Summary
Bandai Namco has released two newTekken 8gameplay trailers for the returning characters Panda and Alisa Bosconovitch. Both Panda and Alisa will be available asplayable characters inTekken 8’s launch roster. With a few weeks left before the fighting game’s launch and the base game’s roster completely revealed, fans have been given gameplay reveal trailers to show how some of these classic characters have changed from their previous incarnations.
Panda made her first appearance inTekken 3, originally being a palette swap for the other bear fighter of the series, Kuma. She has made a playable appearance in everyTekkengame ever since her debut, eventually having her own character slot in the roster fromTekken Tag Tournament 2onward. Alisa, who is an android made in the image of Dr. Bosconovitch’s late daughter, made her debut inTekken 6. Both these characters would become associated withTekkenregular Ling Xiaoyu, with Panda being her bodyguard and Alisa becoming her friend in non-canon material likeProject X ZoneandTekken: Blood Vengeance.
These gameplay trailers highlight the two characters' fighting styles. Since Panda is amoveset clone ofTekken’s Kuma, the two share moves and gameplay styles, having a heavy emphasis on striking from farther away, due to their longer limbs. However, much like Kuma, who can use moves associated with his previous master, Heihachi Mishima, Panda incorporates some moves from her own best friend and ward, Ling Xiaoyu. Panda and Xiaoyu even have a cute special pre-match intro animation where they skip around and bet that whoever wins the fight decides on what snacks to have.
The otherTekken 8trailer points a spotlight at Alisa Bosconovitch, who is a robotic fighter with a variety of weapons up her sleeves. These include chainsaws, jetpack wings, and even her own head. Her trailer shows her taking on a Jack-8 model, along with demonstrating a lot of her unique moves that incorporate her weaponry. Her Rage Art finishing move was praised by fans for being an extremely comedic but powerful-looking move, with fans being treated to the sight of Alisa kicking her own head like a soccer ball into the opponent and then exploding.
All Confirmed Tekken 8 Characters
While Alisa was hailed as a welcome return and an upgrade from herTekken 7incarnation, Panda’s inclusion has been a bit more contested, which is a carryover from her past appearances. Due to Panda sharing moves with Kuma, many consider her to be a waste of a character slot, which was only strengthened after fans found that they both lacked variance when comparing their movesets. As such, some think the two still play relatively the same way, despite also having some new moves. That said, there are still some fans who are excited about playing asTekken 8’s resident bear fightersand android girl.
Tekken 8
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Tekken 8 brings the fight to the latest generation of consoles, powered by Unreal Engine 5. Feel the power of every hit in Tekken 8, the latest entry in the legendary fighting game franchise from Bandai Namco. Utilising the power and realism of Unreal Engine 5, Tekken 8 pushes the envelope for fighting games by taking full advantage of the power of the latest generation of consoles. Ground-breaking new features, breathtakingly detailed character models and dramatic environments make this one of the most visually stunning and immersive titles in the genre yet. Tekken 8 picks up after the gruesome battle that ended in Heihachi Mishima’s defeat in Tekken 7, focusing on a new rivalry, pitting father against son as Jin Kazama stands in defiance against Kazuya Mishima in a city-shattering face-to-face showdown.
