Noctis, as a Tekken fighter. A Square character, I can see from the several that have their martial/street styles down, but a blade-wielding one? Huh?
While this isn’t the first time that an outsider character has invaded the Te-…
Wait, it is? Tekken 7 is the first game to insert other flagship names from other franchises? I was thinking of Soul Caliber with that first statement? Ah, right, it was Heihachi that starred outside of his own game, the first time being in SCII in the PS2 Home Version (Great game, btw). That was strange too back then, but we can tackle that in a bit.
Metaphor to that & where I’ll be going from here; On your own chessboard, you can do what you like with your own pieces, and maybe other chess pieces that may stand in the same spots, but when you add in a 8-inch action figure to the game, your chess set will start to look a bit weird, and people may question how it still plays the same.
For the metaphor here, our chessboard is established with a franchise full of hand-to-hand fighters, each with their own backstories, influences, etc. Yoshimitsu is the closest to using any sort of weapon in his fighting-style, but since Tekken 1 has gone mostly bare-fisted with the sword along for aesthetic purposes. It IS the Iron-Fist Tournament, so it would be a little strange if not. Add in bladed combat, and the whole concept flips.
Keep in mind Bandai-Namco has a game for that, and it’s called Soul Edge/Soul Caliber, a fighting game that last released a core entry in 2013 on the PS3/XB360. 5 years have passed with no word on the next game. Not to say other games haven’t given us years between each, King of Fighters tends to go a solid half-decade as well as the separation of T6 & 7 was roughly 8, but it may be time to bring it back. Noctis would have been perfect for it, since he is more of the bladed persuasion.
The latest DLC with Geese Howard (trailer included above) is a great example of someone who fits the mold Tekken serves for, as is Akuma, aside the energy blasts, whom is essentially using a martial style. My main point here is the stark difference in character type, and with that, we have to keep in mind Square has decent bare-knuckle brawlers to throw at Tekken.
Tifa from FF7 would also have been a great choice, filling in the female cast and utilizing her limit-break as a Rage Art. They are remaking Final Fantasy 7, surely you’ve heard? Come on, Square, you know how this goes. Zell as well would have worked, I’ve seen it put up, but we’re not doing anything with FF8 at the moment, so he’s out. My last nominations lay with any of the characters from The Bouncer, one of the introductory games off of the Playstation 2 and a much-beloved gem in all who were able to play the title.
Devil’s Advocate, in defense, maybe what Square was going for was a promotion a la Dissidia, which launches on home consoles in January for North America. I understand that at least. Either way, Bandai-Namco and fellow readers/gamers, I sincerely hope the next DLC goes back to the fist. Maybe I’m in left-field on this rant, but the sword bit I saw in most of the moves displayed just doesn’t fit. Leave the action figure in the toybox, let the pawns battle it out on equal, as well as related, grounds.
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