Gaming

Everything we learned from our TEKKEN 8 Preview

Story Mode, Fighting Styles, and more

Published

December 12, 2023

Some time in late November 2023, we had the privilege of playing a build of TEKKEN 8 for roughly around three to four hours. And we’re here to share everything we learned about the heavily anticipated fighting game.

The first two hours were dedicated to Story and Single player gameplay, while the rest was to explore the versus mode, Tekken Ball, and some of the practice and replay features. Let’s get right to it!

Plenty for single players to enjoy (Mild Spoilers, skip if you go in blind)

We were allowed to play up to Chapter Four of story mode which took about 40-45 minutes to complete. Your mileage will certainly vary. We asked if they reveal how many chapters there will be and how long it will take to complete by their estimate but the folks who worked on TEKKEN 8 weren’t ready to reveal these details. They did say that it’s about 1.7 times larger than TEKKEN 7.

This should be encouraging for mostly Single Player types who might not be enthusiastic about tussling with other players online.

In addition to that, outside of the Main Story, each character will have their own mini episodes that you can play through. With 32 characters at launch, that’s plenty of content to go around.

Also, no spoilers, but the three new characters: Reina, Victor, and Azucena will figure prominently in the main storyline. In the early chapters, Reina appears to be the most… intriguing.

Arcade Quest

This is another Single Player experience but one that attempts to mimic the feeling of being out and about in Arcades. Your personally designed Avatar (you can go crazy, the customization is pretty vast), will hop from arcade to arcade with the aim of besting its top player. It’s almost like challenging a Pokémon gym leader.

Here, you can make Ghost Characters. A Ghost Character is essentially the AI learning exactly how you fight. After gathering enough data from fights, you can then proceed to fight that ghost character. The more you use a single character, the more data the AI will have on you.

What happens then is that it creates a model of that character with YOUR fighting style. Hence, the ghost character. From here, you can learn your own tendencies and find counters where necessary. This one’s going to be for those hardcore competitive players.

In Arcade Quest, you also earn Fight Money which you can use to buy cosmetic upgrades both for your avatar and for the 32 playable characters. Here’s a video from our friends over at One More Game on the customizations you can apply:

Arcade Style vs Special Style

To be even friendlier to newcomers, TEKKEN 8 implements two styles: Arcade and Special. Arcade is what most versus fighting players have come to know and love. Meanwhile, Special gives players a single button access to combos and Rage Arts.

You can switch to either style mid-fight by pressing the L1 button.

Will there be disadvantages? With Arcade Style, depending on your skill level and mastery of a character, you’ll have access to the character’s full set of moves. Meanwhile, with Special, it’s a bit more limited. You have less freedom in terms of the moves you can execute with how certain combos are mapped to a single button.

During our playthrough, we found ourselves shifting between the two styles constantly. Again, it really depends on your mastery and level of comfort in controlling the characters.

Want to see all the Rage Arts? Here’s another video from One More Game.

MyReplay & Tips, Practice Mode

Speaking of mastering characters, the makers of TEKKEN 8 went out of their way to make sure players have all the tools they need to master the characters.

They were particularly excited for us to try MyReplay & Tips. How it works is it records your fights from certain Game Modes and allows you to play them back. But more than just a replay, it shows you where you might have messed up or what you could have done better at a particular section.

You can then replay it to your heart’s content until you get the timing down. From the time we tried it, it sounds better in theory than in practice. But this is most likely because we chose the standard difficulty and weren’t having that much of a trouble with the fights. Naturally, there weren’t many learning opportunities.

How it works may seem kind of confusing at first as well. Some fights really just have no pointers so they will end up being just recordings of fights. Perhaps an improvement can be to show more alternative ways to deal with an opponent instead of simply finding where you might have messed up and providing a solution.

Tekken Ball

Tekken Ball is as fun as ever. But this is best played against another person. A few bouts versus the ‘computer’ and we found ourselves wanting to move on to other modes.

Other than that, it’s also a good way to familiarize yourself with each characters’ moves and whether you’re more comfortable using Arcade or Special Style on them.

TEKKEN 8 DEMO

Want to try these for yourself? The TEKKEN 8 demo will be releasing on the following dates for the following platforms:

PlayStation 5 – December 14
Xbox Series X|S – December 21

The Demo is supposed to have all the game modes that were available in our preview but also have available The Gallery where players can catch-up on where the story of TEKKEN stands on its latest installment.

TEKKEN 8 will be released exclusively on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC through Steam on January 26, 2024. Pre-Orders for the Standard, Deluxe, and Ultimate Versions are now available on said platforms.

Related Topics:Bandai Namco Tekken TEKKEN 8

Gaming

Tides of Annihilation opens first public demo at Gamescom 2026

First hands-on

Published

August 6, 2026

Leez

Tides of Annihilation will make its public playable debut at Gamescom 2026.

