Tekken 8

This game is beautiful and fun. The story is still weird, though.

In Tekken 8, the newest addition to the game series, the Mishima family drama is front and center once more. For those who might not know, the big issue here is the devil gene, a weird genetic thing that Kazuya Mishima and his son Jin Kazama got stuck with. Kazuya is all about using this power to try to take over the world—typical bad guy move. Jin, on the other hand, isn't too happy about having this power and is always wrestling with himself over it.

The whole plot of Tekken 8 revolves around Jin and Kazuya's conflict and the whole mess it creates. It’s like watching an intense soap opera with punches and kicks. The game does a great job showcasing their battle and all the things others sacrifice along the way. Sure, some parts seem a little over-the-top, but there's cool stuff too, like when Claudio Serafino, the Italian exorcist, has an epic fight near the end. I really started cheering for the guy.

The game has its funny moments as well, even if they can be hit or miss. Paul Phoenix and Marshall Law's funny banter had me cracking up—poor Marshall must be really out of cash. Some jokes, though, feel kind of out of place when there’s super serious stuff going on. And seeing a bunch of modern soldiers ditch their guns to throw punches? It's like they forgot to bring anything but their hands to a serious fight.

Some of the smaller stories for each character range from really touching to plain silly. Like, I couldn’t stop laughing when Yoshimitsu, the ninja, yelled his love for green tea at a coffee biz lady from Peru, Azucena. It was just random funny.

Also, it's cool when characters chat in their own languages, but it's a bit weird when they all understand each other perfectly in a big multi-language pile-on. One-on-one, sure, but it's odd when it's like a mini-UN meeting and everyone just gets it, no matter the language.

But overall, Tekken 8’s story is pretty solid. There's a bit of a letdown because they didn’t dive deeper into the story of Jun Kazama, Kazuya's old love and Jin’s mom. If they had, maybe Tekken 8 would be even more unforgettable than Tekken 7, which had some really cool moments with characters like Kazumi Mishima and Akuma. But still, Tekken 8 was a fun ride.