Monthly Archives: June 2017

Tekken 7 Review [ft. AI|Lolitabot]

The Villain

You can make The Villain, Marty Scurl!

I haven’t really played a Tekken game with any seriousness since around Tekken 3. A tiny bit of Tag 2, a tiny bit of 6, but I always watch the big matches at EVO to see what’s going on. I’ve never been very good at the mechanics and fundamentals that come with a 3D fighter, so I stick to what I’m at least competent at: 2D fighters. However, Tekken has never been more accessible to the 2D audience than it is right now. Tekken can feel very complicated, and some people might just say “Hurr, all they do is just mash four buttons”, and I’d say, “Sure! If by ‘they’ you mean your buddies on pizza night.” But professional Tekken? That’s an insane amount of hard work and technical talent.  It’s far more than I have. So I asked AI|Lolitabot about her thoughts on Tekken 7. She regularly plays Tekken 7 on her livestream, which you can find here, as well as her thoughts on the FGC and her own cosplay over here. So, many thanks to Lolitabot for taking the time:

Tekken 7 - 2

I feel so alive!

“Accessibility for new players – T7 simplified various mechanics just enough to make it slightly less intimidating and difficult for a new player to pick up while still keeping most of the franchise’s competitive depth. Throw-breaking was made easier. Damage scaling is harsher, so longer combos don’t really do much more damage (which I suppose lets newer players have shorter, easier combos that still do near the same amount of damage as the long, complex, flashy ones). Korean Back-Dashing aka Backdash Cancelling isn’t as important to learn for defensive purposes as you won’t get hit out of back-dasing now (KBD is a technique in which you execute a series of backdashes that are cancelled by crouching in order to backdash and create space quickly and safely, but it’s time-consuming to master and often intimidating to new players to try to learn). Getting up from being knocked down is no longer a world of oki-induced pain and frustration. The momentum of the game has slowed slightly, gaining a little more “neutral” play than the sheer steam-rolling pressure game of previous iterations.

Akuma gives SF players a character to pick up to be able to immediately jump into the game, as Akuma basically plays like a SF character in a 3D plane. Netplay has had some issues that the developers are working on fixing, but it’s mostly consoles that have been affected. Steam netplay has been great in terms of connection and finding matches (of course if your opponent just has a bad connection/slow internet then it’s going to be bad no matter what). Even played some overseas players with a playable connection via Steam.”

Tekken 7 - 3

Feels like Third Strike with that opening sweep!

She’s right, you know. My first thought when I heard Tekken 7 was coming, was “Meh, another Tekken. Another game I’m not mechanically sound enough to play.” then I saw him. The Supreme Master of the Fist. Akuma/Gouki, one of my favorite Street Fighter characters of all time. My skepticism lowered just a bit. Would they do him justice? Or would it feel like SFxT [which I still think is horrific and awful]? They did him justice in the best way. Akuma in Tekken 7 plays to me like Ultra Street Fighter 4 Akuma, and that’s where I spent a lot of time playing him. He can do all the wacky shenanigans he used to! Light Tatsu into DP, dive kick shenanigans, keep-away with Fireball, Aerial Fireball, the multi-hitting Red Fireball. And he can do even more! Practically all of his specials can hit an enemy on the ground so he can chain moves together pretty easily. He’s also the only character with a Special Meter. Everyone else has a Rage Art [which he does too, the Raging Demon], Rage Drives [A series of hits/single attack, highlighted by a blue aura, which does more damage and creates more combo options, can be cancelled out by a Rage Art], and Power Crushes [Hard-hitting attack, absorbs a mid/high hit, leaves them vuln. to low attacks and throws, which will go through that hit as if it had armor]. So I started with Akuma, going online just with what knowledge I had in Street Fighter, and going from there. You know what happened? It worked! And it made me want to learn a few other characters, like Bryan Fury, Yoshimitsu, Heihachi, a few others. This

Tekken 7 - Messatsu

Post Super Move bliss.