Developer Eclipse Glow Games announced that attendees can try an extended demo of the upcoming action-adventure game during the event in Cologne, Germany. Players can find the demo at Hall 6, Booth B-050 inside Koelnmesse.

The studio will also reveal a new trailer during Gamescom Opening Night Live on August 25, before the show floor opens.

Demo offers more exploration and combat

The Gamescom demo gives players a longer look at Tides of Annihilation. It features branching paths that lead to different exploration routes and combat encounters. Players can also explore key locations and experience several of the game’s biggest set pieces.

“Gamescom will be an incredibly important moment for our team since this will be our first global playtest and we’re excited to see how first-time players experience our game,” said Ary Chen, Game Director and Co-CEO of Eclipse Glow Games.

“The team has poured heart, soul, and maybe even a few tears into developing the game over the last few years, and it’s finally our opportunity to share it with players. We’re looking forward to seeing their reaction.”

Members of the press and content creators can also schedule private hands-on sessions with the development team during the event.

Arthurian-inspired adventure

Tides of Annihilation blends fast-paced action with a Neo-Medieval vision of modern London. The story follows Gwendolyn after an Outworld invasion leaves the city in ruins.

Driven by a mission to save her sister, she travels between a shattered London and the mythical realm of Avalon. Along the way, she uncovers the mystery behind her newfound powers. She must also decide the fate of reality itself.

Eclipse Glow Games is developing Tides of Annihilation for PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.

Gaming

Street Fighter 6 adds first Filipino fighter Yasmine to its roster

Eskrima fighter joins battle

Published

August 6, 2026

Rodneil Quiteles

Street Fighter 6 has officially welcomed Yasmine, making history as the first Filipino martial artist to join the franchise’s playable roster. The new character is now available across PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2 as part of the game’s Year 4 content.

Yasmine practices Eskrima, having learned the Filipino martial art alongside her older brother under their grandfather’s guidance. She wields Karambit knives in battle and embarks on a journey to find her missing brother.

Players can access Yasmine by purchasing the Year 4 Character Pass or Year 4 Ultimate Pass. Her default outfit features traditional Eskrima-inspired combat attire, while a school uniform serves as her second costume. In combat, she specializes in fast, aggressive attacks that build toward an enhanced Bayani Mode.

Yasmine is the first of four Year 4 fighters, followed by Arjun, Tifa from the Final Fantasy VII Remake series, and Bosch. Her release also arrives alongside battle balance adjustments affecting the entire roster.

Onimusha crossover arrives this week

Capcom also announced a limited-time collaboration between Street Fighter 6 and Onimusha. Running from August 7 to August 31, 2026, the event introduces Oni EX character colors, themed Battle Hub decorations, avatar items, and additional rewards for players who log in during the event.

The update also adds new Avatar Arcade courses, additional ending scenes, a Frame Meter option for Avatar Random Match, and refreshed Master ACT rewards.

Philippine launch event set for August 9

Capcom will celebrate Yasmine’s debut with an official Philippine community launch event on Sunday, August 9, at Salud! by Primera Bar & Restaurant in Palanan, Makati. The event runs from 2:00 PM to 9:00 PM and features a double-elimination tournament, gameplay showcases, giveaways, and community activities.

Attendees can also receive limited-edition Yasmine merchandise, including event T-shirts, lanyards, and collectible keychains while supplies last. Special guests and cosplayers are also scheduled to appear. Admission will be on a first-come, first-served basis and is subject to venue capacity.

Gaming

Gangstar Mirage City launches on August 20 with SEA localization

Join a faction now for a chance to win rewards

Published

August 5, 2026

GadgetMatch

Gangstar Mirage City is set for a full regional launch on August 20, with localization for the Southeast Asia region.

Published by Level Infinite, the free-to-play multiplayer, urban, open-world action game is available for download on iOS and Android.

The full regional release features an expanded open world, a new PvP Arena mode, and local languages.

In Gangstar Mirage City, players can team up for up to 4-man co-op heists, drive powerful vehicles, customize their arsenal, build an empire, and fight for control of Rooklyn City.

Players can register on gangstarmiragecity.com for in-game rewards.

In Southeast Asia, players can also register as a member of their respective local faction and get an exclusive in-game Avatar to represent their loyalty:

Philippines: Manila Brigade
Indonesia: War Kanda
Malaysia: Taiko Tedung
Thailand: SIAM APEX

Factions will be ranked based on how many players join and support them. The winning faction will enable all members to get 300 Diamonds, sent directly to their accounts.

Meanwhile, all players, including those who already began their journey in Rooklyn City with the soft launch last July, are invited to join the Global Vault Heist.

Reaching the final Registration Milestone will unlock the Full Tilt Vehicle Pack. These are the rewards up for grabs per milestone: