{"id":8265,"date":"2013-04-15T11:59:27","date_gmt":"2013-04-15T15:59:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/geekitdown.com\/?p=8265"},"modified":"2013-04-15T11:59:27","modified_gmt":"2013-04-15T15:59:27","slug":"app-roundup-tekken-card-tournament","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/geekitdown.com\/?p=8265","title":{"rendered":"App Roundup: Tekken Card Tournament"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tekken Card Tournament has emerged from beta for mobile and we’ve taken it for a spin. Fans of Tekken likely remember spending hours at the arcade or in front of a console mashing buttons, seeking a perfect combo that would devastate an opponent.<\/p>\n

This new twist involves more brains than brawn to save players from inevitably sore fingers.<\/p>\n\n

Tekken Card Tournament<\/h2>\n

\"App<\/p>\n

For those unfamiliar, Tekken is a fighting game where it pits opponent versus opponent in a duel to the finish. Tekken Card Tournament (TCT) is similar in that players use cards to determine their action, whether it be Focus<\/i>, Strike<\/i> or Block<\/i>.<\/p>\n

TCT is more of a strategy game than a fighting game. Players must not only decide their next move, but also anticipate their opponents. Countering and receiving acceptable damage during turns is integral to mastering the game.<\/p>\n

The rub is this, TCT has issues. Some issues are bigger than others, but let’s take a look at what works in TCT first.<\/p>\n\n

The Good<\/span><\/h3>\n

Graphics<\/h4>\n

While the graphics aren’t groundbreaking, they are sufficient. Battle scenes are mediocre, but not choppy or fragmented. Could they be better? Yes. Are they detrimental to the game? Not in the least.<\/p>\n\n

Cards<\/h4>\n

Each deck is quite large. Players can only use 15 at any given time, but the decks themselves are more than triple that. Collecting cards is a bit of a side mission and of course the more cards collected, the larger the character’s skill set.<\/p>\n

Each set is character appropriate and though the variety could use some work, they are different enough to make things interesting.<\/p>\n

\"App<\/p>\n

Player versus Player (PVP) multi-player<\/h4>\n

TCT almost had to have PVP built-in to be worth the download. Thankfully it is.<\/p>\n

\"App<\/p>\n

Card Fusion<\/h4>\n

The process of combing multiples of the same card to form a new, more potent card. The fusion outcome is predetermined, but the feature still delivers a bit of fun and achievement.<\/p>\n\n

The Bad<\/span><\/h3>\n

TCT from day one has had some recurring problems that the developers are working on. We acknowledge that and expect many of the PVP problems to be resolved completely very soon. Having said that, TCT was released before it was ready and those who jumped in early have had to live with the pain for the gain.<\/p>\n\n

PVP Server downtime<\/h4>\n

For the first week following the official release, the server was up and down more than a yo-yo. That meant no PVP or if there were server hiccups during a PVP match, loss of points. [notice type=”blue”]Note<\/strong>: TCT developers have consistently been addressing this issue and significant improvements have been made.[\/notice]<\/p>\n\n

Credits<\/h4>\n

TCT is full of in app purchasing to improve characters. Chief among them the use of credits which can be used to buy card packs and stamina refills. Prices range from .99\u00a2 to $99.99 for batches of credits.\u00a0 If you plan to pursue lengthy gameplay in TCT, then get ready to invest some money.<\/p>\n

Credits are showered onto new users in the beginning with bonuses and early level perks.\u00a0 After that, they are extremely rare.\u00a0 Players can expect to receive them at each new level and the infrequent random reward bonus.<\/p>\n

All those things would be fine, except that the pricing for Stamina refills and Card Packs are overpriced.\u00a0 Stamina (more on stamina below) for example can cost 18 credits to refill 100%, but players don’t start receiving 18 credits for a new level until after 15.\u00a0 Card Packs cost between 150 and 400 credits.\u00a0 Do the math and it’s easily visible that collecting cards and improving characters will be a mind-numbingly long process.<\/p>\n

\"App<\/p>\n

Gold<\/h4>\n

For many of the same reasons as Credits.\u00a0 Simply put, the rewards are too small per battle.\u00a0 Card packs cost 3k gold, while specific card purchases start at 5k gold.\u00a0 Card Fusion starts at 5k gold.\u00a0 Per battle gold reward for a Medium<\/em> level battle?\u00a0 A mere 144 gold.<\/p>\n

To be fair, there are a lot of gold bonuses and rewards. Even so, purchasing a single card at 5k depletes the bank fast, not to mention the 50k for more potent cards.<\/p>\n\n

Stamina<\/h4>\n

This has to be the most ridiculous feature of TCT.\u00a0 What its purpose is, we can’t say.\u00a0 Essentially each character has a Stamina bar which decreases after every battle.\u00a0 Players can only play 5 battles in succession without refilling or waiting for Stamina to refill on its own.<\/p>\n

Battles last roughly 3 minutes.\u00a0 Each Stamina bar (5 in total) takes anywhere from 20-30 minutes to refill on its own.\u00a0 So 15 minutes worth of play and 125 minutes on average of waiting.\u00a0 Players can opt to refill their Stamina with credits, but they are rare and are better used on Card Packs and additional decks (100 credits each after 3 free decks).<\/p>\n

The whole idea of Stamina is baffling.\u00a0 Perhaps it’s a measure put in place to curb server overload by artificially forcing players to stand down and not play.\u00a0 That should only be a temporary measure though.\u00a0 Stamina appears as though it’s a fixed part of the game.<\/p>\n\n

Real World Card Purchases<\/h4>\n

It appears TCT will have the option to scan in real world cards purchased from retailers.\u00a0 We see this as a non-starter and think Namco Bandai should revisit the cost of shipping, packaging and factory maintenance versus delivering more varied Card Packs in game.<\/p>\n

The thinking is that, real world cards will add something to the game or make it more desirable.\u00a0 It won’t.\u00a0 Move on.<\/p>\n

Download Tekken Card Tournament<\/a><\/p>\n

If you enjoyed or found this article useful, please show us some support by liking us on Facebook<\/a> or by sharing us on your favorite social website. Thanks!<\/p>\n

Be sure to subscribe to our Newsletter<\/a> for updates and contest information.<\/p>\n