That is to say: All forty characters in the game will be available from the first moment Tekken 6 graces your disc drive. Speaking to VideoGamer, Tekken series director Katsuhiro Harada stated -- through a translator -- that unlockables in games are "outdated."

Harada says that unlockables were originally implemented in order to extend the life of arcade games. As characters are unlocked, players would have more reason to come back to the machine. We definitely wasted a few quarters just for the chance to play as Kuma, so we'd say the plan worked. Harada said that unlockable characters were added to the home version for the same reason, implying that it would discourage gamers from renting the game instead of buying it.

Fast-forward to Tekken 6, and Harada says that unlockables are "outdated now ... especially with online play." He notes that today's gamers would be irritated by competing online against characters that they have yet to unlock. Thus, you won't find any unlockable characters in Tekken 6.

Of course, history tells us we still might see some characters for sale.

Remember that costume CLAMP designed for Tekken 6? Well, feast your eyes on the gallery below, which shows Jin Kazama sporting the ridiculously ornate get-up and putting the screws to his daddy, Kazuya Mishima. We won't keep you from the eye candy, so feel free to check out the screens below while we daydream about how fun Tekken Bowling was.

Alright, so your money's as good as in Namco's pockets already, what with the HORI Tekken 6 Wireless Fight Stick Bundle and the GameStop-only Cardboard Tube Samurai character. You've already made that decision. Glancing over your checking account statement every month, from now until the game's released, your brain will automatically deduct the $149.99 (+ applicable state sales tax).

So the real question is: How long will you have to keep this mental math up for? Namco sends word that the Xbox 360 and PS3 releases of Tekken 6 will be tekken up retail space October 27 in North America, "with the Europe, Japan and Asia release to follow shortly thereafter." As for that PSP version, it'll be available "this fall" but we can't offer you anything more definitive than that. 127 days and counting ...

If you haven't spent all your money buying Street Fighter IV controllers, Namco Bandai has a new arcade stick for you to invest in. The official Tekken 6 Wireless Fight Stick Bundle bundles the upcoming game with an art book and a wireless stick made by HORI. The set will be available at various nationwide retailers, and will cost $150 for either the PS3 or Xbox 360 version.

In addition to revealing the official arcade stick for the game, Namco Bandai also released 33 new screenshots of the game, showcasing some of the new characters featured in Tekken 6. Our favorite character? Well, there's that decapitated robot girl ...

Finally, official details of Penny Arcade's collaboration with Tekken 6 have been revealed. The "Samurai" Pack includes a playable Cardboard Tube Samurai skin for Yoshimitsu and 40 Samurai Battle Banners which can be used to customize the other characters in the game. The DLC pack will be available as a GameStop-exclusive pre-order bonus.

Picked up by way of the Gamertag Radio forums from the alleged Twitter account of Tekken 6 -- we know, we know -- it was confirmed this afternoon that the image you see above of Penny Arcade's Cardboard Tube Samurai is, in fact, the real deal. Where, you ask? Well, of course, Mike "Gabe" Krahulik's Twitter account, where he twote, "Yes this is for real. Cts costume will be in Tekken 6!"

He is, of course, referring to the Cardboard Tube Samurai and probably not the cartoon time-traveling simulator we already know will include everything in the universe. Take a look after the break for the exciting Twitter snapshot where Gabe revealed the truth.

Tekken 6 continues to get more bizarre. Famed all-female mangaka group CLAMP (known for Cardcaptor Sakura, X/1999, xxxHolic, Code Geass) is designing new costume designs for Namco Bandai's upcoming fighter. Here, we see Jin wearing a wardrobe that would fit perfectly in CLAMP's Tsubasa Chronicle.

Obviously, the addition of one of the most popular shoujo groups in Japan is meant to increase Tekken's appeal beyond male gamers. In fact, the high-pitched ringing you may be hearing right now is the sound of thousands of anime fan girls squeeing in unison whilst holding onto Kero-chan plushies.

E3 was brütal! If you blinked, for a split/second, you missed something. Even if you were trine to keep up, it was a blur -- staying a.wake like that, you only pushed yourself to the brink of your own dark void. That's where Joystiq comes in; to crackdown on the madness; to reach out ... with conviction -- phew! Crysis averted.

