Tekken 6

Fighting game fans have had quite a few things to be happy about this year. Street Fighter IV, Soulcalibur IV and BlazBlue all found their way to consoles these past several months and each game was very well received. If those fantastic fighters weren't enough for you -- or they just didn't float your boat -- a little game called Tekken 6 might be what you were waiting for. Following in a long line of arcade fighters, Tekken 6 continues the one-on-one, 3D tradition with the franchise's biggest roster yet, and some nice gameplay refinements.

Tournament-level players won't have much to learn, mechanics wise, from this article besides the fact that this is a great game and it works well on consoles. For Tekken newcomers, however, I'll tell you that Tekken 6 -- like its predecessors -- combines a pick-up-and-play mentality with the potential for seriously in-depth strategies and mind games. While Tekken is not for everybody, Tekken 6 should appeal to a fairly wide variety of fighting game fans.

Although the Campaign Scenario story mode might seem like the primary mode in Tekken 6, it's no more than a simple distraction from the real fighting at hand. What's most important here is the offline modes and online multiplayer, which all use the standard Tekken fighting engine in one way or another.

If you're planning on playing Tekken 6 on your own, you'll be able to enjoy the Arcade, Ghost Battles, Time Trial, Survival and Practice modes. The only things here that might be unfamiliar to fighting game fans are the Ghost Battles. This mode is actually one of my favorite elements in the single-player equation, as you're pitted against a steady stream of new AI opponents, or ghosts, that possess different ranks. At the end of the battle, you can use the D-pad to select your next opponent out of a list of three, or you can opt to end the Ghost Battle session. This mode is made even more palatable thanks to the monetary reward you receive after every victory.