Every ‘Tekken’ Game Ranked Worst to Best
What’s Tekken about? A bunch of people fighting in a martial arts tournament, the winner of which will become the owner of a massive zaibatsu company. If only the real world worked that way. I’ve got a bone to pick with Bezos in the ring. Here’s Tekken, worst to best.
12. Death by Degrees
Death by Degrees was a 180-degree turn away from a good Tekken game. It was a good idea to have a game that revolves around ninja assassin Nina Williams as the lead character, but that’s about the only good idea that this game has. Rather than feature anyone else from the beloved Tekken cast, this game is populated by a slew of new and far less interesting characters. But the worst thing about it? Combat is done by flicking the right analog stick. Bold on paper, frustrating in reality.
11. Tekken Revolution
Tekken’s idea to make a free-to-play online game was indeed revolutionary, but in practice, it unfolded like the French Revolution: an absolute mess. While the game was indeed free to play, it was not free to win. The fastest way to level up your online fighter was to shell out money to level up your skills, which meant that if you weren’t willing to spend hard-earned dollars on your character, your character would spend their time with their face on the floor of the ring.
10. Tekken 1
“But it’s a classic!” the purists will say. Yes, it is. Without the original Tekken, there would be no Tekkens to follow. But just because Tekken 1 was the first game doesn’t mean that it’s a good game. It’s sort of like the first Super Smash Brothers. Fun as hell at a party, but a bit barebones in comparison to later titles. Its limited roster and slow gameplay are less than impressive to a modern audience. To truly appreciate OG Tekken you just had to be there when it came out.
9. Tekken 4
Tekken 4 was the first of the “modern” Tekkens, and like Tekken 1, the new era got off to a slow start. It’s not a bad game, it simply has the unfortunate task of having to follow one of the greatest fighting games of all time: Tekken 3. Tekken 3 was the apex of classic Tekken, and Tekken 4 had to reinvent the wheel a bit. The biggest complaint against the game is the addition of walls and obstacles, which weren’t present in the game’s infinitely scrolling predecessor. It was hard to adjust to the new mechanics, but Tekken fans would soon come to accept the changes in later titles.
8. Tekken 2
Tekken 2 was martial arts leaps and bounds better than the original Tekken. See, that’s the thing about Tekken, it always starts off a little shaky in the first round, but quickly learns and adapts to face any challenge. Tekken the second gave us more characters. More moves. More stages. And most important, more comic relief. Tekken found its gloriously ridiculous voice when it allowed players to play as a punching glove-clad dinosaur named Alex. A win for all involved.
7. Tekken 6
Tekken 6 earns big points for the addition of “Bound” attacks, moves that allow you to basketball dribble your foe off the floor and then juggle them in the air like you were a circus clown. The mechanic works so well that it became a feature in every Tekken game since. The addition of a story mode was also a nice touch.
6. Tekken 5
Just as Tekken 2 came out swinging in the second round after the rough start of the original Tekken, so too did Tekken 5 improve upon Tekken 4 in the modern era. Tekken 5 established modern Tekken in the manner that the Tekken gods intended: fast, furious, and full of character customization options. Yes, indeed. It was Tekken 5 that allowed you to change your fighter’s wardrobe to whatever you fit, so they could slay both in and outside of the ring.
5. Tekken Tag Tournament 2
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 understands what makes a fighting game truly great. It doesn’t need a good story. It doesn’t need to make a lick of sense. All it needs is a plethora of fan-favorite characters ready to duke it out to glory. And with 59 separate characters each with their own unique movesets, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 delivers. It’s a big, glorious, nonsensical slugfest that improved upon the mechanics of previous games without deviating from what made modern Tekken great.
4. Tekken 7
Tekken 7 marks the pinnacle of the Tekken franchise. The best part of the game? It’s Super Smash Bros-esque accessibility. Like the fighting giant of Nintendo, Tekken 7 is easy to learn but hard to master. It doesn’t require a player to memorize a string of complex combos, just whack people with Rage Arts and you’ll be fine! Hardcore players will however be rewarded for learning more complicated character movesets that will separate the pros from the amateurs.
3. Tekken Tag Tournament
Tekken Tag Tournament is seen by many as the height of Tekken, beloved across arcade players in the Elder Days of 1999. The game was later released on PS2 with updated graphics and controls, allowing players to bring the arcade beat-em-up experience home with them. The game was beloved by Tekken players that it was released AGAIN on PS3 with updated graphics as part of Tekken Hybrid. If it doesn’t get a PS5 release, I’m gonna unleash a Rage Art of my own.
2. Tekken 3
While some say that Tekken Tag Tournament is the apex of classic Tekken, others hold that Tekken 3 is the all-time greatest. It’s like comparing Muhammed Ali and Mike Tyson for the title of world’s greatest boxer. It’s almost too close to call. Tekken 3‘s edge comes not from its gameplay, but its cultural impact. Building off the success of Tekken 2, Tekken 3 catapulted the franchise into the mainstream, becoming one of the greatest fighting games of all time.
1. Tekken 8
Tekken 3 is the classic champ, but Tekken 8 is the pinnacle of modern Tekken performance. The lightning-fast gameplay of the classic and the cutting-edge graphics make Tekken 8 feel like the modern reincarnation of the mythical Tekken 3 of old. A sprawling Story Mode, the best online experience to date, and the return of the Tekken Ball mode only add to the greatness of Tekken 8. And best of all? The game is friendly to new players, featuring a tutorial mode that allows newbies to train movesets like pros. With twelve games to build off of, Tekken 8 hits harder than ever.
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