- Tekken 8 DLC characters have been very underwhelming.
- Eddy and Lidia were already disappointing, so bringing back Heihachi wasn’t a good move.
- I don’t have any hopes for the last character at this point.
Being a huge Tekken fan, I tried out Tekken 8. While many didn’t like this game due to it being more offensive than its predecessor, I actually liked it a lot. I am aware certain characters are just straight-up unfair, but it has always been like in Tekken.
While I enjoyed playing the matches in Tekken 8, I didn’t enjoy the story that much. To make it even worse, Bandai Namco released DLC, which left me with nothing but disappointment.
Why it matters: DLC often makes up for what the base game lacks, so gamers look forward to it. Expectations are also high from paid DLC, particularly when it comes to fighting games.
Bringing Back Eddy & Lidia Was A Mistake
I was furious when I learned that the first character appearing in Tekken 8 DLC was Eddy. This character has been in the roster of Tekken for a while and is known as one of the most toxic characters. So, I didn’t really mind him not being in the latest entry.
However, the developer had to surprise us with this character in such a bad way. Some streamers just spammed a single button with Eddy and managed to climb the ranks. That says enough about the character.
There are some people who like him, and that’s fine. However, I think he should not have been a DLC character. Eddy could have been part of the roaster from the start, but paying for a legacy character is unfair.
After Eddy, Lidia was released as a DLC character, and this one is even more problematic for me. Lidia was a DLC character in Tekken 7, so Bandai Namco had already done most of the work.
Unlike Eddy, she wasn’t an outdated character. Instead, Lidia was built from scratch during the very end of Tekken 7’s lifecycle. As such, she would’ve been much easier to port over to the new game, like Leroy.
The fact that Bandai Namco sold the same character as DLC twice is insane to me. Why has nobody complained about this yet?
Heihachi Mishima Is Back, But How?
How is Heihachi Mishima back in Tekken 8? Harada, loud and clear, said that he was completely dead and he is now back. This doesn’t make any sense, and it just adds to my disappointment.
I didn’t think it was possible for Bandai Namco to let me down after Eddy and Lidia, but the studio somehow managed to do it again. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore Heihachi Mishima; in fact, he is one of my favorite characters, and I wouldn’t mind maining him again.
However, his return doesn’t make sense; he doesn’t belong in Tekken 8, and that is a fact. Kazuya killed him fair and square, and this time, his death was supposed to be permanent. So, bringing back such a character shows that the game is headed in the wrong direction.
Reina was released in Tekken 8 as Heihachi’s replacement, and she filled his shoes perfectly. She instantly became a fan-favorite, so that should have been it. However, Bandai Namco just wanted to bring back a fan-favorite character for fan-service. What was the point of coming up with Reina’s character then?
There Is Still Hope?
If you are like me and are disappointed with the DLC so far, I would say that there is no hope. It might seem like there is, as one character has yet to be announced. However, Bandai Namco has already scored a hat trick, so I think it wouldn’t mind disappointing us again.
An unexpected guest character showing up as the final DLC also seems unlikely at this point. Remember when Tekken 7 got Geese in the first season? I miss when the DLC wasn’t comprised of reused characters.
At this point, I wouldn’t even be surprised if the fourth character is yet another re-release. Perhaps it’ll be Marduk or Armor King this time. One thing is for certain: the first season of DLC has been a huge failure.
Bandai Namco seems to have run out of ideas. The studio seems more interested in microtransactions despite the negativity. Tekken 7’s success was built upon passion for the franchise, and while that passion may still be there, it’s clear that profitability is the current driving force behind Bandai Namco’s decisions.
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[News Editor]
Obaid is pursuing a Law degree while working as a content writer. He has worked as a gaming writer for over three years because of his passion for the medium and reporting the latest updates in the industry. Having played hundreds of games, Obaid finds himself coming back to Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, and Red Dead Redemption 2, with these games being among his favorites. He has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as Wccftech, Metro UK, PS Lifestyle, GamePressure, VGC, and Gamespot.