Okay, ok gamers, time to fasten your seatbelts because this is a bit of breaking news from PlayStation. On August 1, for the very first ever playable public debut, Evo Las Vegas will be hosting Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls. Now for the reactions: they’re a bit scattered. Some are hyped up; others are suspicious, and actual others are simply waiting for the drama to unfold. The classic gaming society, am I right?
Okay, so, what is even Marvel Tōkon? From what we can gather, it is touted to be a fighting game with all of Marvel’s iconic characters. The word Tōkon literally means “fighting spirit” in Japanese, so you already know this is all going to be crazy action. We didn’t get any backstage look at how wonderful this is, but just the fact that it’s going to premiere at Evo, which is the biggest fighting game tournament in the world, makes you wonder with what weight Sony and Marvel have put behind this thing.
Reactions, however, have been varied. Some players are in fact already getting their teams ready, one @blockxs saying simply “Team assembled, ready to fight.” @Infernasu shouted in triple-literally-all-caps form, “WE WILL 100000% BE THERE.” Now, that’s the spirit! But not everyone is buying into this. @YorchTorchGames popped in with some shade: “Modern Kratos is a soy boy,” and further questioned if PlayStation games are even fun anymore. Spoiler alert: His take was met with utter dismissal. And then @MaisumRafael96 clapped back with: “The 15 million sales of Ragnarok disagree with you, pal.” Oof.
Now there’s the PC-versus-console argument. @CybernetikF gives a fair point: “If Marvel’s Tokon becomes a PSN-mandated PC game, many people won’t be able to play it due to regional restrictions.” Meanwhile, @AlRaqy64101 basically demanded an Iraqi PlayStation Store. Hey, representation really does matter, Sony.
Whoops, another side-track takeover. Talking about @onlyonepacman shooting off on GTA Online: “Still amazed at how the game keeps delivering fun in its own chaotic way.” Good story, bro; however, we’re here to talk Marvel Tōkon. Stay on track.
But yeah, some hype exists. @Soulbound_TV said the game “slaps… literally 👊,” and @RePeteW asked, “Who’s your main?” A good question. With Marvel, the sky is the limit for the roster. Spider-Man? Wolverine? Maybe an underdog like Squirrel Girl? (Hey, a guy can dream.)
Now here comes the truer truth: Much of the game is actually an assumption on whether it’s fun to play. Fighting games fans don’t really give them the courtesy. If not tight, no amount of Marvel fan service will pull it off. Luckily, the better are tested at Evo; if it crashes and burns there, then it’s screwed; if it does well, well, we might just have a serious contender in the fighting game scene.
Circle August 1 on your calendars. Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls will be laying down its claims on the worlds or Memes Avenue – this, if anything carries the legacy of Marvel vs. Capcom will be a wild ride! Maybe stay away from that Twitter drama. It’s a mess out there.
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