Pokken Tournament is a AAA experience through and through. It's not easy to mash up two franchises and have it work seamlessly, but Pokken Tournament certainly comes across that way. For how I play and what I enjoy, Pokken Tournament left me very impressed. Again, I feel that same aspect of appreciation will be there for the players that are hungry for a deeper fighting experience on Wii U. It's obvious to me that that a lot of time, care and effort went into crafting this experience. Where Smash Bros. has had an uphill battle for years to get to the level of tournament respect it has now, Pokken Tournament should be able to garner that much quicker. That said, don't think this game is only for the professionals. Pokken Tournament offers up fun for fighting game fans or Pokemon fans of any age.

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Pokken Tournament might not quite be the Pokemon fighting game I’ve been dreaming of for years, but to be fair my dreams are ridiculously lofty. Despite its limited-by-reality scope, it’s the closest we’ve come to capturing the excitement of animated Pokemon battles in video game form.

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A welcoming sportsmanship sets Pokkén Tournament apart.

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With great gameplay and simple yet strategic mechanics and a good amount of content without becoming too overwhelming or intimidating, Pokkén Tournament serves as a fine addition to any Wii U owner’s library. If you’re not into Smash or Mario Kart when you have friends over or playing with others online, the least you could do is have Pokken Tournament handy and watch as the time flies while you’re immersed in this incredible Pokemon fighting experience that’s as fun to play as it is to watch. Pokken Tournament has a bright future ahead of it, and on top of the series’ 20th anniversary this year, there’s never been a better time to be a fan than now, especially if you’ve been playing the different games and watching it evolve over the years much like I have. This is the start to something new and special, and I feel we haven’t even come close to seeing it at its full potential yet. Pokken Tournament is bright, welcoming of all playstyles and ages, and at its very core a incredibly fun and exciting Pokemon experience.

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What characters are present do play with enough variety that you won't get bored leveling them up, and the obsessives will have a field day collecting every title and piece of clothing. It's also a graphical showcase for late era Wii U games. It's just that if this is going to be Street Fighter II, it needs a Super version with some new challengers – and hopefully not at full price.

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Pokkén Tournament has attempted to break into the fighting game genre with a bang, and it has done just that. It bring freshness and new life to a notoriously stale genre that's difficult to develop, whilst stripping out the unnecessarily complex controls that have plagued many games before it. Like Super Smash Bros. it's easy to pick up, but the skill ceiling appears to be as high as you'd like, meaning there's a cacophony of enjoyment to be had for both relaxed and hardcore gamers alike. It has a few areas that feel like a missed opportunity and the fuzzy visuals keep it from being truly perfect, but these are grotesquely outweighed by the sheer polish and replayability of the core gameplay. As the first of what we hope is a series of fighting games, Pokkén Tournament surpasses our expectations.

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Bandai Namco has crafted a fighting game that is deep and rewarding, while also being accessible.

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Pokkén Tournament takes a lot of what we know from old fighting gaming favorites and sticks them into a blender, delivering a unique take on both Pokémon and on fighting games in general. Sometimes all those ingredients spill over a container that’s a little too full - there is a surprising amount to learn beyond the beginner’s level, and that may alienate some Pokémon fans without fighting game experience. Pokkén Tournament does do a good job, though, at alleviating this bloat of mechanics with single-player modes to help ease into the action.

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Whether or not it will be a fighting game that will dominate the competitive scene for the next few years is impossible to say. But, whether you are a genre enthusiast, a Pokémon fan or just a gamer in general, Pokkén Tournament is an incredibly fun game with solid mechanics that can certainly hold their own.

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Pokkén Tournament isn’t quite as successful as some of the other Pokémon releases and other genre experiments (Pokémon Conquest comes to mind), but it offers high-energy battles and a unique framework for fights, even if it could use some tweaking. It’s fun, and it has a battle ecosystem with real potential. Also, I do think its multiplayer could have legs in the esports scene.

But a few changes to Pokkén’s mechanics and structure could make a potential future entry something even more solid and special.

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Pokkén Tournament is more than meets the eye, and it would be foolish to judge it just based on the Pokémon name alone. Bandai Namco has crafted a deep brawler that deserves to be up there with a lot of the competition, but some logistical issues specific to the Wii U hold the game back a bit more than I'd like.

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Pokken Tournament is beautiful, polished, and fun for awhile, but it’s not for everyone. In fact, I’d venture to say it’s for the very few. In spite of its faithfulness to the letter of Pokemon, there’s little faithfulness to Pokemon’s spirit of all-inclusiveness. There’s simply nothing to do if you’re anything less than above average at fighting games. The single player is dry, and everything else is just an endless slog of unchanging battles.

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Pokkén is a fun fighter with familiar Pokémon characters and surprising depth, but it failed to become a fighter I see myself playing for years to come.

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Pokkén Tournament was a brave experiment, and it succeeds in many areas. However, it fails in some others—whether from lack of depth or outright poor design—that keeps it from reaching that upper-tier of the fighting game genre’s elite entries.

