Ive waited my entire life for this game, so for this one, ill get a lil more serious.

Honestly the most fun i had in a fighting game, a masterclass of gameplay, expanding an already amazing formula further and further. I dont think i have to talk about that too much, tekken has always been the peak of fighting games, and i dont think thats gonna change.
The character designs are honestly sick, they really went hard with it this time around, especially with jin. New characters.. i dont like too much. I guess im fine with reina but.. just let the story end..

But ive waited my entire life exactly because tekken was the game that introduced me to this world, tekken 3 was my first ever game at just 4 years of age, and jin was always my favorite character alongside a few others i wont mention now, but even so, i waited and cautiously followed for years his story and overall the story of tekken, and now at its culmination, i have a few things to say.

I know a lot of people say that fighting game stories are ass and that you shouldnt expect or care about them too much, and whilst i agree mostly, i think tekkens story is still worth following. Also: that isnt an excuse for halfassing things.

Ive heard complaints about this story. Many, in fact. So many people calling it trash, whilst i cant find a better way to truly end it. And while yes, i agree, it is quite a.. tough story, lacking in multiple areas, i think the core is still there: and strong.
The main criticism i want to adress is the Friendship thing. I saw many people critique the game cuz jin supposedly "saved the world by the power of friendship". I dont like that trope as much as the next guy, but i still have to disagree. The whole shtick of tekken is "Power is everything".. which isnt really true. Thats what we've been led to believe because of the actions of the main characters. However, Jin never seemed that way, actively rejecting his own powers throughout the games, even using his power (when he obtains it) to spread war to exactly destroy that power he has. He was an obvious outlier through and through: never really obsessed with power, instead trying to rid himself of it. Whether he had distorted views on how to do so, that is a different story. Throughout the games, Jin meets many people, from rivals, to people who only have friendly intentions towards him, to (possible) lovers, to even family. He rejects all of it, exactly because of the power he was bestowed with and wants to destroy. Jin was always characterized by his innate desire to rid himself of power, but also the interactions he had with other people.

Which is why none of the things presented in this game feel out of place when it comes to Jin. I saw people critique how everyone forgived him for essentially starting ww3, but its not like they have much of a choice except to believe in him, because really, no one can take kazuya down except him. Some forgave him, others most likely cast aside their grudge to combat a greater evil: a common evil makes comrades. So that argument is pretty stupid, especially since hes the trump card. He also had 6 months to tie up ends, so i assume he had quite the time to build up relations.

As for the power of friendship, this is kinda bizzare to me. Yall gotta play some more positive media lmao.
Even if it is true, so what? It doesnt come out of nowhere
Not only did Jin, by the end of the story, accept every facet of himself (by doing so allowing him to actually interact with people and not seclude himself away because of his power), but he also REDEFINED what power meant instead of ridding himself of it, answering Kazuyas vision of power. Power is either for dominance and complete control, or the power to protect what you cherish. By doing this, Jin flipped tekkens idea on its head, proven that power, is in fact, not everything (surprise surprise) and destroyed the disease that plagued his entire bloodline up to that point. Add the fact that, while what he did was wrong, all we can ever do in face of sin is to repent, add that he forgave himself for existing, and its adds an added layer to jins character and actions.
Its a battle of convictions at the end, in more ways that one, and in the end, what jin cherishes is the hope that was given to him by the people that believe in him, and the love and respect he received from the people he met over the years, despite everything that he put them through. Jin concluded tekken, proving that power isnt everything, that theres more things to life, and that punishment for your sins by solitude and seclusion only leads to more sins. So yeah, friendship fucking rocks.

Isnt perfect, but damn if it aint a good conclusion.. now if only reina wasnt the 57th bastard child of heihachi that is also somehow a devil now after the devil gene has been perished.. and it wouldve been much more impactful

Still.. 4 year old me would be happy. Thanks Harada

it's good, but i have my concerns and issues.
a series that rewards legacy knowledge is finally tackling it's biggest issue of accessibility. the bigger focus on aggression (chip damage, get off me buttons, weaker backdashes, no genuinely infinite stages), baby button mode, better training options; all these allow players to learn the game faster or just focus on pressing buttons which becomes who can flail their hands harder, perfect for newer players. the amount of new players at my locals is insane. mental stack of the insane amount of moves on top of the aggression focused changes means it's easier to bully in this game (as if it wasn't already prevalent). definitely way more fun to watch tournaments, it's party mode all the time in this game.
not to forget everything else this game has to offer, it really is the whole deal, i'd argue just as good as street fighter 6 launch. fun story mode, plethora of single player modes, more emphasis on learning the game with ghost mode, training mode options, and most importantly, fun character customisation.
but the online modes need some work, ft3 for all matchmaking is terrible for a game like this, where learning is personally the most fun part. you cannot learn a player in less than 3 rounds when they're just partying until it's over. i can appreciate player lobbies having steam invites however, one of the only fighting games nowadays to use this function and instant rematching is insanely good.
i think it's downfalls are definitely it's updates so far, and future of the game. shitty "battle pass", mediocre PAID skins, poor quality assurance in general and poor quality control over balance. i want this game to succeed, but i feel like they're built on a house of cards. all the legacy balance is about to be thrown out the window soon for something more simplified which opposses what made this series so great and i'm not really sure where this game is headed. and c'mon these dlc chars feel like base roster characters but they decided to make them paid for more money. you can tell the devs have their hands tied in this case, nobody wants this shit except the greedy corpo losers, but perhaps this is the cost of having something so nice in this day and age.

