Tekken 7: The new lineup in Season 2
Aiman Maulana discusses the pros and cons of getting the new season’s downloadable content passes
TEKKEN 7 is one of the most popular fighting games available at the moment for a multitude of platforms. Its popularity was rivalled by the likes of Dragon Ball FighterZ and Street Fighter at the global fighting game championships, Evo 2018.
It has been over a year since the game’s release and to give it new life, Bandai Namco released the second season for Tekken 7. However, is it worth purchasing the new DLC (downloadable content) pass for the game?
WHAT IS NEW IN TEKKEN 7 SEASON 2
The most notable thing in Season 2 are changes to every single playable character in the roster. Some characters’ moves have become less effective (nerfed) while others have noticeable improvements (buffed) such as being able to execute moves faster or show better tracking than before.
Another change in terms of gameplay introduced in Season 2 is the wall-bounce mechanic. Every character now has a move which can strike hard at the enemy, they will hit the wall and bounce off it, allowing you to continue unleashing your devastating combos. It is by no means a huge game changer, especially since many characters have rather awkward timing to unleash the wall bounce, but it does add versatility to how you go about your combos.
To encourage more players to start playing Tekken 7, Season 2 introduced the new Simple Combos feature. While holding down the assist button, you can press a single button three times to launch, send them into a corkscrew motion to continue juggling the enemy, and finish the combo. This is meant to make the game easier to play for beginners while also not breaking game balance among seasoned players as it is not the most optimum combo for the characters.
Season 2 also sees some changes in the user interface, though this is just a change in aesthetics, as well as a new theme song for the main menu. It is actually the same song that we’ve all grown accustomed to over the past year, Solitude. It’s just that the song has been remixed. Both the change in song and user interface certainly make the game feel surprisingly refreshing.
However, all of these are actually free of charge and can be accessed as soon as you update Tekken 7 to the latest version. So what is the point of purchasing the new season pass, especially if you have purchased last year’s season pass?
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN SEASON PASS 2?
The Season Pass 2 for Tekken 7, which costs RM89, will yield a number of interesting new additions to the main game. You are guaranteed to have six additional playable characters to the roster, with only three currently known — Tekken legacy characters Anna Williams and Lei Wulong, and another guest character in the form of The
Walking Dead’s Negan.
This is very exciting for Tekken fans as they have not seen both Anna Williams and Lei Wulong since Tekken 6 even though these characters have appeared in pretty much every single Tekken game. Negan’s reception was rather lukewarm as it seemed like a rather odd choice for many, but it is interesting as Tekken 7 now has better mainstream appeal.
There are other items included, merely cosmetic, which can be used to customise your favourite characters but the main
attraction here are the additional playable characters.
Season Pass 1, priced at RM109, will get you Tekken’s own Eliza, and guest characters Geese Howard from SNK’s Fatal Fury and Final Fantasy XV’s Noctis. Interesting, but that’s half the additional characters compared to Season 2.
You don’t need to purchase Season Pass 1 to enjoy the new Season Pass so if the first one is of no interest to you, don’t worry. The characters will just appear locked in the character select screen. The remaining three mystery characters will be unveiled at a later date, and we expect the announcement to entice many Tekken fans across the globe.
If you were expecting additional story content for Tekken 7, especially after the conclusion of the fight between Kazuya and Akuma or after Jin has finally awakened from his comatose state as seen in the ending of the game, there will be none of that here. In fact, there are no additional individual character episodes for the new characters, at least at the moment.
IS IT WORTH BUYING?
As an avid Tekken 7 player, I have enjoyed the game more and more, and the idea of getting more playable characters in the near future is something I look forward to. If you ask me if it is worth it, I will definitely say yes. However, it may not be the same for you. If you’re wondering whether it’s worth buying, I would say it depends on a number of factors:
1. Will you be playing Tekken 7 for a long time? 2. Will you be playing Tekken 7 online with other players?
3. Do you have friends to play the game with?
4. Are you looking to learn / master new characters?
If your answer to most, if not all the questions are yes, then Season Pass 2 will definitely be worth it. Otherwise, I recommend you hold on to that purchase as you may end up regretting it.
The main game itself is still fun to play so if you’re not sure, just keep playing it and see if the game will continue to interest you in the long run. If becoming an eSports player for Tekken 7 is something that you’re considering, then that automatically makes it worth purchasing.
At the moment, those who have purchased Season Pass 2 for Tekken 7 can already access new playable characters Anna Williams and Lei Wulong. Guest character Negan from The Walking Dead will be added at a later date. It will be available for every single platform that the game is released on, which is the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.