Newsletter
  • Guides
  • Previews
    • Indie Games
    • PS4
    • PC
    • Xbox One
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo 3DS
    • PS Vita
    • PS3
    • Xbox 360
    • Wii U
  • Site Info
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Staff Directory
    • Join Our Team
    • Privacy Policy
      • Cookies Policy
    • RSS Feeds
    • Social Media
      • Youtube
      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • Twitch
      • Instagram
      • Tumblr
      • Linkedin
      • Pinterest
      • Discord
  • Discord
  • Store
  • Logitech G
  • green man gaming
  • Affiliates
    • GAMIVO.com
    • Logitech
    • Astro Gaming
    • Nord VPN
    • Best Buy
    • Namecheap Hosting
    • Blue Mic
    • Ultimate Ears
    • Jaybird
Saturday, July 19, 2025
BG
  • News
    • All
    • Esports
    • Interviews

    Bungie Premieres Gameplay For Marathon

    Bitcoin Browser Mini Games To Play Online

    Screenshot

    Rival Stars Horse Racing: Is The VR Edition Worth It?

    Evolution of iGaming: What’s Changing for Players in 2025?

    Top Played Sport Games in Canada

    The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II Releases 2025

    esports new frontier

    The New Frontier: Exploring the Thrills of Esports Betting and its Impact on Traditional Sports Betting

    XDEFIANT REVEALS INFO FOR SEASON 1

    KENA: BRIDGE OF SPIRITS IS COMING TO XBOX

    Trending Tags

    • Top Stories
    • PlayStation
    • Xbox
    • Nintendo
    • Retro Games
    • Mobile Games
    • Indie Games
    • Square Enix
    • Sony
    • Microsoft
    • PAX
    • EGX
    • Gamescom
    • Rockstar Games
    • Electronic Arts
    • Activision Blizzard
    • E3 Expo
  • Reviews
    • All
    • Flash Game Reviews
    • Google Stadia
    • Indie Game Reviews
    • Mobile Game Reviews
    • Nintendo 3DS Reviews
    • Nintendo Switch Reviews
    • PC Reviews
    • PS Vita Reviews
    • PS3 Reviews
    • PS4 Reviews
    • PS5 Reviews
    • Retro Game Reviews
    • Reviews RoundUP
    • Xbox 360 Reviews
    • Xbox One Reviews

    Yooka-Replaylee PC Preview

    Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma PC Review

    Lies of P: Overture PC Review

    Rise of Rebellion PC Review

    Blades of Fire PC Review

    Scar-Lead Salvation PS5 Review

    Death End re;Quest Code Z PS5 Review

    Wild Assault Early Access Review

    Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land PC Steam Deck Review

    Trending Tags

    • Resident Evil
    • Call of Duty
    • Final Fantasy
    • Destiny
    • Borderlands
    • Halo
    • The Elder Scrolls
    • Fortnite
    • PUBG
    • Bioshock
    • The Witcher
  • Opinion
    • All
    • Second Opinion
    From Gamers to Punters: How UX Turns a Bet into an Experience

    From Gamers to Punters: How UX Turns a Bet into an Experience

    Why Gamers Are Flocking To Online Casino Apps

    casino games you can play on your mobile phone

    Most Casino Games You Can Play on Your Mobile Phone

    Sport Betting and sports bets or online sporting events gambling as football betting and draft picks or basketball game bet and Hockey betting with 3D illustration elements.

    Overlooked Strategies That Can Improve Your Betting

    Bitcoin Browser Mini Games To Play Online

    Screenshot

    Rival Stars Horse Racing: Is The VR Edition Worth It?

    Evolution of iGaming: What’s Changing for Players in 2025?

    Online Games That We Always Keep on Playing

    Online Games When You Have Only 15 Minutes

    Trending Tags

    • Is It A Classic?
    • Remember When
    • Do We Even Care Anymore?
    • Humpday Haikus
    • Top Series
    • Thirsty Thursday
    • Aging Gamer
    • On The Way To E3
  • Podcasts
    • All
    • The BagoCast
    • TSR BagoCast

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – The Future of Game Journalism

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Social Media & Esports

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Politics in Video Games Games

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Content Creators vs Game Journalist 2

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Titan Fall and Apex: Legends Hacked

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Content Creators vs Game Journalist

    BagoCast EP: 12 – Code Vein and the DLC

    Debate/Discussion: Bad Video Games That We Love

    Discussion/Debate: Is Bioware Gone?

