Pokkén Tournament Question about Pokken

[Zink Imp]

Hi all,

I am a little interested in Pokken. The one and ONLY reason is because I'm a very passionate fan of Tekken. In fact, it might not be too farfetched to say that it's my favorite fighting game series of all time.

So basically if I really enjoy Tekken, will I enjoy Pokken? I know that a lot of it is very different from Tekken's formula, which I'm perfectly OK with. I expect something much different than the Tekken engine with Pokemon.

I'm not a huge fan of Pokemon either. I know the jist of the series and all, but I don't rush out to buy the games. Only game I've ever beaten was LeafGreen and stopped buying them after Diamond.

On a side note, I have technically played Pokken before. I was able to play one of the Japanese location tests (next to the Tekken 7 one...) but I couldn't understand what to do because of the language barrier.

Thanks.

 

[Deaga]

Honestly, if you don't like Pokémon, I think it's better to not get the game. It's more of a love letter to those childhood dreams of seeing Pikachu punch Charizard IN THE FACE than anything else. I've never really played Tekken so I'm not sure how Tekken-like the game actually is.

 

[SSJ X Cloud Strife]

As someone with who has played all versions of Tekken extensively and even played Tekken at a competitive level ( I never placed high, lol) I can safely say that Pokken is definitely NOT Tekken.

I picked up Pokken this Saturday past and have put in quite a few hours into it. And while I don't think I'm great as yet, I do think I have a good understanding of the game's fundamentals.
No, it doesn't play like a Tekken game, not even close. However it is still a quality Namco fighting game and you can feel the love the Tekken team put into it, just like they do with the main series titles. Extensive training mode, avatar customization and CPU bot fights all scream TEKKEN to me.
Other nods to the Tekken series, that a fan like myself does enjoy, are various moves and win poses that the Pokemon do. Like Pikachu's obvious Heihachi impersonations and Charizard's Devil Jin laser beam throw

That said, the game is definitely tailored for the Pokemon fans, with not only the payable characters but the several cameo background NPC Pokemon too. And despite looking that way, game's system is unlike the VERY casual Naruto Storm, another series I have played extensively (Accel 2 FTW).
While I haven't found any reason to explore frame specific punishes (like you would in Tekken), just playing on feeling mostly, there are defintely setups and frame traps that can be explored. Juggles in duel mode feel very Tekken-ish. And there are also certain Pokemon like Sceptile that have dash cancels that can setup some tricky stuff.

All in all, it is a fun game. It's different from other fighters because of the Phase shifts that blends 2D fighting with arena fighting. If you're a fighting game fan like me, you shouldn't have any trouble adjusting to the game's mechanics.
You don't HAVE to be a Pokemon fan to enjoy the game and appreciate the fighting engine. It certainly helps to be a fan, but sometimes it works the other way round. Where other forms of media like this can help you get into the main Pokemon series as well.

I know I didn't answer you directly as whether you should get this game or not, but hopefully I have given you some insight to make a decision. Ask more questions if need be.
Personally, I would like to see more people play the game so that it can grow as a series with future titles.

 

[Grizzmeister]

I like Tekken and Soulcalibur but I absolutely LOVE Pokken Tournament.

To me, Pokken sorta feels like a mix between a traditional 3D fighting game and Virtual On. That gives it much more depth and strategy than Tekken, IMHO.

I was too old when Pokemon originally became a thing but that doesn't keep me from really enjoying Pokken as a deep and engaging fighting game. I'm glad I got it!

 

[Zink Imp]

Hmm...strong and good posts on both sides. Well, I don't have the funds to buy it now anyways. I heard there's a demo coming out so I might try that in the future.

 

[IsmaR]

The eShop demo is finally coming to the U.S. today, so you should be able to decide from there.