You know what happened? It worked! And it made me want to learn a few other characters, like Bryan Fury, Yoshimitsu, Heihachi, a few others. This was the perfect gateway for someone like me. It gives me hope that I can learn this game, that I can play it competently one day. This was a huge move for Bandai Namco, and I’m not so sure that Capcom realizes this. It’s going to bolster sales for Tekken 7, and while sure, it’s good for the FGC as a whole, it’s better for Tekken. Most people that don’t play Tekken have always told me they don’t because it’s too hard, or it feels too cheap. It’s too fast. Matches can be over in an instant. But the pace has slowed down considerably. Can you pull one combo and probably juggle someone across the screen to win, pinning them in a corner? Of course, you can. The most important thing to me are these things: 1: It’s exciting to watch. It’s going to be crazy hype at EVO and other tournaments. 2: It’s accessible. I feel like I can actually get into this game, learn it, get better. 3: I don’t feel as salty on a loss as I do in Street Fighter. Though I haven’t rightly lost too many times yet, thanks to Street Fighter.

Do or Do Not: 4/5 

Tekken 1

Shoutout to Kenny Omega, and the Bullet Club! #Bizcliz

I love this iteration of Tekken. I’ve never said that before. It feels mechanically sound. The look and feel of the stage changes are fantastic. The cast is strong right out of the gate. I haven’t been told, “Yeah, we’ll add more characters you can spend real money on later, but here are six characters to start with!” And there’s another really fun thing about this: The customization of characters. You can make them look like virtually anything. There’s a great crossover for us wrestling fans. New Japan Pro Wrestling did a tie-in, and you can unlock Bullet Club shirts, a sick jacket in the likeness of “The Rainmaker” Kazuichka Okada for guys like King, and more! NJWP has worldwide branding now, and all corners of the world are keeping up with the antics of the Bullet Club. This is a great move as far as publicity goes, and I hope they keep doing just that. I do wish I didn’t have to repurchase the same shirt for every character, but they make it very easy to get Fight Money in Treasure Battle. The only other real mark against it I have right now is Ranked in Tekken 7. People can pick, choose, dodge matches to figure out who they want to battle against, who they don’t, etc. You can see the character your opponent is playing in advance, with the icon on the screen. That’s going to change, as well as some other big changes that they’ve already discussed. Bandai Namco, they’re listening. No date has been set, but they are working on it. There are so many combo options, ways to string moves into juggling across the screen, it feels more dynamic, more fluid than ever before. The King of the Iron Fist tournament has never been more accessible to new players and has enough to keep old hands interested. It’s going to be a very good year for Tekken fans.

Dynasty Feud Review

by Andrew Skelton (Outfoxed)

 

Platform brawlers have come a long way since the days of the original Super Smash Bros.  These days it takes something truly outstanding to lure people in, be it solid gameplay mechanics, balanced characters, unique and fun combos, or engaging aesthetics.  Dynasty Feud, by Kaia Studios, brings about a whole new twist on the formula: dynasties.  No, this isn’t Dynasty Warriors: Family Feud edition like some people have asked, but a true platform brawler with a cast of colorful characters and incredible, interactive stages.  How does it hold up to the superstars of the genre, though?  Will it manage an epoch of its own?

Warriors, Come Out To Play

When a game tells you outright it’s better experienced with a controller, you should probably take note of that.  It is unfortunate, however, that there is absolutely no option to rebind your keys anywhere.  This goes for both mouse/keyboard AND controller users.  Thus you need to get used to Dynasty Feud’s controls on your preferred peripheral pronto.  Thankfully, the controls are very responsive, which is an absolute must for a brawler like this.  There was absolutely no input lag that could be feasibly detected throughout multiple play sessions (online or local).

Dynasty Feud Review

The training session available for new players is very lackluster.  You get a very basic overview of controls, such as how to attack and how to jump, and even how to use your super attack.  You’re not, however, ever given any indication on how to dodge — which is quite important in a brawler.  In fact, the only way you might know how to dodge is if you read the help files or began button mashing to discover the secret. While training mode allows you to select a kingdom to practice with, it’s not that great to see what a character can do against another player.  After all, as Bruce Lee put it, “boards don’t hit back.”

I Call It Strategic Button Mashing

Despite being thematically unique, every character has the same set of commands.  You have an attack, a special attack, a jump (more accurately, a double jump), a dodge, and a super move.  Some characters are very straight forward.  Eerika, for example, has a spear attack, a spear throw special, and a block.  Others, however, may only have an attack and reload. While many dodges are simply a dash away from the combat, others include a stun which lets certain characters juggle control on their opponents.

