This is not a Pokemon Stadium clone. This is not a cheap Tekken rip-off. This is is Pokken Tournament.
One of the best looking Wii U games ever and featuring some of the best fight mechanics on the console to date, Pokken Tournament, at least in a single fight format, is better than Super Smash Bros.
Until you play the story mode.
Ridiculously lengthy and void of a soul, the Pokken Tournament story mode robs the game of its sexiness and ultimately makes it a game only hardcore fans of the series or those looking for a decent fighter will want to partake in.
But to be fair, this game plays great and looks even better. Every Pokemon has two move sets, one for ranged attacks and another for up close and personal. Similar to Tekken, characters even have grapple attacks. Add in special and support attacks and you’ll see some of your favorites not features on the main roster and a bevy of beautiful maneuvers. Those worried about attack diversity need not worry here. In terms of game mechanics and overall playability, Pokken Tournament can stand stall with any fighter.
The biggest issue with Pokken Tournament is that it tries too hard to establish its own unique identity. While each Pokemon’s move set clearly distinguishes itself from its competition, the story mode is kind of being stuck in Diglet’s cave. The battles just keep coming and there’s no emotional connection to keep you playing away from some beautiful cut-scenes. Simply put, the story is supposed to make you feel like you’ve earned the right to become a Pokemon master, but it’s just too much.
Continue Reading This Article From Review Fix Editor-In-Chief Patrick Hickey Jr. at Examiner.com
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports.
Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders.
His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023.
Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief.
Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale.
Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.
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