The biggest newcomers are the Street Fighter-style characters, who bring along an EX meter and projectiles to the mostly martial arts focused gameplay. I mostly stuck with my old standbys and was able to pick up and play just as I have since the 90s. Outside of Roger Jr. possibly being taken out of the game because of animal abuse concerns, there are very few absences and a handful of new characters to try. If you've kept up with Tekken, you're not going to find many surprises amongst its selectable roster. The interactive cutscenes and narrative clearly takes cues from the work NetherRealm have done in Mortal Kombat and Injustice, and it's a boon to someone looking to play the game alone. You'll see connective tissue from other games return, including past cutscenes complete with outmoded graphics that are a nostalgic rush for longtime fans.

Still, once you learn to skip past the frame story segments, there is a lot to like in the game's campaign. It is also all told from the perspective of an unnamed reporter character with some of the worst English voice acting I've heard in a game in a long while. The story focuses in exclusively on the Mishima family and a few hangers-on, which was somewhat disappointing in a game with such a diverse and interesting roster. Just as the longstanding feud between Kazuya and Heihachi comes to an apex, a mysterious stranger emerges with tales of the past. In this tale of devils and volcanos eternally retold, the G Corporation and the Mishima Zaibatsu are at war.

This is still the same Tekken you remember, but it might just be Tekken at its peak. Tekken 7 goes above and beyond the normal grind with smart changes to the formula, an honest stab at a story mode, and an upgraded presentation that is befitting a generational leap.

Thankfully, the King of Iron Fist Tournament has reciprocated, offering a solid fighting experience that rarely dipped in quality for sequel after sequel. I have that intro burned into my brain, and I've always held a fondness for the series ever since. Eventually, I grew old enough to circumvent these restrictions, but my cousin had upgraded by then, and the first fighting game I really dug my teeth into was Tekken 2. My older cousin had a Super Nintendo and Street Fighter 2, but I could only watch from afar. When I was little, fighting games were listed alongside Power Rangers and professional wrestling as one of the many forms of media that my mother deemed 'too violent' for me.

Tekken 7 review