Tekken boss Harada doesn’t think a retro Tekken collection would work

Polygonal games don’t age as well as sprite-based games, he argues

A retro collection of Tekken games is unlikely, according to series producer Katsuhiro Harada.

In an interview with TheGamer, Harada was asked if there was ever a possibility of a compilation consisting of classic Tekken games, much like the numerous retro fighting game collections Capcom releases.

Harada replied that he didn’t think there would be an appetite for such a compilation, because in his view early polygonal games have aged much worse than sprite-based games, and people tend to play 3D fighting games for their visual spectacle.

“It’s different for [2D] fighting games because 3D fighting game players tend to play the latest installment,” Harada said via an interpreter.

“Starting from early on, it was polygon character models that really pushed the edge of graphics at the time. So when you see it later on, it doesn’t look nearly as impressive as it used to.

“2D fighting games, because they were just sprite characters and stuff, they don’t seem to age graphically that much. And that’s not the main reason people played it in the first place.”

Tekken project producer Michael Murray added that he generally agreed with Harada’s opinion, but did say he would be more interested in replaying something less traditional, such as Tekken Tag Tournament 2 or the Tekken Force or Devil Within beat ’em up modes in past Tekken games.

“But I wouldn’t even see myself picking up Tekken 3 and playing against friends for an extended period of time,” he conceded. “So yeah, there is a difference we feel between the 3D fighters and 2D fighters in that respect.”

Capcom recently released Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, a compilation consisting of seven sprite-based Capcom arcade collaborations with Marvel.

VGC’s Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection review calls the compilation “a must-have for fans of the series”.

“Marvel vs Capcom 2 in particular is an all-time classic, and the return of The Punisher after 31 years will be a point of celebration for beat ’em up fans,” we wrote. “It may lack in gloss but it’s packed with gameplay.”