Pokken Tournament Reviews

Pokken Tournament is ranked in the 67th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
M3
Top Critic
7 / 10
Sep 29, 2017

Pokkén Tournament DX is best described as a accessible fighting game that everyone can enjoy. With that said, the mechanics is still pretty deep, and the gameplay is just as good as the Wii U version.

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Jan 31, 2017

"Hits like 10 000 volts."

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71 / 100
Oct 17, 2016

What you see is pretty much what you get here – Pokken Tournament is a solid multiplayer experience that should make both Pokemon and fighting genre aficionados take notice.

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games(TM)
games™ Team
Top Critic
7 / 10
May 4, 2016

Exciting multiplayer makes up for solo mode

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NZGamer
Top Critic
8.5 / 10.0
Apr 23, 2016

Cleverly appeals to both casual and hardcore audiences.

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B+
Apr 19, 2016

Pokkén Tournament is a very solid Pokémon spin-off. Giving players the chance to actually control the pocket monsters themselves in battle has long been something fans have wanted to see, and this title certainly provides.

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3.4 / 5.0
Apr 16, 2016

Bandai Namco's Pokkén Tournament makes the fighting genre accessible to a younger audience, but does little to accommodate more experienced players.

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8 / 10.0
Apr 15, 2016

Beneath the stunning visuals there's an interesting deal of mechanics to learn which brings a fresh approach to the fighting genre. It's just a shame there's not more to do, and only having 16 characters is a bit of a let-down when you know the franchise has hundreds more. Pokken Tournament is a must get for any Pokemon fan, replacing the slow battles of the main series and providing us with the fast, energetic duels we've come to see in the Anime and Smash games.

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4.1 / 5.0
Apr 6, 2016

The experience that this game provides has been long overdue, and I praise it for doing such a terrific job. Considering the series currently contains 720 Pokémon, it's understandable that about 80% of them don't even appear as background scenery. Even with the presence of dozens of support Pokémon I can't help but think it could have been even better if the playable cast was larger.

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GamingBolt
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Apr 4, 2016

Pokken Tournament is the newest addition to the Wii U's excellent catalog of multiplayer games, and it is more than capable of holding its own against the other games in its company.

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7 / 10.0
Mar 29, 2016

Pokken Tournament is a solid game for Poké-fanatics and a decent enough game for casual fighting game fans. I'd recommend it if you need a Poké-fix before Pokémon Sun and Moon come out, but if you are looking for a new fighting game, stick to Street Fighter V.

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Cubed3
Top Critic
8 / 10
Mar 28, 2016

Pokkén Tournament ran the risk of seeming like a bog standard fighter with Pokémon skins, but Bandai Namco and The Pokémon Company have served up a unique Pokémon setup that delivers a fun, flexible, and easy-to-learn experience for fighting fans. With so much history behind the franchise, there was a lot riding on getting it right, and this sits firmly within the legacy as a must-have Pokémon entry to add to anyone's collection. Despite there being clear conventions from fighters in its roots, Pokkén Tournament feels more like an exciting new take on Pokémon battles rather than an attempt at a standard Pokémon battle-fest.

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8.5 / 10.0
Mar 28, 2016

You start to grasp and understand it, which will make you a better player as a result. While there are things that local play and Ferrum League could have done better, I was just impressed with this game throughout. Pokemon is a delight already, but mixed with fighting? Well, that is a match made in heaven.

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82%
Mar 24, 2016

This really is a true fighting game; don't let the Pokémon veneer tell you otherwise. This is a game which takes patience and concentration to learn to play effectively, and it successfully manages to blend together elements from other fighters such as Street Fighter, Marvel, and Tekken, and combine them with new ideas to create something truly unique.

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ZTGD
Top Critic
8.5 / 10.0
Mar 22, 2016

I certainly had my doubts about Pokkén when I booted it up for the first time, but it's safe to say that it's thoroughly won me over. The vibrant visuals with some spectacular animations, along with a combat system that's deceptively deep but simple to grasp makes Pokkén easy to recommend to anyone, whether they be a fan of Pokemon or not.

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70 / 100
Mar 22, 2016

[T]he series' growing scope has resulted in more than a massive product line: as the Pokémon franchise continues to inflate, so does its message. And with new entries coming into the universe on an almost yearly basis, the Pokémon fiction has been forced to adjust its thematic throughlines in order to make room for new creative ventures.

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82 / 100
Mar 22, 2016
Pokken Tournament: Illegal PokeFighting Rings (Review) (Wii U) video thumbnail
8.5 / 10.0
Mar 21, 2016

Pokkén is one of the most enjoyable, original titles that Nintendo has released in a long time. As a new spin-off to Pokémon, it's a welcome addition to the franchise, and the game offers its own unique niche as a fighting game.

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4 / 5.0
Mar 21, 2016

Pokémon games are almost always a hit and Pokkén Tournament ranks up there with the best.

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9 / 10.0
Mar 21, 2016

From the humble beginnings of the simple, singular image above to the fully fleshed out title we have now, it's been quite the journey. And considering the high quality product we've gotten for our patience, Pokkén Tournament has been worth the wait.

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