We’ve known about Tekken 7 for over a year now, but we still weren’t sure if it was going to release on platforms outside of the Playstation 4. That uncertainty was squashed during Microsoft’s E3 press conference as the next King of Iron Fist Tournament was confirmed for both Xbox One and PC with an extra surprise in the form of its story mode.
More surprising than the story mode itself, was the reveal that Akuma from Street Fighter would be part of it. Not relegated to a simple guest character, series bad guy, Heihachi, is confronted by Capcom’s demon as they brawl within a temple that’s burning to the ground. Not only is the special care taken to get Akuma authentically represented instantly apparent thanks to his fireballs, EX meters, and Raging Demon finisher, but the story fight in itself was looked incredible. Integrating QTE’s into the middle of a match is another interesting design choice, which will ideally bring a level of excitement to help the narrative stand out from your standard one on one bout.
Alongside this announcement, franchise producer, Katsuhiro Harada, took the stage to announce that Tekken Tag Tournament 2 would be available for free as a backwards compatible Xbox 360 title all week for Xbox Live Gold members. Featuring the largest roster in Tekken history, the 2012 game is the perfect way for Xbox owners to get caught up ahead of the seventh game’s early 2017 release.
If nothing else, this trailer and reveal is a reminder of what could have been if Tekken X Street Fighter was ever released. How do you think this story mode will pan out, and how hard are you refreshing the Xbox Live Marketplace to claim your game? Share your thoughts, (and GamerTag,) below so we can get some games going!