    Trending Tags

    • Film Fallout
    • 8Bit Proof
    • Gaming Historia
    • Bago Anime Cast
    • Gamers In Beta
    • Gamers Unscripted
  • Videos

    Controller Guide For Wild Assault

    Trevor Bogan Interview

    Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden’s Gets Gameplay Trailer

    Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden Gets New Story Trailer

    Stephen Oyoung Interview

    Jacqueline Pinol Interview

    So, You Wanna Play Junker Queen?

    Matchpoint Tennis Championships Live Review

    Void Slayer – Review

  • Geek Culture
    • All
    • Anime and Manga
    • Anime/Manga Review
    • Collectibles
    • Comic Books
    • Cosplay
    • Movies
    • Tech
    • TV Shows

    Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2025 Winners Announced

    Tickets Are Now on Sale for OVERLORD: The Sacred Kingdom

    Crunchyroll Announces Blu-ray Titles Coming in January 2025

    MY BOYFRIEND IS A DOG Manga gets English release

    Jae Woo Kim Interview

    Crunchyroll Anime Award 2024 Winners Announced

    GAYMING AWARDS 2024 NOMINEES & HOSTS ANNOUNCED

    The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes

    Anime Review: The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes

    Crunchyroll Acquires Anime Film The Concierge in North America, Reveals Trailer

    Trending Tags

    • Movie Reviews
    • Movie News
    • TV News
    • TV Episode Review
    • Episode Guide
    • Competitive Gaming
    • Tech News
    • Tech Review
    • Anime and Manga News
    • Anime and Manga Review
    • Comic Book News
    • Comic Book Review
  • Forum
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • All
    • Esports
    • Interviews

    Bungie Premieres Gameplay For Marathon

    Bitcoin Browser Mini Games To Play Online

    Screenshot

    Rival Stars Horse Racing: Is The VR Edition Worth It?

    Evolution of iGaming: What’s Changing for Players in 2025?

    Top Played Sport Games in Canada

    The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II Releases 2025

    esports new frontier

    The New Frontier: Exploring the Thrills of Esports Betting and its Impact on Traditional Sports Betting

    XDEFIANT REVEALS INFO FOR SEASON 1

    KENA: BRIDGE OF SPIRITS IS COMING TO XBOX

    Trending Tags

    • Top Stories
    • PlayStation
    • Xbox
    • Nintendo
    • Retro Games
    • Mobile Games
    • Indie Games
    • Square Enix
    • Sony
    • Microsoft
    • PAX
    • EGX
    • Gamescom
    • Rockstar Games
    • Electronic Arts
    • Activision Blizzard
    • E3 Expo
  • Reviews
    • All
    • Flash Game Reviews
    • Google Stadia
    • Indie Game Reviews
    • Mobile Game Reviews
    • Nintendo 3DS Reviews
    • Nintendo Switch Reviews
    • PC Reviews
    • PS Vita Reviews
    • PS3 Reviews
    • PS4 Reviews
    • PS5 Reviews
    • Retro Game Reviews
    • Reviews RoundUP
    • Xbox 360 Reviews
    • Xbox One Reviews

    Yooka-Replaylee PC Preview

    Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma PC Review

    Lies of P: Overture PC Review

    Rise of Rebellion PC Review

    Blades of Fire PC Review

    Scar-Lead Salvation PS5 Review

    Death End re;Quest Code Z PS5 Review

    Wild Assault Early Access Review

    Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land PC Steam Deck Review

    Trending Tags

    • Resident Evil
    • Call of Duty
    • Final Fantasy
    • Destiny
    • Borderlands
    • Halo
    • The Elder Scrolls
    • Fortnite
    • PUBG
    • Bioshock
    • The Witcher
  • Opinion
    • All
    • Second Opinion
    From Gamers to Punters: How UX Turns a Bet into an Experience

    From Gamers to Punters: How UX Turns a Bet into an Experience

    Why Gamers Are Flocking To Online Casino Apps

    casino games you can play on your mobile phone

    Most Casino Games You Can Play on Your Mobile Phone

    Sport Betting and sports bets or online sporting events gambling as football betting and draft picks or basketball game bet and Hockey betting with 3D illustration elements.

    Overlooked Strategies That Can Improve Your Betting

    Bitcoin Browser Mini Games To Play Online

    Screenshot

    Rival Stars Horse Racing: Is The VR Edition Worth It?

    Evolution of iGaming: What’s Changing for Players in 2025?

