Tekken 7 is a 2017 fighting video game developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, and released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.  The game is the ninth installment in the Tekken series, and focuses on the fights between martial artist Heihachi Mishima and his son, Kazuya, as well as the events surrounding the death of Kazuya’s mother.

Positives:

• Terrific visuals
• Great soundtrack
• Great voice performances
• Competitive multiplayer
• Intense yet fun gameplay
• Great level designs
• Good story
• Great character customization
• Controls are handled well

Negatives:

• Story could’ve been better
• Lacks multiplayer modes

Campaign:  The campaign is extensive and follows the final saga of the Mishima story, focusing on the fights between Heihachi Mishima and his son, Kazuya.  As far as the story is with the Mishima family, it’s actually pretty engaging.  However, when it comes to anything else going on and the other characters, the story is pretty bland.  Sure, a couple of characters make an appearance (especially my boy Akuma who comes in strong).  Players will take control of several characters over the course of the story.  The campaign can be played over several difficulties to increase the challenging experience. (3 out of 5)

Gameplay:  Tekken 7‘s gameplay mechanics remain largely the same as previous installments with a strong focus on 1-on-1 battles in which players attempt to deplete the health bar of their opponents.  There are some new features introduced in the game.  Rage Art allows players to execute critical attacks depending on the character’s health bar.  Power Crush allows players to continue attacks while being hit by the enemy.  Players can use the new Screw Attack to hit enemies airborne to inflict additional hits after they reach the ground.  The combat and gameplay is pretty solid and can be very intense.  It feels more refined.  (4 out of 5)

Graphics:  Tekken 7 is just an all around awesome looking game and one of the best looking fighting games in the industry.  The cut scenes are split between animation and stills.  Honestly, the cinematics are extremely well done and the stills are well drawn.  I can’t help but think that the stills are pretty lazy though.  Maybe if the stills was part of an unlockable story.  The character models are good and well detailed. Many of the male characters are overly muscular and the women are perfectly proportioned.  The levels are pretty active and are as appealing as the fights.  The character intros and outtros are good but feel repetitive. (5 out of 5)

Score: The score is actually pretty awesome. The voice performances are pretty good and many of the casting choices work for the characters.  The music is just epic, each level having its own theme as well as the themes supporting the story.  The sound effects are just on point. (4 out of 5)

Replay Value:  The game does feature a lot of replayability and it mostly focuses on the character customization and multiplayer.  One of the most pronounced aspects is the character customization which can have players investing plenty of play time to the campaign as well as multiplayer. There are tons of unlockable content and in-game rewards (mainly customization items) and will enlist multiple playthroughs. As side from the multiplayer, there is a practice mode for players to develop their techniques. The multiplayer is pretty competitive and as decent a player as I am, I’ve learned that online is not a place for me. Multiplayer could be taken online or played locally.  Loved the access to the cinematics of the previous games which help players new to the series to learn the story.  The game does have a lot to offer. (4 out of 5)

The Verdict: In the end, Tekken 7 is a pretty awesome experience and definitely should be played by fans of fighting games.  Really, the only issue is the story and how bland it is.  However, the game does feature awesome characters, fantastic graphics, a great score, intense combat mechanics, character customization, and tons of unlockables.  Tekken 7 gets 4 out of 5.