Head2Head

“Which version will be the King of the Iron Fist in this Head2Head?”

 
     
Namco
Namco
Namco
 1 1
Namco
Fighting
4.6 GB 6.7 GB
Fighting
Release: 10/27/09 18 sec 10 sec Release: 10/27/09
ESRB: Teen
0.0% 0.0% ESRB: Teen
   
 

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Choose video resolution below. Head2Head -Tekken 6
Length: 00:05:49

We go Head2Head with Tekken 6 on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.Which version will be the King of this Iron Fist in this Head2Head? Watch the video to find out.


Thanks to the fine folks at Play N Trade (Lake Mary), the Lens of Truth was able to get our fists on the new Tekken 6 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. As many of you know, the renowned Tekken series has always been a PlayStation exclusive, so it  has never been brought home on any other gaming console. Stick around because there can only be one Iron Fist champion in this arena!


h2h_tekken_6_12


Graphics: Graphically, the Tekken series has usually been a cutting edge franchise, raising the bar with every iteration. We still remember playing Tekken on the PS1 and thinking how awesome Namco did with the port from the arcade. Here at the Lens of Truth, we have always been big fans of the Tekken series and our anticipation to play this game was quiet high. Visually, both games look nearly identical. We really strained our eyes looking for differences, but we couldn’t see anything major. We even tinkered around with the motion blur feature in the game’s options to see if one looked better, but once again, nothing to write home about. With that said, Namco did a superb job keeping both games balanced in the graphics department. Even though they look nearly identical, it really is nothing to brag about. You’ll understand why later.


h2h_tekken_6_02


Performance: Not much to report here. Both games run at a solid 60 fps with absolutely no screen tearing; the truth of the matter is that this was expected. However, this is the first game we’ve run through our analysis which scored near perfect so it earns a little reward on our site for that.

PlayStation 3 Avg. FPS: 59.98 / Xbox 360 Avg. FPS: 60.0
PlayStation 3 Avg. Frame Tear: 0.0% / Xbox 360 Avg. Frame Tear: 0.0%


h2h_tekken_6_08


Loading: Here’s where things get interesting and where a winner was decided.  Surprisingly, the Xbox 360 demolished the Playstation 3 in loading times. Even when we installed Tekken 6 on the Playstation 3 it still loaded slightly more slowly than the Xbox 360 running off the disc. Since the install was not mandatory, we felt that an install for the PlayStation 3 would also require an install on the Xbox 360 (we like to keep the playing field as even as possible). The install for the Xbox 360 did absolutely nothing for loading times matching as if it was running from the disc. However, the install on the Playstation 3 did help load times and it would be beneficial to install this game on the PlayStation 3, but for Head2Head’s sake, the install still couldn’t compete with the Xbox 360’s disc speed. Why Namco didn’t just require a mandatory install is beyond us. Listed below are the load times for both systems, with and without installs.

PlayStation 3 Load Times (Not installed):
Time #1 (loading trophies, saved data etc…) 18 – 18.4 seconds
Time #2 (loading characters and preparing to fight) 16 – 18.8 seconds

Xbox 360 Load Times (Not installed):
Time #1 (loading saved data etc…) 0 – 0.3 seconds
Time #2 (loading characters and preparing to fight) 10 – 10.5 seconds

PlayStation 3 Load Times (Installed 4.6 gb):
Time #1 (loading trophies, saved data etc…) 1 – 2 seconds
Time #2 (loading characters and preparing to fight) 11 – 12.2 seconds

Xbox 360 Load TImes (Installed 6.7 gb):
Time #1 (loading saved data etc…) 0 – 0.3 seconds
Time #2 (loading characters and preparing to fight) 10 – 10.5 seconds



Roll over to see the differences. Here we compare the different HDMI settings between the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

 


Roll over to see the differences.

 


Roll over to see the differences.

 


Roll over to see the differences.

 


Roll over to see the differences.

 

Roll over to see the differences.


Roll over to see the differences. When motion blur is disabled, the PS3 version enables 2x anti-aliasing.


Conclusion: In conclusion, the deciding factor was the load times so the win goes to the Xbox 360. Although performing the optional installation on the PlayStation 3 helped level the playing field, we here at the Lens of Truth stick with our “out-of-the-box” policy. Namco really shouldn’t have given PlayStation 3 owners the option to install; it should be mandatory. What concerned us the most about the PlayStation 3 load times was the online play. There will be a lot of waiting for challengers if you are paired with someone that hasn’t installed. In every other area ,both games played and looked identical and if it weren’t for the load times this would have been a tie. Unfortunately, this time around we were a little disappointed with the quality of this game, especially the graphics, and we expected a little more from Namco on this one.

 

  G R A P H I C S  
PS3 - Win Tie. The graphics on both versions look almost identical to one another resulting in a deadlock. Texture quality, lighting, motion blur and particles were ported over between consoles flawlessly. Xbox 360 - Win
  P E R F O R M A N C E  
PS3 - Win Tie. Again both versions performed identically maintaining a constant frame rate and absolutely no screen tearing to report, also the PlayStation 3 upscales to 1080i/p resolution. Xbox 360 - Win
  L O A D I N G  
PS3 - Win Xbox 360 won this category by sporting drastically faster load times than the PlayStation 3 version. This time around the PlayStation 3 version didn’t require a mandatory install, but Namco should have made it that way. Only after installing on the PlayStation 3 did the load times match the Xbox 360 version.
Xbox 360 - Win
  O U T C O M E  
PS3 - Win Out-of-the-box, the Xbox 360 version is our flavor of choice. If you do decide to install it on the Playstation 3, the load times will be decreased but be warned the online matches may take a hit depending on who you are paired with. Xbox 360 - Win


  C O M M E N T S C H O I C E
I am not sure what happened to Tekken 6. I am really disappointed on how the visuals look in this game. Some assets feel like they could have been ripped directly from the PSN’s Tekken 5. The ground textures are blurry, everything is highly aliased and really the only thing it has going for it visually is the motion blur. But, I am a Tekken fan for the roster and play mechanics. Just next time Namco, polish the game a bit more before shipping.
Xbox 360 - Win
Corey “…assets feel like the could have been ripped from Tekken 5  
The Tekken series has always been one of my favorite fighting franchises, due to their outdoing themselves with each new addition. Unfortunately, Tekken 6 falls a little short, especially in the graphics department. I wish Namco focused on just one platform and delivered something a little more visually appeasing, but all in all, Tekken 6 is still a rock solid fighter. The Xbox 360 version is the choice for me, having half the loading time.


 

Xbox 360 - Win
Shawn “…Namco what happened?  
I’m not into fighting games like this. I thought I was looking at DOA or Soul Calibur at first. The panda is weird though, but we all know how panda’s like to fight! So when everyone was unimpressed with this game, I went home. The load times is what really lets the Xbox 360 win, just like it did for Street Fighter IV.
Xbox 360 - Win
John “… I went home  

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