Katsuhiro “don’t ask me for shit” Harada picked on (opens in new tab) a smashing reveal of Tekken 8 (opens in new tab) at The Game Awards and that man delivered. It may only have lasted 83 seconds, but we got a good look at some emerging characters and the return of a certain favorite for their first major canonical appearance in 27 years.
Tekken 8 takes a hard look at the ongoing tumultuous relationship between Jin and his father Kazuya and the havoc wrought by the clash between Kazama and Mishima’s bloodlines. We are greeted by a very gruff-looking Paul who has either run out of hairspray or has finally grown his hair too long, with a beard flopping over his forehead. The trailer also offers very brief glimpses of a frighteningly veiny, buffer than ever before, along with King, Lars, and Jack-8.
The most exciting part of the trailer, however, was the flashes of long-forgotten (at least by Bandai Namco) fighter Jun Kazama. The mother of Jin, she made her debut in Tekken 2 in 1995 before disappearing from the main roster for the next two and a half decades. She has made cameo appearances in subsequent games and appeared as a playable character in both Tekken Tag Tournaments, but Tekken 8 marks her first canon appearance as a playable character since her original debut. Even including her spin-offs, it’s been almost 10 years since she was a playable character.
Long time no see and welcome back! #Tekken8 pic.twitter.com/jnf3NSRaDvDecember 9, 2022
Tekken 8 trailer for #gameawards in a nutshell (Welcome back, Jun Kazama) pic.twitter.com/9Y8jpvH6ErDecember 9, 2022
Due to her appearance, the Tekken community has been extremely hyped for her return, and chances are she will play a key role in finally resolving all these idiotic battles between her son and her child’s father. Her return seems to be the main topic of conversation right now, and given her lengthy absence, I’m not surprised.
The trailer also showed off some more Rage Arts moves returning from Tekken 7. The whole thing is a bombastic visual showcase, one that wowed many of the game’s pros. Super Akuma tweeted (opens in new tab) “TEKKEN 8 LOOKS SO GOOD”, while Cuddle_Core said (opens in new tab) the trailer “looked great” and praised the colors and visuals.
However, not everyone was so convinced. UK player JoKa remained reserved but”optimistic (opens in new tab)on the gameplay side of things after a Famitsu interview with Harada highlighted Tekken 8’s shift to a more aggressive style of play. Korean player Knee questioned the second trailer’s graphics, saying they looked noticeably worse than the first reveal.”The first trailer for Tekken 8 said ‘in-game graphics,'” he tweeted (opens in new tab). “So, was that real? I thought so, but looking at the second trailer, I don’t think it’s as good as the first.”
Regardless of the trailer that divides some players, the hype seems well and truly there for the next battle. Between this and Street Fighter 6, now is a damn good time to be a part of the FGC. I’ve always preferred Tekken and 3D fighters in general, so I’m eager to get my hands on it, though we still don’t have a release date. All I need now is for Bandai Namco to finally unveil SoulCalibur 7. Please, I beg you.
