Tekken Fans Shouldn’t Hold Their Breath for a Collection

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Tekken Fans Shouldn't Hold Their Breath for a Collection

Key Takeaways

  • Tekken devs Harada and Murray agree a retro game collection may not work due to the aging graphics of older Tekken titles.
  • The differences between 2D and 3D graphics in Tekken games may make a retro collection less appealing to fans and developers.
  • Focusing on new titles like Tekken 8, Bandai Namco is unlikely to release a retro games collection for Tekken anytime soon.

As a seasoned gamer who has spent countless hours honing my skills in the Tekken universe since the days of arcades and home consoles, I must confess that the idea of a retro Tekken game collection is bittersweet. On one hand, I yearn to revisit the glory days of Tekken 3 and relive the battles against Heihachi and Kazuya in their pixelated glory. But on the other, I understand the concerns raised by Harada and Murray regarding the aging graphics of older Tekken titles.

As a dedicated Tekken fan myself, I can share that creators like Katsuhiro Harada and Michael Murray have expressed doubts about compiling a collection of vintage Tekken games. This is because the stark contrast between 2D and 3D graphics might not resonate well with fans. However, let’s not forget some of our favorite entries from the beloved Tekken series, like Tekken 3, which hail from the 90s and are fondly remembered by many!

For more than three decades, Tekken has been a mainstay in the fighting game community, from arcades to home consoles. Bandai Namco’s franchise has consistently received acclaim with each release, whether it’s Tekken Tag Tournament 2 or Tekken 8. Unlike fellow Japanese studio Capcom, which is reissuing its classic fighting games for modern platforms, Bandai Namco seems to be avoiding this approach with Tekken. This strategy may continue into the near future, according to comments from veteran series developers.

In a chat with TheGamer, Tekken 8 co-producer Harada expressed his belief that a compilation of retro games might not be suitable for the Tekken series because its earliest entries utilize 3D graphics, unlike Capcom’s classic 2D fighting titles. He elaborated that players who enjoy 3D fighting games usually play the most recent installments, and the polygon character models from the early Tekken games wouldn’t appear as visually stunning as they once did. The Tekken executive producer added that 2D fighting games, consisting only of sprite characters, don’t encounter this problem because they seem to age graphically less significantly.

Tekken’s Chances of Getting a Retro Fighting Game Collection Seem Low

From another perspective, Murray, who was serving as an interpreter for Harada, also shared his personal views on the topic. Similar to Harada, he believes that 3D fighting games tend to become outdated more quickly than those with 2D graphics. However, he admitted that if a game’s gameplay offered something “exceptionally unique,” like in the case of Tekken Tag 2 versus Tekken 7, he might be inclined to play a fighting game with outdated 3D graphics “for a while.” Harada hinted that long-standing Tekken developers may leave after the next game, leaving open the possibility for new developers to consider creating a Tekken retro games compilation.

It appears that longtime collaborators on the Tekken series are not enthusiastic about the concept of a retro games compilation for Bandai Namco’s fighting game IP, effectively ruling out something similar to Capcom Fighting Collection. Consequently, it seems unlikely that fans will have an opportunity to play classic Tekken games natively on modern consoles at this time. However, the desire for vintage Tekken titles remains strong among players, who often purchase collections like Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics out of nostalgia and enjoyment of modern ports of retro games. If a retro Tekken collection ever does come along in the future, it would provide fans with a more accessible way to revisit these classic games.

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2024-10-01 13:13