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Much like the arcade ports of years past, Pokken fails both to expand its core gameplay and to justify its existence on home consoles as a full priced release. If you just want to mix it up with human beings, Pokken Tournament has you covered. Every other facet of the game fails to satisfy in any meaningful way, and few will have the patience to get through the game’s tedious single player content.

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Pokken Tournament tries its best to cater to a more casual fighting crowd, but in its efforts to do so rapidly becomes mundane after repeated playthroughs. There's little lasting appeal here and no real incentive to get better, ironic given that the game is based on the property made famous by wanting the very best, like no one ever was. Without the depth and complexity of a Street Fighter or Tekken and without the increasing fun factor and crazy comebacks of a Smash Bros., Pokken Tournament falls into a nebulous middle ground that leaves it feeling unremarkable, much like a throwaway Pokemon battle with a Bug Catcher or some other random trainer.

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Pokken Tournament is fun for a bit, but I'm not convinced that it has any staying power as a fighting game. It's further hurt by its thin single-player mode and limited roster, which hurts its potential with casual fans. As attractive and faithful to the license as it is, it has plenty of room for improvement. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a sequel.

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maxcriden said:

there is a surprising amount to learn beyond the beginner’s level, and that may alienate some Pokémon fans without fighting game experience.

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Alexious said:

A literal mess with embargo times. European PR told publications to go live at 3PM CET (in an hour)...

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Alexious said:

A literal mess with embargo times. European PR told publications to go live at 3PM CET (in an hour)...

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DecoReturns said:

Average around the 70's, exactly what I was expecting.

Console Pokemon games are usually around there

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OricWindstar said:

GoNintendo

No review score, but they liked it.

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Malick[AI];198377328 said:

Going to pick this up Friday. It is a shame 2 player used the game pad screen though.

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Pokken Tournament is beautiful, polished, and fun for awhile, but it’s not for everyone. In fact, I’d venture to say it’s for the very few. In spite of its faithfulness to the letter of Pokemon, there’s little faithfulness to Pokemon’s spirit of all-inclusiveness. There’s simply nothing to do if you’re anything less than above average at fighting games. The single player is dry, and everything else is just an endless slog of unchanging battles.

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Daft Punk said:

Man, not what I was hoping to hear. This seems more along the lines of a Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (PS3) than a Tekken or Soul Calibur. I'll keep my pre-order, but I don't see this game living long past EVO.

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maxcriden said:

USGamer 6/10: http://www.usgamer.net/articles/pokken-tournament-wii-u-review

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Malick[AI];198377328 said:

Going to pick this up Friday. It is a shame 2 player used the game pad screen though.

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Much like the arcade ports of years past, Pokken fails both to expand its core gameplay and to justify its existence on home consoles as a full priced release. If you just want to mix it up with human beings, Pokken Tournament has you covered. Every other facet of the game fails to satisfy in any meaningful way, and few will have the patience to get through the game’s tedious single player content.

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revyb said:

I reviewed Pokken Tournament for App Trigger. I gave it 7/10.

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wrowa said:

3/5.

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OricWindstar said:

As far as its FGC staying power is, I'd wait until some pros get their hands on it. Mainstream reviewers don't often have good perspective on what makes a game work for that scene.

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Daft Punk said:

I'm hoping that seeing guys like J Wong and Nairo get their hands on it will make people give it a chance. Nothing hurts more than a fighting game with no one to play with.

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maxcriden said:

Added, thanks!



Same thing, right? I put each out of ten for consistency's sake (that's how they show up on OpenCritic). I'm happy to change it--I'll do so right now--I just want to understand the difference.

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Alexious said:

A literal mess with embargo times. European PR told publications to go live at 3PM CET (in an hour)...

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opticalmace said:

They can have different connotations. Best to just report the scores verbatim.

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opticalmace said:

They can have different connotations. Best to just report the scores verbatim.

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BiggNife said:

Still excited to play it but kinda bummed that it sounds pretty light on content. And unlike SFV they probably won't update it.

Ah well, still buying it.

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OricWindstar said:

Agreed. I'm expecting at least Killer Instinct levels of interest, as it does seem to have a pretty competent system in place and the obvious pull of the Pokemon crowd.

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Daft Punk said:

Man, not what I was hoping to hear. This seems more along the lines of a Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (PS3) than a Tekken or Soul Calibur. I'll keep my pre-order, but I don't see this game living long past EVO.

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Iriscomeback said:

Looks really cool, might pick this up after all.

Are there no secret characters btw? Or is the roster I just saw in the Gamespot videoreview the complete one (16 characters).

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Ondore said:

Does the DLC help keep KI interest alive? Because it seems like Pokken isn't going there.

Also, Chandelure fights like Mega Man and it's awesome.

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OricWindstar said:

True, but I still see a similarly small but active community to form. And they've said they have no plans for DLC, but I expect that to not be the case; they said the same for Smash Bros.

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IGN said:

Pokkén Tournament is more than meets the eye, and it would be foolish to judge it just based on the Pokémon name alone.

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Boney said:

What's that supposed to mean

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