No doubt about it: Pokkén Tournament is one fantastic Pokémon meets Tekken hybrid. But if you're used to battling Pokémon the old-school, turn-based way - or hammering away at Tekken's traditional toe-to-toe brawling - you might find Pokkén's way of doing things a challenge.
But don't panic. Use the game's brilliant built-in tutorials and follow these hints and tints, and you'll be scrapping like a pro in no time.
1. Follow the tutorials
When you start the game, don't go straight to the Ferrum League or single battles. Instead, go to the Practice area, run through the basic tutorials and spend a little time in the Action Dojo and the Combo Dojo. Just half an hour of practice will leave you with the skills to start winning matches.
2. Make the most of the field phase
Pokkén Tournament switches between two phases. Phase 1, or the field phase, zooms out to give you room to tag in your support Pokémon and use ranged attacks. While phase 2, the duel phase, delivers the more straightforward Tekken-style combat.
It's tempting to see the field phase as a waste of time, but it can be the place where matches are decided. Use ranged attacks to whittle down your opponent's health bar, dodge their attacks, collect the energy-boosting gems that appear then race in for the smackdown. You'll be in better shape to win.
3. Master the attack triangle
In Pokkén Tournament, attacks work in a sort-of triangle, a bit like Scissors-Paper-Stone - where grabs beat counters, counters beat normal attacks and normal attacks beat grabs. Learn how to recognise which attack is which and use the right attack to beat it, and you'll be one step closer to victory.
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4. Learn some basic combos
Epic strings of combos might be the meat-and-drink of most beat-em-ups, but Pokkén Tournament doesn't push them as far as a Street Fighter or the original Tekken. Work on the two-button grab and counter moves and some simple D-pad and two or three press combos and you'll be dishing out more damage when it counts.
5. Don't forget to dodge and block
Fast attacks and heavy combos will get you so far, but if you want to face the tougher CPU and human players, you need to learn when to dodge and when to block or counter.
Use blocks to take the sting out of incoming normal attacks and counters to retaliate. Remember, though, that a grab can get through a block or counter. Use them yourself to break blocks, and if you see a grab coming, hit them with a normal attack first.
6. Synergy and burst mode
As you fight and switch phases, you'll build up synergy - and when the synergy gauge fills you can activate the extra-damage burst mode and then kick in with a super-damaging burst attack. There's just about enough synergy available in most rounds for you to enter burst mode once a round, but it can be worth holding it back for the next round to give yourself an early advantage or stop a fast-moving opponent beating you down too quickly.
But watch carefully where and when you unleash that big burst attack; it's possible to fall short of or miss your opponent, wasting your biggest damage-dealer to no advantage.
7. Avoid burst attacks
Burst attacks do a lot of damage and once they're going there's little you can do. So when your foe activates burst mode, activate yours (if you have it) and burst them first, or use dodge and block moves to halt their burst attack before it even gets going.
8. Find a Pokémon to match your play style
We all have different approaches to fighting games. So it's worth experimenting with the different Pokémon in the training or single fight modes to find your perfect partner for Ferrum League and online play.
If you're mindlessly aggressive and prefer close-quarters brawling, Lucario or Machamp might be the Pokémon for you. Prefer spectacular combos and more tactical play? Look at Chandelure or Gardevoir. Once you've found a good partner, stick with them for a while. They'll level up and keep getting better as you do.
9. Choose your support combo carefully
For each match or tournament you have one duo of support Pokémon at your disposal. Pick wisely: some combos are great for bonus damage and ideal against certain foes, but could leave you short if you really need a health boost or added synergy or defence.
Generally speaking, it's smarter to pick a balanced set, where you can use a damage-boosting Pokémon to help you reach victory in the first round, then a healing/defensive Pokémon to protect you in the second or third round.
Watch out for charging times too. Sometimes it's better to have a less powerful support who charges quickly than a tough guy who's never available when you need them most.
10. Turn down good advice
There are two perspectives on Nia, your mentor and trainer. One is that she's full of useful tips and will help you get understand the deeper mechanics of the game. The other (correct) one is that she's a nuisance whose endlessly-repeated comments and exclamations are designed to drive you around the bend.
If you're in the second camp, go to My Town and the Advisor Settings and turn Frequency of Advice down to minimum. Or, better still, "none".