    Online Games That We Always Keep on Playing

    Online Games When You Have Only 15 Minutes

    Trending Tags

    • Is It A Classic?
    • Remember When
    • Do We Even Care Anymore?
    • Humpday Haikus
    • Top Series
    • Thirsty Thursday
    • Aging Gamer
    • On The Way To E3
  • Podcasts
    • All
    • The BagoCast
    • TSR BagoCast

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – The Future of Game Journalism

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Social Media & Esports

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Politics in Video Games Games

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Content Creators vs Game Journalist 2

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Titan Fall and Apex: Legends Hacked

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Content Creators vs Game Journalist

    BagoCast EP: 12 – Code Vein and the DLC

    Debate/Discussion: Bad Video Games That We Love

    Discussion/Debate: Is Bioware Gone?

    Trending Tags

    • Film Fallout
    • 8Bit Proof
    • Gaming Historia
    • Bago Anime Cast
    • Gamers In Beta
    • Gamers Unscripted
  • Videos

    Controller Guide For Wild Assault

    Trevor Bogan Interview

    Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden’s Gets Gameplay Trailer

    Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden Gets New Story Trailer

    Stephen Oyoung Interview

    Jacqueline Pinol Interview

    So, You Wanna Play Junker Queen?

    Matchpoint Tennis Championships Live Review

    Void Slayer – Review

  • Geek Culture
    • All
    • Anime and Manga
    • Anime/Manga Review
    • Collectibles
    • Comic Books
    • Cosplay
    • Movies
    • Tech
    • TV Shows

    Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2025 Winners Announced

    Tickets Are Now on Sale for OVERLORD: The Sacred Kingdom

    Crunchyroll Announces Blu-ray Titles Coming in January 2025

    MY BOYFRIEND IS A DOG Manga gets English release

    Jae Woo Kim Interview

    Crunchyroll Anime Award 2024 Winners Announced

    GAYMING AWARDS 2024 NOMINEES & HOSTS ANNOUNCED

    The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes

    Anime Review: The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes

    Crunchyroll Acquires Anime Film The Concierge in North America, Reveals Trailer

    Trending Tags

    • Movie Reviews
    • Movie News
    • TV News
    • TV Episode Review
    • Episode Guide
    • Competitive Gaming
    • Tech News
    • Tech Review
    • Anime and Manga News
    • Anime and Manga Review
    • Comic Book News
    • Comic Book Review
  • Forum
No Result
View All Result
BagoGames
No Result
View All Result

BagoGames > Articles > Game Reviews > Retro Game Reviews > Wii U Reviews > Pokken Tournament Review

Pokken Tournament Review

Harry Martin by Harry Martin
9 years ago
in Game Reviews, Wii U Reviews
Reading Time: 6 mins read
3
Share on FacebookShare on Bluesky

Over the last couple of decades, the Pokémon franchise has become one that we all know and love, spawning some of my personal favorite turn-based RPGs of all time and some much beloved characters for players new and old. Even if you don’t know what Pokémon is, I’m sure that you know what a Pikachu is, right?

Since the initial series installment, the core mechanics of Pokémon have remained the same throughout every game, aside from some spin-off titles that change the formula, but these spin-off games are usually so different from the main series that they’re incomparable.

For a long while now Pokémon fans, myself included, have been hankering after a game that allows them to pit two Pokémon against each other in an intense 3D battle, replicating the energy that can be seen during the animated series that they’ve all seen. I think every Pokémon fan has their idea of a perfect Pokémon fighting game, and they have had probably since they first experienced their first Pokémon game.

RelatedStories

Yooka-Replaylee PC Preview

2 weeks ago

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma PC Review

Enter Pokkén Tournament, a new spin-off instalment in the Pokémon franchise brought to us by the Tekken team over at Bandai Namco. It is a game hoping to fulfil the dreams of thousands of Pokémon fans that have always wanted to be able to replicate the action packed events of one of their favourite animated shows.

So, what exactly is Pokkén Tournament and the more important question: is it any good?

Well, if you’re familiar with the Tekken series of games, you should feel right at home with Pokkén. I’m no fighting game professional by any means; I will admit I’m rather skilled at Super Smash Bros., but when it comes down to traditional fighting games I’ve never been the best at games like Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat or the previously mentioned Tekken. Even though Pokkén shares a lot of likenesses with Tekken, I didn’t feel too out of my out depth when playing Pokkén for the first time, I wasn’t a master of it by any means. I’m still nowhere near that and I doubt I ever will be, but I felt like I could hold my own weight in a battle against the AI without too much trouble.