We've scoured the dark corners and survived the inferno to piece together this roundup of all things Xbox at E3. Why? Just 'cause we love you. So, draw nier and shift your eyes past the break.

When we arrived at the Bandai Namco booth for our appointment today, we were immediately thrust into a back room and shown Tekken 6. We took it through the new Scenario mode, the series' evolution of Tekken Force Mode, and tried our hand at some of the classic brawling. Basically, it's still Tekken.

Those of you who aren't lucky enough to attend E3, this is not the post for you. For the remainder of you, however, we would like to let you know that Namco Bandai would like to test your Tekken 6 mettle at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo through an open tournament.

The company will host a two-day "Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion arcade tournament" at its booth on Wednesday, June 3, and Thursday, June 4, with the company opening sign-ups on Tuesday, June 2, to anyone passing through Namco's area on the show floor. Namco Bandai mentions a "grand prize," though the details of what this undoubtedly spectacular prize will be were not given. We have a feeling the only thing people participating in this tournament will win is less time with the other great games at the show.

Fight fans are likely salivating at the mouth for Tekken 6 and all of its Kazama-infused glory, and will likely be even more excited by the inclusion of Force Mode in the franchise's sixth installment, a complimentary mode that harks back to the olden days of Tekken 3.

In Tekken 6, you can even drop the fists for some more powerful means of dispatching countless enemies (see: big gatling gun). Not only that, but this new trailer also shows off the incredible leaps and bounds Namco has made in motion blur technology. Hey, Tekken 6, 2006 called, and it wants its cutting edge technology back.

Head past the break to check out the fist-to-face action that comes courtesy of IGN.

We don't know what's taken Namco so long to bring Tekken 6 home -- it was released in arcades November 2007, for crying out loud -- but we can finally say, after a not-really-all-that-unexpected announcement that the game would be appearing on Xbox 360 as well as PlayStation 3 and seeing loads of screenshots of the console version, we've finally played it. On a real, honest-to-goodness PS3. (We checked to make sure the cables weren't running to a hidden arcade cabinet.)

This was our first experience with the game, not having access to an arcade willing to shell out beaucoup bucks for a machine. But we'd played enough Tekken in the past (most recently, Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection on PS3) to be able to get a feel for this new installment. So, what makes it worthy of being one more than five? find out after the break!

The PSP revival continues.

According to a new report by IGN, Namco Bandai is bringing Tekken 6 to the PSP. Not only will the PSP version launch alongside the console versions, it will feature exclusive content, such as additional items and stages. Tekken 6 will also feature a "Ghost" Infrastructure mode, which allows players to download and share character data to compete against.

It's great to see Namco Bandai throw PSP some support. So long as the team can match the high standards of Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection, PSP fans have a lot to look forward to.

[Thanks, Jay!]

After watching this Xbox Live-exclusive trailer for Tekken 6, we've come to realize a few things. For one, Paul Phoenix is still the most badass dude ever. Don't argue, you'll lose. Second, someone at Namco-Bandai should really proofread subtitles before they dish out a trailer, because there's a pretty hilarious bit of mangled English in the beginning. Finally, this trailer needs more Panda.

The fighting genre has come back. In 2009, players will be able to finally decide between Street Fighter and Tekken -- which brawler will reign supreme?

Namco Bandai's latest batch of screens feature the same over-the-top characters and moves the series is known for. However, we're still a bit concerned. Although the release is many months away, we can't help but be underwhelmed by the visuals here, especially after Namco Bandai's 2008 effort, Soulcalibur IV.

Namco just dropped 16 piping hot screenshots from their upcoming brawler, Tekken 6, into our quivering hands. They're worth checking out in the gallery below -- while they're all pretty gorgeous, one image in particular stuck out in our minds. We are completely ensorceled by the picture you see above. Not only because we can't wait for PETA's imminent protestations to the strong imagery shown in the screenshot, but also because it's given rise to one of our new favorite idioms. Observe:

"Man, I've had one of those days that just make me want to kick a panda in the throat."