Tekken does compare favorably to other games in its genre. But what about outside it's genre?
Tekken has been the most consistent in its production values over the past twenty years. Think about SNK and their terrible track record. I've been down about Tekken ever since Tekken 6. In my opinion Tekken 6 was the first Tekken to take a nose dive in quality. This was for several reasons; a poor port, bad netcode, too many terrible customizations, a lukewarm reception to the bound systems coupled with juggles and a mediocre game story.
In all honesty I do not think Tekken 6 had a worst story compared to the prior Tekkens. In 2009 the bar was lifted across all genres and Tekken no longer could pass muster. I think we look back on older Tekkens with a type of childhood wonder and nostalgia that casts them in a slightly better light. When Tekken is good story-wise, it's good, but when it's bad, it's down right offensive. Gamers are learning the value of well told stories in coherent game universes. I wouldn't mind if a little more energy was invested in these areas.
An interesting quote that I found on IGN in reference to a completely different genre. The first person shooter:
"Not having the context of a fleshed-out, meaningful game universe can render the most mechanically solid games meaningless." Link
Key word
meaningful
This is in regards to the newly released Titanfall and Star Wars Battlefront games without a campaign. I think there is much that can be learnt from the first person shooter business content model. I do think Tekken can capture a few of these listed below.
1.high production values
2. large marketing budgets
3. a flashy single player campaign
4. buzz worthy voice actors/ A-list talent
5. high profile writing talent