cautiously optimistic, im having a fun time with this game regardless

Eu sou completamente apaixonado por Tekken desde a infância, sempre foi uma das minhas franquias favoritas e a recepção que Tekken 8 vem recebendo é possivelmente a maior que a franquia já teve e eu não poderia estar mais feliz. Não tem um jogo da franquia do qual eu não tenha gostado ou não tenha gastado milhares de horas (tem o Tekken Advance mas...) e até hoje tenho um carinho tremendo. Eu simplesmente amo lore, e mesmo em jogos de luta sempre gostei de descobrir mais sobre os personagens. Eu literalmente passei a minha vida toda até esse ponto lendo sobre a lore de Tekken, aprendendo sobre os personagens e acontecimentos, vendo e revendo os endings um milhão de vezes e sinto que conheço todos os personagens como um livro aberto. O modo história de Tekken 8 é um presente pra um fã apaixonado, e um testamento ao legado dessa franquia.

Tekken 8 deu uma goleada no MK 1, e isso fora o baile. Apesar de pioneiro, uma coisa que sempre me incomodou nos Story Modes de MK é o fato de como o roteiro é limitado e prejudicado pelo fato de cada capítulo ser atribuído a um personagem e a um número X de lutas. Isso prejudica muita coisa e limita muito em como as resoluções são concebidas, e graças a isso já rolou muita porcaria. Tekken 7 fez um bom Story Mode cinematográfico sem essas amarras, mas Tekken 8 elevou isso a estratosfera, as lutas que rolam são de acordo com o que o roteiro exige pra seguir adiante com a história e ainda vai além, o storytelling também é presente nas lutas, seja pela gimmick, trilha sonora ou diálogos, a história também está sendo contada no gameplay e Tekken 8 faz isso de forma exemplar e empolgante, tendo custcenes de tirar o fôlego junto das transições incríveis de CGI pra gameplay.

Ryu, Sol Badguy, Kyo Kusanagi são alguns dos protagonistas de fighting games que tiveram seus arcos devidamente fechados, e o Jin era um dos que faltavam, sempre de escanteio e tomando overshadow do Kazuya, Heihachi, e em certo momento até do Lars. Com o palco sendo preparado há mais de 20 anos, o homem teve seu momento, com um crescimento e amadurecimento emocionantes que eu realmente não esperava ver. Cada callback e referência a coisas do passado são de tirar sorrisos do rosto, e seu último capítulo me tirou gritos de empolgação como se eu fosse uma criança jogando Tekken de novo, me fazendo lembrar de toda a trajetória que tive com essa franquia desde que era pirralho, seja de quando joguei Tekken 3 pela primeira vez e ficando encantado com tudo que o jogo oferecia, ou quando vi Tekken 5 aos meus 12 anos tendo aquelas CGs de outro mundo pra época, Tekken 8 me fez sentir algo com essa franquia de novo, nessa caso uma celebração de ver depois de tanto tempo esse arco encerrando, e de celebrar essa franquia que faz parte da minha vida desde sempre... cara como eu amo Tekken.

O gameplay é simplesmente perfeito. Tekken na minha opinião sempre foi inigualável como jogo de luta 3D. A adição da barra de heat caiu como uma luva, trazendo um novo dinamismo a um jogo que já era cadenciado, sendo bem equilibrado e sempre convidativo a novos jogadores. Os cenários são belíssimos e os sound effects são deliciosos de ouvir, cara, não tem o que dizer, é peak.

Hora de treinar muito e jogar ranked, já que Tekken voltou com tudo. Tekken 8 tem bastante conteúdo single-player, embora eu não seja fã do esquema "live service" pra um jogo de luta, e ainda menos do fato do jogo ter algumas skins clássicas pagas na loja in-game, mas hoje em dia as coisas são assim e não acaba manchando um jogo de primeira grandeza desses. Tekken 8 me fez sentir como um moleque que ama jogar videogames de novo, deixando a empolgação e emoção rolarem soltas, e esse é um lado meu que eu jamais quero perder.