I have never claimed to be good at Tekken. My first brush with the series was when I was in middle school and came upon a Tekken 3 arcade cabinet at a local amusement park. I converted the small amount of money my parents gave me for souvenirs and lunch into rolls of quarters to continue playing against other people who congregated at that single machine. And despite losing almost every bout, I loved playing Tekken.
Having had the opportunity to play Tekken 8 ahead of launch, I got a sample of what the game would offer. This included its Arcade Quest mode, which featured Ghost AI battles. Already fascinated by this and what it could mean to help players spot their own weaknesses and strengths, I immediately went to unlock this mode.
For those who don't know, the Ghost AI battles in Tekken 8 are you basically playing against yourself. The more you play against your Ghost, the more it learns and replicates your behaviors. Which is a great learning tool, in my opinion! As I continued to play, it quickly spotted one of my more immediate weaknesses as a player: My stubbornness and unwillingness to block.
I play many games with the mentality of "kill it before it kills you." I operate on this logic for almost anything — League of Legends, Final Fantasy, you name it. If I can do more damage than my opponent, I will absolutely try because, in my eyes, the best defense is a strong offense. And this has translated in the way that I play Tekken. At any opening, I will dive in on the offensive. Considering newcomer Victor is my main, it suits my style well.
But there's one problem. I just don't know how to block properly or side-step. Granted, I haven't touched Tekken 7 since it was released. But my Ghost AI immediately made it clear that if I wasn't going to block, I wouldn't have a real chance against any opponent, and nothing is more humbling than kicking your own ass.
As soon as a match would start, my Ghost AI would dive forward, knocking me into an air combo and finishing up with one of Tekken 8's new Heat Moves, smashing me into the ground only to air juggle me again and kill me. I was genuinely surprised at how competent the Ghost AI was, in fact it was so humbling that I was forced to forego my usual playstyle and learn how to block.
I believe the Ghost AI feature in Tekken 8 has already made me a better player, even if I still reflexively go on the offensive. But at least I now know how to read my opponent better (even if it is just myself) and improve. And you know what, I consider that a win.
Tekken 8 is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC.
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