Like I said, if you’re familiar with Tekken, or even similar 3D fighting games like Soul Calibur, you should feel right at home with the combat mechanics here. Each battle consists of you and your opponent choosing one of 16 available Pokémon, ranging from series veterans, such as Charizard, Pikachu and Gengar, to some new entries, such as Pikachu Libre, which is, if you couldn’t gather from the name, Pikachu dressed up like a luchador. And Shadow Mewtwo, an evil version of one of Mewtwo who also serves as the protagonist for the game’s story. When it comes down to fighting, Pokkén is a pretty solid affair, which is good because it’d be pretty naff if the fighting bit of a fighting game wasn’t very good, wouldn’t it?

(Pokkén Tournament, Nintendo)
(Pokkén Tournament, Nintendo)

Battles have two different phases that are switched between throughout the battle. Each battle begins in one of two phases, known as the Field Phase, where both players can run about in a 3D environment, firing projectiles at each other to try and land some chip damage before landing a heavy move, known as a Phase Shift. Once a Phase Shift is landed, the battle switches into the Duel Phase, where the players face off in a 2D playing field. This also changes the controls of the game to those that people who have even the most basic experience with traditional fighting games, and just like traditional fighting games, Pokkén does come equipped with an in-depth move list. It has an extremely deep fighting system that could keep players hooked for a very long time, but it is not too complex to the point where more novice players, such as myself, would be intimidated to the point where they wouldn’t be able pick the game up and have fun with it.

When you boot up Pokkén for the first time you’ll be prompted to create a character with possibly the most basic character creator that I’ve seen in recent years, only allowing you change basic features such as your hair, eye and skin colour. I understand it is a first in the Pokémon series, as far as I’m aware of, but with the features available being so primitive and basic, I almost didn’t see the point of the character creation even being a feature. After creating your character to the best of your ability, you’ll be greeted by Nia, your guide to the Ferrum Region,  who serves to explain the rules of the game, how to play and all of the game modes that you can choose from.

There are six things to choose from when reaching the main menu of Pokkén, each of which serve as locations across the Ferrum Region. These six things that you can choose from consist of: Ferrum League, My Town, Local Battle, Single Battle, Practice and Online Battle.

Local Battle, Single Battle, Practice and Online Battle are all pretty self-explanatory, with Local Battle being the mode where you can face-off against your friends sitting in the same room as you. Single Battle is the same thing but instead of fighting your friends you can fight against a computer player. Practice is where you can, you guessed it, practice your skills in attempt to get better at the game, which is something that I should probably use more often. In Online Battle you can, as the name suggests, battle players all across the world in the same way you would against a computer, or against a mate sat a metre away from you. Single Battle is a sufficient way to hone your skills and bide your time when you don’t have friend to play against, but where Pokkén really shines is the multiplayer; you can choose to play over the internet against randoms, or with a group of friends at some sort of social gathering. If you’re anything like me, you rarely have social gatherings, almost never where video games are involved, and the mode you might frequently go for would be the Online Battle mode.

Ferrum League acts as the tournament and story mode for Pokkén. It is a single player mode where the player can choose to partake in various levels of an eight character elimination bracket style league mode, fighting your way to the top of the bracket to be crowned the winner of that league. You earn your way through the ranks to eventually battle the league champion, which, as it plays out, isn’t actually any different to any other single player battle, but it does add a sense of ‘oh wow, I’m getting good at this’ when ranks and statistics are added to each fight you win. This is nice for me who doesn’t stand a chance when it comes to fighting actual players.

(Pokkén Tournament, Nintendo)
(Pokkén Tournament, Nintendo)

With each league you win, you unlock more pieces of the story, which follow the same stature of most fighting game story lines, being a pretty basic one. So, what’s the skinny? To cut it short, a mysterious black Pokémon, Shadow Mewtwo, has been draining the Gaia, which is the energy that bonds the human characters to their Pokémon through the use of Synergy Stones, from the Ferrum Region and he must be stopped. To stop this, you are required to fight your way through Pokémon championships. Typical fighting game stuff where the story progresses through you winning fights, essentially. Nobody really plays a fighting game for the story though, right?

The other menu option is My Town, which is just a location where you can further customize your character with clothes, accessories and other hair styles, which was a nice discovery because, as I previously mentioned, the initial character customization was, at first impressions, really poor. Oh, and you can, in traditional fighting game fashion, add a title card to your profile that can be seen by other players that you play against online.

