STACK Issue 151 May 2017

52 / 92

When you think of fighting
games, Tekken is one
of the franchises that
immediately springs to mind.
The series has been around since
1994 and has amassed a total of nine
games – seven core titles and two spin-
offs, Tekken Tag Tournaments 1 & 2.
A staple of the fighting game genre, Tekken's
focus is more on its characters and
their relationships than its competitors.
According to producer Katsuhiro
Harada, Tekken is also able
to stand out thanks to its
player freedom.
“Tekken is a 3D
fighter. The ability
to move in a 3D
environment gives players more movement
options. Also, each character has 100 moves
or so, which adds to the freedom even more
by giving everyone their own way to play.
Another thing that sets it apart from
other fighting games is the amount
of content that makes its way to
consoles. Most fighting games
have that integral element of
fighting against an opponent
– whether it’s another
person or an AI – but Tekken,
in addition, has always had
its own special way to play
the game.”
Whether you are a newcomer
to the series – and fighting games
in general – or a Tekken veteran,
Harada-san promises you will find a way to
enjoy Tekken 7.
“During development, a lot of thought is put
into balancing the game for newcomers and
veterans at the same time. With a lot of fighting
games, you see people come and go, but with
Tekken, not only do we see an influx of new
players with new instalments, we also see
people graduating from the previous games to
the new ones.”
52 MAY 2017
visit GAMES FEATURE
Tekken has always
had its own
special way to
play the game
Tekken is the world’s best-selling fighting game franchise.WithT
ekken 7 out next month,
we spoke with series producer Katsuhiro Harada about the game’s development and what
the team has in store for the competitive side.
Words Alesha Kolbe
Katsuhiro
Harada