Smart new mechanics are combined with a matt casting

Tekken 8 is the next installment in the nearly 30-year-old fighting game series. Its existence alone is enough to please many returning fans – myself included. I have no doubt that my cabal of Tekken faithful friends will have hundreds of hours of fun sparring in online matches and local tournaments. We'll have growing pains, quibbles with character balance and opinions, but Tekken 8 will give us what we want, and what we want is garishly dressed weirdos juggling each other through the air with gorgeous attack animations, all to the pounding beat of maximalist electronica .

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I'm less sure that Tekken 8 will be the game that turns fighting-game-curious button-mashers into frame-counting die-hards. It's the most accessible entry in the series yet, with the best tutorials and training mode, simplified control options, and two full single-player campaigns. It's all good stuff! But it has the unimaginable privilege of accompanying the most complete, feature-rich, and joyful on-ramp fighting game ever.