(Pokkén Tournament, Nintendo)
(Pokkén Tournament, Nintendo)

When it comes down to the nitty-gritty, Pokkén Tournament is a solid fighting game in most aspects. The combat mechanics are deep and captivating, making for some truly intense fights, the music and visuals are stunning and just enhance the overall experience, and, most importantly, it’s a ridiculous amount of fun, especially when played locally with a group of friends. I feel where Pokkén falls short is the character roster. The Pokédex consists of over 700 Pokémon now and Pokkén only houses 16 of them, 15 if you don’t count Pikachu Libre as a separate Pokémon. And I understand it would be ludicrous if a fighting game had 700 fighters, and that’s not what I think anyone was expecting, but limiting the roster to just 16 fighters was a little disappointing.

But still, Pokkén Tournament is a fantastic fighting game, whether or not you’re a fan of the series, or fighting games for that matter, but even though it’s managed to pry me away from Super Smash Bros. for a little bit, it hasn’t managed to steal the crown that Smash has with me. Let’s be honest though. I don’t think any other fighting game ever will. Ever.

Pokken Tournament

$59.99
Pokken Tournament
8

Score

8.0/10

Pros

  • Complex but accessible fighting system
  • Breathtaking visuals
  • Flashy moves make each fight seem rewarding

Cons

  • Not enough single player content
  • Small character roster
  • Choppy framerates in local multiplayer
Tags: Bandai NamcoGamesNintendoPokémonPokken TournamentTop Stories
ShareShareTweetShare


Previous Post

The Revenant Blu-ray Review

Next Post

YouTuber Spotlights Episode 1 – HMK

Subscribe
Connect with
Login
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Notify of
guest
The comment form collects your name, email and content to allow us to keep track of the comments placed on the website. Please read and accept our website Terms and Privacy Policy to post a comment.
Save my name, email, and website in this browser cookies for the next time I comment.

I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
guest
The comment form collects your name, email and content to allow us to keep track of the comments placed on the website. Please read and accept our website Terms and Privacy Policy to post a comment.
Save my name, email, and website in this browser cookies for the next time I comment.

3 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
trackback
Get Mew Before The Pokémon Promotion Ends!
9 years ago

[…] By the way, if you haven’t played Pokken Tournament yet, check out our review of the game here. […]

0
0
Reply
trackback
Catch Mew Before The Pokémon Promotion Ends!
9 years ago

[…] By the way, if you haven’t played Pokken Tournament yet, check out our review of the game here. […]

0
0
Reply
trackback
Pokkén Tournament Review | BagoGames – Polylink
9 years ago

[…] Click here to go straight to the review! […]

0
0
Reply
wpdiscuz   wpDiscuz

BAGOGAMES WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

Get this week's top news, reviews, guides, videos and opinion for your favorite games, movies, TV and tech in your email every Friday.

Don't worry, we don't spam.

NEW ON BAGOGAMES

Game Reviews

Yooka-Replaylee PC Preview

by Abdul Saad
2 weeks ago
Game Reviews

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma PC Review

2 weeks ago
Game Reviews

Lies of P: Overture PC Review

2 weeks ago

LATEST PODCASTS & VIDEOS

Currently Playing

Void Slayer – Review

Void Slayer – Review

Game Reviews

The IDEAL Spider-Man VR Game

Opinion

BPM: Bullets Per Minute – Shooting to The Beat (Review)

Game Reviews

She Will Punish Them – Warning: Mature Content (Early Access Review)

Game Reviews

Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – The Future of Game Journalism

Opinion

FOLLOW US

BagoGames

BagoGames.com © 2023 BagoGames LLC. All rights reserved.

Navigate Site

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Staff Directory
  • Join Our Team
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter
  • RSS Feeds
  • Discord Server
  • BG Store
  • OpenCritic
  • green man gaming
  • Logitech G
  • GAMIVO.com
  • ASTRO Gaming
  • Logitech
  • Namecheap Hosting
  • Nord VPN
  • Best Buy
  • Blue Mic
  • Reviews
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Guides

Follow Us

  • Login
  • Sign Up
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Opinion
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Geek Culture
  • Previews
  • Guides
  • Short Videos
  • Forum
  • Site Info
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Join Our Team
    • Staff Directory
    • Privacy Policy
    • Newsletter
    • RSS Feeds

BagoGames.com © 2023 BagoGames LLC. All rights reserved.

wpDiscuz