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Tekken 8’s Season 2 Launch Faces Major Backlash from Players

The introduction of Season 2 in Tekken 8 has been highly anticipated within the gaming community. Despite multiple delays intended to ensure the update’s competitiveness and quality, the launch has sparked significant controversy.

With more than 1,500 adjustments made, this update was designed to rejuvenate Tekken 8 and echo the successful trajectory experienced by its predecessor, Tekken 7. The latter’s success stemmed largely from incremental seasonal updates that improved gameplay over time.

Contrary to expectations, however, Season 2 has received almost universal criticism, with community engagement appearing overwhelmingly negative.

A noticeable decline in player satisfaction has been recorded on Steam, with prominent content creators and professional players voicing their discontent regarding the update. Multiple game-breaking bugs and unintended interactions have already surfaced, causing further frustration among the player base.

Player Discontent with Season 2 Launch

Prior to the launch of Season 2, Tekken 8 had already drawn a mixed response due to its aggressive gameplay style. The game presented players with more 50/50 scenarios, which introduced a level of uncertainty and tension in defensive plays, frustrating many users, both seasoned competitors and casual players alike.

In the days leading up to the update’s release, developers teased enhanced defensive mechanics and modifications intended to improve gameplay resilience. They even reversed certain throw-breaking changes after receiving widespread backlash, generating excitement for the character Anna’s return.

Streamer PhiDX undertook the task of analyzing the extensive array of character updates, which took over 16 hours to complete, highlighting the depth of changes introduced. Unfortunately, the multitude of buffs included exacerbated the frequency of 50/50 decisions and provided more tools for characters to counter defensive strategies, contradicting the supposed defensive focus of the patch.

Aspects of the changes raised alarms about game-breaking bugs, particularly concerning the character Paul, whose unblockable string and erroneous cancel animations have provided a significant competitive edge.

Players have also uncovered various “Touch of Death” combos and new attack strings that complicate defensive maneuvers, compounding issues further. An alarming example includes Hugo’s Gamma Clap, a move described as exceedingly difficult to counter effectively, requiring specific and limited responses to mitigate damage.

Players from the Competitive Scene Express Concern

Amidst the tumult, professional players have publicly criticized the new patch, including renowned competitors who have built their careers on Tekken. Arslan Ash expressed regret over previously taking Season 1 for granted, while other players reacted to the update with despair.

Raef described the update as potentially the worst in the game’s history, while other players have called for an urgent fix prior to the onset of the Tekken World Tour, with some even suggesting a full rollback of the changes.

Despite receiving significant buffs, pro player Tone expressed apprehension about the game’s direction, stating his enthusiasm for Tekken was waning due to the shift from strategic blocking to perpetual guessing and relentless attacking.

JoKa, an accomplished player achieving one of the highest ranks in the game, expressed frustrations similar to others and critiqued the imbalanced nature of the patch, highlighting excessive damage and lack of counterplay options.

Maximilian, a prominent figure in the fighting game community, voiced disappointment regarding the changes, stating that the core fun of playing against skilled opponents has diminished.

With the overall Steam reviews dropping to overwhelmingly negative, displeasure among the community remains evident. Some reviews portrayed the update as a disorganized response to the game’s challenges, expressing concerns that developers seemed unaware of the game’s needs.

As the Tekken World Tour approaches, the developers still have an opportunity to respond to player feedback and recalibrate balance in light of the unfolding competitive landscape.

Source
www.dexerto.com