The Tekken series is the baby of PlayStation, and at the same time the console owes a massive debt to the 3D brawler that first popped its head up in 1994. It was Sony’s answer to Sega’s Virtua Fighter, which wowed crowds on the Saturn, as well as being undeniable proof that the arcade really could – finally – be played in your home. Each successive incarnation of the series has made its way to every incarnation of PlayStation: the second with Roger and Alex, the third offering “fully 3D backgrounds” (they weren’t), Tag Tournament giving us a taste of what PS2 could do, 4 basically ruining the series for a bit and 5 reminding us of why we loved everything about King, Jack, Kazuya and co., as well as showing us the PSP is capable of pumping out truly impressive visuals.

It’s been a long ride with just a few bumps along the way and… well, it hurts. It hurts us that Tekken 6 isn’t a PlayStation exclusive. This isn’t mere jealousy or fanboy rage (it is a bit of that), it’s the fact the Tekken series is ours. It always has been. The games have always been coded on arcade hardware with a PlayStation base. We just feel like we’ve lost something that was so special and so close to us.

Enough with the mindless over-emotional ranting of the insane though, and onto the now. We have Tekken 6, we have played it to death and a little bit more and even though we’re being cheated on, even though this isn’t the PS3 exclusive it should be and even though 360 owners have something to be smug about as a result, it’s absolutely brilliant. Did you ever expect any less? This is still a series that elicits such feelings of warmth from us and the sixth entry is no different whatsoever.

The biggest new addition to Tekken 6, or at least the one that seems to be pushed the most, is the Scenario mode. An offshoot of the likes of Tekken Force, though unfortunately without the manly cries of “Chicken!”, Scenario plays a bit like the scrolling beat-’em-ups of yesteryear. The story behind it is daft and a bit over the top, plus the kind of thing most Tekken veterans simply won’t care about, but it follows Lars and Alisa (two newbies to the series) as they travel around a map fighting people. There is an actual story behind it, but it really has little bearing on anything except for forcing dozens of cut-scenes down the player’s throat.

As for the game, it’s a mixed bag – exploration is very limited but possible, with free movement allowed, and combat is standard Tekken fare (as long as you remember to use the D-pad). It’s not too hard and, just as this type of mode always has been, it’s a decent distraction. It’s just odd that Scenario mode takes such prominence in the game, being the first option on the title menu rather than what we would normally see with Arcade or Versus mode.

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