’t be limited to either of the two- apparently you can pick any fighter on the roster to play with in this mode. Hopefully there will be a storyline to follow for whoever you pick.

Is Alisa a CPU-controlled support character? I noticed that in all the footage of the new mode, she tags along behind another fighter, or is always present onscreen with them. On the map screens, she’s not labelled as a Player character. Is she an A.I. ally? Or can she be player-controlled? Can two players fight in the same stage then? I guess we’ll need to learn more about the mode to really confirm how this all works.

The CPU enemies shown include gang members and street fighters, soldiers, Tekken Force troopers and Jack robots. These NPCs are surely composed from customization pieces and outfits existing from the standing roster- their move sets are also patterned after specific fighters. I wonder if we’ll be given the option to customize enemies in the mode as well? That would be sick (Attack of the Miniskirt Babe Army, anyone?).

Nancy is Playable in the new mode! Well, that’s a much better thing to do than just having her as an unlockable fighter. Her size and attacks are best used against lots of enemies, and ripping into Zaibatsu forces with the gatling gun should be loads of fun. I wonder if you take control of her from a terminal or remote control, or if you actually ride IN her? That sounded kinda kinky… Heh.

The environments you go through look big- there’s even a large-scale map showing the places to go. They’re big enough to give players a sense of scale that the Tekken world in T6 is more than just the arena, so that’s awesome. The stages look familiar, kinda like they were taken from Tekken 5 and Dark Resurrection. The changing camera angles may be from the actual game, or just for show in the trailer.

Hopefully the running around and exploration won’t ever be dragging, or be harried by any platform or run-and-jump elements. Tekken is a fighting game, so any struggling should be limited to actual opponents, and not the environment. Kinda stupid for your bad-ass fighter to get killed jumping a pond…

Among the stages is Azazel’s Temple, so it follows logic that you may probably face him at one point. In that case, if this is Lars’ story, perhaps he discovers what lies at the end of the tournament if the Mishimas are allowed free reign, so he goes on his rebellion to stop it? On the other hand, perhaps he finds Azazel and actually becomes a servant of this beast? Hero or Zero, we’ll find out soon enough.

So, is the Tekken Force Co-op mode Online-Capable? I’d be surprised if it weren’t. Players from around the world should be able to just jmp in and play with you on the fly. How many can play on a single game? At least two… maybe more? Maybe four Tekken fighters working together is a bit of overkill against any mob of CPU rabble though. But that would surely add to the competition of who bags the most kills…

WHEW! After all that… I can safely say… that Tekken 6 console is gonna FREAKIN’ ROCK. And you know what’s better? We haven’t even gotten to E3 yet! There’s bound to be more- MUCH MORE to be seen and heard about this much-awaited brawler next week, so stay tuned. As awesome as it was, this trailer was just the appetizer. More as we get it then.

Tekken 6 is set for release on PS3, Xbox360 and PSP this Fall 2009.

Katsuhiro Harada’s Tekken 6 IGN Blog: Answers to Questions

Tekken team director Katsuhiro Harada has posted a second entry in his Tekken 6 blog over at IGN.
Though it’s entitled E3 Plans, the post is mainly composed of Harada’s responses to the comments posted by readers in his first post. I have to say, the man takes the time to respond to the comments and that’s pretty awesome. It’s rare for a developer to be this frank and accessible, so that’s mad props to him. That said, of course he can’t really answer every question and issue without some degree of restraint and discretion, so take what you can from the post, as well as check out a couple of new screenshots.

UPDATE: Little by little I find myself thinking that this ‘Huge Surprise’ being teased by SD-Tekken is none other than a Playable Demo for Tekken 6. Harada-san mentions that one will be ready for E3, and well, if they wanted to, it can be available for us on PSN and Xboxlive. Well, this is just a speculation though… for all we know the surprise could be about Online, or something else. We’ll just have to wait. A couple more days…

Check out Harada-san’s blog here.

E32009 Tekken 6 Trailer Debuts on IGN!

The Force is strong with this one… Tekken Force, to be exact!

