Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 Hours or Less

The Bottom Line:

"Guilty pleasure"

When is a panda not a panda? When is a luchador not a luchador? When is a kangaroo not a kangaroo? When they're some of the most absurd fighters on Tekken 6's roster. Many have tried to enviously steal the spotlight from Street Fighter, but many have failed while few have succeeded. But Tekken 6 might have taken their crazes a little too far. Arenas that can break to reveal more arenas? No replay? The rage mode from MK vs DCU? How low can Namco Bandai go to be the king of fighting? Namco Bandai made games like DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi, but Tekken 6 might be Street Fighter's weakest challenge yet.

THE GOOD

Godlike visuals and soundtrack. Fighting easy to get the hang of. Awesome training options and scenario campaign mode. Big cast = big opportunities = more fighting!

THE BAD

Obviously a takeoff of other fighting games, example: stealing the rage from MK vs DCU. Lack of replay unlike SSF4. Roger Jr., Panda, and King have to be the most absurd fighters I've seen in a fighting game EVER! Patchy online gameplay, long loading, and no offline campaign multiplayer.

Gameplay: 8.5/10 (B+)
Style: 8/10 (B)
Entertainment: 7/10 (B-)
Amusement: 5.5/10 (C-)
Smarts: 6.5/10 (C+)

Result: 35.5 out of 50! (C)

I cast different shades of anger towards this game. I realize how much it did to try and be the ultimate fighting series. But watch out, Tekken. You still have Sega's Virtua Fighter and Capcom's Street Fighter ahead of you. This game may have some sooth, but it's also stark. A recommendation for those in-between-softcore-and-hardcore fighters if hardcore is a little too light and softcore is a little too hard. Tekken 6 is a guilty pleasure that should be approached with caution.

(Score: 8.5/10 = great)