Dynasty Feud ReviewThe other key consideration in Dynasty Feud is that each kingdom has its own unique super move.  There’s a major imbalance here as some dynasties, like the vikings and the prehistorics, are downright overpowered, practically guaranteeing a kill. Others, like the cowboys, are easy to avoid. When a character goes down, you can also use a maneuver to annoy your opponent, but this too suffers from major balance issues.  Some annoyance moves knock back, which can cause a character to be knocked from the stage.  Others distort the screen for everyone, which is more of a self-inflicted annoyance than any real hindrance.

Kingdom of Heaven, or Loathing?

Initially, you’ve only access to the cowboys and the vikings, though as you play and level up, you unlock more kingdoms.  Each kingdom has five characters that have unique play styles and skillsets.  As hinted above, some characters just feel weaker than their compatriots. It’s not good for game balance if there are multiple situations where it’s best to suicide a character by jumping off stage so you can use a more valuable team member.

Dynasty Feud ReviewOf course, it’s not terribly hard to get killed in the game. Dynasty Feud features a one-hit-kill mechanic, and only a few characters come with an additional hit point through armor. Because of this, there’s no combos here, no style.  Just quick fights until someone emerges victorious.

No Stage to Stand On

There is one definite point of excellence in Dynasty Feud: the stage design.  Most brawlers don’t have quite this level of sophistication.  Take the cowboy stage, for instance.  You start out in your stereotypical Western town jumping from platform to platform fighting your enemies until it starts scrolling off the screen.  In fact, the main stage is not the cityscape you’ve been fighting on, but the train down below that transports the characters from place to place.  Similarly, the knights stage is a castle under siege, and catapults will quickly reduce your fighting space to nil if you take too long.

Dynasty Feud ReviewEach stage has its own little touches too.  Ninjas pop in and out of the samurai stage.  Lightning storms crash on the vikings stage.  All in all, the stage design makes you pay more attention to your surroundings by design, rather than simply focusing on your opponents.  After all, this is a brawler, and getting knocked off the stage is just as bad as being defeated by your enemy.

Keeping Your Friends Close, Your Enemies Somewhere Else

Not everyone wants to play with random people on the internet (shocking, I know).  Thankfully Dynasty Feud does offer both local and online play for up to four players.  Local players get the most game mode options; Online only has the option to play in Family Feud mode.  Family Feud is the basic kingdom versus kingdom mode detailed above.  There is also Team Feud mode, which is a 2v2 team mode, and All Star mode, which allow you to pick and choose your heroes from any of the unlocked kingdoms.  Each character has star value associated with them in this mode, from one to three.  You have to take a team of five, here, but are limited to a total of ten stars on your team with additional limitations to prevent power stacking.

Dynasty Feud ReviewPlaying online may only give you access to the Family Feud mode, but you do have some options here.  Quick match will put you in with three other players randomly.  The game does try to match players with similar skills (based on rankings when you win or lose), but you’ve no control over who you play against.  You can also play in a private game, which will let you play with your friends no matter where you all are in the world.  Finally, you have a Ranked mode, which is a highly competitive mode, and features a best-of-five format to determine a winner.

Final Verdict:  Good (3/5)

It’s hard not to compare Dynasty Feud to similar titles such as Smash Bros. and Brawlhalla.  Unfortunately, compared to either of those games, Dynasty Feud falls regrettably short.  Some may consider the fact you’ve one or two hits will bring about more skillful play, but it really only rewards extreme offense.  Some of the kingdoms are just plain imbalanced in this regard, when you take supers, annoys, and character roster into consideration.  The price tag ($14.99 US) is also hard to ignore in light of the fact similar games are either cheaper, or outright free-to-play — and have better game balance, even in competitive modes.

Dynasty Feud ReviewThat being said, the non-static stages bring a huge amount of fun to the table.  The options available only to local play also make it a great party game for friends, provided you have extra controllers for everyone.  If you’re looking for a platform brawler that’s fast paced, look no further.  However, if you’re craving one with a bit more depth, you may want to look elsewhere.

Dynasty Feud Screenshots