E3 hasn’t even started, but IGN has brought the good stuff for us starving Tekken fans. The new Tekken 6 trailer spans more than 2 minutes, showing off more in-game action as it reveals the cool new features of the console ports! What are you waiting for? Check out the E3 Trailer in high resolution here, dood! Expect a full analysis and review of the trailer soon… Heheh…

Namco-Bandai @ E3 2009: Tekken 6, Soulcalibur Broken Destiny

Namco-Bandai just revealed its schedule for next week’s E3 Expo, a packed four days featuring their latest and greatest. Tekken 6 will be shown prominently, and attendees will apparently be able to sample the new play mode exclusive to the home console versions (PS3 and Xbox360). Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny as well will be playable and shown at the booths.

Aside from that, a 2-Day Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion tournament will be held on June 3-4, so we’ll see who among the attendees has the skills (I’m thinking SD-Tekken’s Markman should make it a point to grab a slot here).

Namco will be showing off some other games like Dead to Rights: Retribution as well… but who the freak cares about them…? Heheh…

That said, I am thinking that the big announcement that has been teased all week probably does indeed involve the new console mode. With Tekken 6 apparently playable at the Expo, there should be quite a lot of impressions, previews and vids on this, hopefully, and perhaps we’ll see more presence of the fighter at mainstream gamesites covering the event (G4, Gametrailers, 1Up). Anyway, it’s just a few more days till E3. Rest yourselves into this weekend, as next week should be insane.

For Namco-Bandai’s whole press release about their E3 Plans, click here.

Musing About Tekken 6 Console: Achievements and Trophies

Okay, this was an interesting topic suggested by Bob (one of our readers, not the Tekken fighter), so I got to thinking what Achievements or Trophies may be available in the console versions of Tekken 6. Well, here’s a list of what may be possible- these are just speculations, okay? No one go off putting this as fact elsewhere. Anyway, some may be obvious, some maybe iffy and some just thrown in because I want to. Okay? Let’s go…

Zaibatsu CEO. Beat Story Mode with Jin Kazama.
G-Corp President. Beat Story Mode with Kazuya Mishima.
Revenge is Sweet. Beat Story Mode with Heihachi Mishima.
Movie Buff. Beat Story Mode with all characters.
Bounder. Perform a Bound combo 10 times.
Living Dangerously. Win a match in Rage Mode every round.
Dark Star Rising. Unlock Azazel.
The Harder They Fall. Beat Nancy.
King of Iron Fist. Win 100 Online V.S. matches
Story of My Life. Finish ‘Special Console Mode’.
Shop-a-holic. Buy all customizations for a character.
King of Shop-a-holics. Buy all customizations for all characters.
Item Warrior. KO 10 opponents with an Item Move.
Item Master. KO 50 opponents with an Item Move.
Fan Service. KO an opponent with Asuka’s Giant Fan.
Prinny Master. KO an opponent with Lili’s Penguin Attack Item Move.
Bring a Gun to a Fistfight. KO an opponent with any of the gun items.
That’s not a Knife. KO an opponent with any of the blade weapon items.
Going for the Kill. KO an opponent with Christie’s volleyball.
Body Farm. KO 10 opponents with Julia’s Mega Spectacles Item Move.
Miser. Accumulate 5 million at least in Fight Money.
Lucky Me! Won after getting your 40th Roulette.

Again, all these are just speculated… who knows what the actual Trophies and Achievements will be… I wonder if we’ll get lucky and get a few right? Well, we’ll see in a few months…

Musing about Tekken 6 Console: 10 Odds and Ends

Been thinking quite a bit again of our much-awaited console ports of Tekken 6. Nothing too focused… as in the title, just some little bits and pieces.

I’ve been looking at the customization options for Alisa Boskonovitch and really… she doesn’t have much. Aside from country lass and sexy Barrista or secretary, there’s not much to her alternate looks. Everyone else has their Tekken 6.0 stuff AND the stuff added in BR, while Alisa (and Lars) got the short end. I would like to think that Alisa will get more- a lot more- on the console version. Regardless of her being a robot, she’s a lady who deserves a big wardrobe.

As for Lars Alexandersson… well, I’ll be fine with him getting more than just a baseball cap to go with his power armor. Anyway, he’s getting a major role in the home versions thanks to his story being the focus in the ‘new mode’. I’m really hoping this is a sort of Trial or Dojo Mode as in PSP’s Tekken DR… I am genuinely interested in the game story, and a nice presentation of the plot would go a long way to enjoying the game. Lars’ backstory will surely reveal whether this neophyte is a good guy or another anti-hero, which will probably be a big impact on future Tekken game storylines.

That said, I really want even more costumes, and perhaps even more throwback outfits, for everyone else to surprise us on the home versions. Kimonos for Asuka Kazama at the very least, so we can recreate her Yakuza Diceroller look is a MUST. Heheh…

Thinking about it again, I really think that adding the option to Turn Off/On the Variable Full Body Blur Effect is pretty awesome and should indeed be included in the game. Please do so, Harada-san!

Customizations cost a LOT. Millions are easily spent to put together a decently awesome look for any character. Now, this is frustratingly expensive in the arcade, but in the home version it just translates to tons of hours of challenge and replay value. I really hope they don’t ‘cheapen’ stuff too much, and also add cool new stuff that will really be worth saving up tons of fight money for. Secret Items that are unlocked by some conditions would be cool as well.

I really want a Battle Theater or mode where you can pit two characters (customized as you want) in a CPU vs CPU battle. Or maybe even a battle with two Ghost A.I. characters. Tekken 6 is a gorgeous game, and a way to appreciate the graphics in a relaxed way would be nice.

A nice way of nodding over to sister game Soulcalibur IV would be to give particular characters pieces of outfits and customizations that will allow you to recreate the look of various Calibur fighters in Tekken 6. Think of it… Lili in Sophitia’s outfit. Nina in Ivy’s P1 costume. Kazuya as Mitsurugi. Hell, you’ve already got Lee Chaolan basically aping Raphael already anyway… let’s go all the way.

I really wish there was a link between the PS3 and PSP versions. Maybe you can share your game save between the two, so any money or customs you have in one will be reflected in the other…

I really need to see a new trailer this E3. Please let there be a new trailer.

Tag Team Mode in the console versions would be freakin’ awesome. I hope they put it in…

That’s that for now. Hmmm…

Starcraft Comic launches tomorrow!

The long wait for the next chapter in the never-ending war between Terrans, Zerg and Protoss getting you antsy? Well, relief may be found in the pages of the new Starcraft comics. This 4-issue limited series from Wildstorm is set prior to the events in Starcraft II, and will predictably star new characters instead of familiar heroes and anti-heroes in the universe.

The comic will feature a band of mercenaries known as The War Pigs, who have been brought back together for one particularly tough mission- the Assassination of Jim Raynor. Of course since we all know by now that ol’ Terran faceman James is alive and well (so far) in SCII, we can surmise that this pack of Pigs probably won’t succeed in their mission… but it will be interesting to see how far they go.

Starcraft #1 lands in stores tomorrow, May 28. The series is written by Keith Giffen and Simon Furman, with Art by Federico Dallocchio. I’ll see if it’s worth checking out.

And the Ball Drops: Kojima working on New Metal Gear

IGN has reported that the latest Famitsu just spilled the beans on all the intriguing hoopla over at Kojima Productions. In a somewhat-censored interview with International Man of Mystery Hideo Kojima, it is revealed that the MGS creator is indeed working on a new Metal Gear game as director and game designer, and the MGS4 team is working on the title, and the game will be a proper entry into the series canon.
Recently, the Kojima ‘Next’ site revealed, within the current rain-and-lightning drenched field, a fleeting image of Big Boss. This has now been followed by an image of cyborg ninja Raiden, of course leading to logical speculation that he’ll be starring in this upcoming new chapter in the MGS saga.

Pretty cool stuff. Is Big Boss coming back from the dead (again)? Will this really be the cyborg ninja’s time to shine? Will we see ol’ David back for a cameo? Are those hot Beauties coming back? We’ll just have to wait. And considering how long Kojima games come- we’re in for a long one. More on this as we get it.

Tekken 6 Character Countdown Part 22: Bryan Fury

Bryan Fury: Still going, still going…

As a way of counting down the time to the release of Tekken 6 for the PS3 and Xbox360, I’ve decided to begin this weekly series of lengthy, character-specific articles, each one featuring one of the 40 or so competing warriors in the latest and greatest King of Iron Fist Tournament. Hopefully, by the time we finish and reach character number 40, we’ll have the console version of Tekken in our hands already.

This week brings us to a fighter who has been around for quite some time- certainly a veteran, and certainly one of the most vicious and dangerous fighters in the roster. Utterly amoral and malevolent, this deadly combatant apparently lives solely for the joy of dealing death, destruction, chaos and suffering… and with a perpetual energy generator installed as his heart, he looks to be the Energizer Bunny of Doom. He’s the rogue cyborg super-soldier, the seemingly invincible and unstoppable Bryan Fury.

Bryan Fury
Distinguishing Features: Deathly pale skin. Scar across face and body. White hair. Lots of munitions. Kinda looks like Roy Batty from Blade Runner.

Strengths: Incredibly strong with a fast, hard-hitting Muay Thai-based fighting style that is geared towards total destruction of his opponent. Chilling, evil laugh. Shrugs off bullets and explosives like nothing.

Weaknesses: All his cyborg strength and invincibility only counts in the cinematics, and not in the actual game…

Affiliation: None. Seems to thrive and fight solely for his love of pounding people into bloody pulps.

Background: A corrupt police detective killed during a shootout in Hong Kong, Bryan Fury’s corpse fell into the hands of the ruthless Dr. Abel and was resurrected into a super-powered cyborg. Mainly built as Abel’s tool against his rival, Dr. Gepetto Boskonovitch, Bryan was sent into the Tekken 3 tournament to spy on Boskonovitch.

Bryan soon found himself abandoned by his creator after Dr. Abel was recruited by Heihachi Mishima as the Zaibatsu’s scientific advisor. Sensing that his life was ebbing away, Bryan decided to enter the Tekken 4 tournament in order to take control of the Zaibatsu and therefore force Abel to extend his life. However, Bryan lost consciousness after several battles. His life was saved though by Yoshimitsu, who brought him to Dr. Boskonovitch’s lab. Yoshimitsu and Boskonovitch believed that Bryan could be the key to defeating whatever Abel would create in the Zaibatsu. Dr. B. told Bryan that he would be given a new, more powerful body to replace his dying one, though it would take a year for the operation to be completed.

Bryan would awaken to find that he indeed was now more powerful, his body now powered by a Perpetual Energy Generator serving as his heart. Instead of thanking Boskonovitch though, Bryan attacked him, gravely injuring the doctor and killing several Manji party members who were guarding the lab. Revelling in his new strength, Bryan joined the Tekken 5 tournament to test his power. However, a returning Yoshimitsu, angered at the murder of his comrades, sought out Bryan and continually attacked him. Bryan left the tournament, disappearing into various war zones and fighting for the sheer delight of causing utter chaos.

Bryan surely was enjoying himself in the war caused by the Mishima Zaibatsu’s militarization. But when Bryan heard of the Tekken 6 Tournament, he immediately knew this was where he would truly satisfy his appetite for destruction…

Character Analysis: Part Replicant, part Terminator… all nasty. Bryan Fury is one sick puppy, even among the colorful Tekken crew. He’s a fighter of pure madness and violence, crazed but cunning, maniacal and unpredictable. In terms of the storyline, Bryan seems to be simply a mad dog, a wild card bearing little consequence on the general scheme of things aside from being a quarry for either Yoshimitsu or Lei Wulong. Such a powerful being though cannot simply remain without a goal or aim though, so who knows where this evil fighter may eventually end up?

What does the future hold for Bryan Fury? He’s certainly too powerful to ignore, and it seems that he may finally be in the sights of some of the game’s other power players, such as Paul Phoenix (as seen in the CG cinematics so far released). Does Paul have the brute strength to pummel the soulless cyborg into submission, or will Bryan continue to rage unabated through Tekken? It really seems that only total destruction can stop the Fury, and till someone can rip that Perpetual Energy Generator from his cold corpse, Tekken’s evil Energizer Bunny will keep going, and going and going…

Stay tuned next week as we delve into another fighter’s story!

Tekken 6 is set for release on PS3, Xbox360 and PSP this Fall 2009.

Major Nelson features Tekken 6!

Major Nelson, Xboxlive.com’s director, just featured Tekken 6 on his latest podcast. The interview is with In Joon Hwang from Namco-Bandai, who talks about the game for some length. Most of it is the usual stuff- about the game’s features (biggest roster ever, yada-yada…) and talking about the game’s history and popularity. The most interesting though isn’t really what’s in the ‘cast, but what they promise. Supposedly more about Tekken 6’s new online modes and new features exclusive to the console versions will be revealed in or around the E3 Expo. So we have one week or so of waiting till the next major event in our Tekken 6 vigil.

For now though, download or listen to the podcast here. The Tekken 6 section starts at about 19:45 and lasts for about ten minutes.

Tekken 6 is set for release on PS3, Xbox360 and PSP this Fall 2009.