Tekken

"The Start Of A Legend..."

Tekken helped catapult the PlayStation into the real limelight. The first fighting series on the console meant it could really smash the boundaries in style. Did it really deserve all that critical acclaim though? Read on…
Tekken is a very deceiving game. It gives the impression that it’s a true 3D fighting game. This is wrong. Yes, the characters are in 3D but that’s it! You never actually fight from outside a certain line of sight so the characters are always facing each other. No side jumping, no running around your opponent. In some ways this actually more of a blessing than a sin as very, very few games can pull that off.
The graphics look(ed) like they came out of the arcade. It has the arcade set up and the quality of the polygons matches it too. The graphics do look a little aged now, but that’s because they were fairly blocky. It wasn’t just the lovely replays and the way the camera pans out during throws to show you the lovely sight of crushing your opponent that everyone was talking about; it was the game play.
17 characters were available, ranging widely with great personalities, most of which scream, “pick me”. Yoshimitsu’s sword is too good not to use, while Law is Bruce Lee is disguise! Also notable is mechanical soldier Jack and the girls (slightly outnumbered this issue) have sisters Nina and Anna, both scantly clad but more than capable of giving you a kick or two in the groin! Half of the characters need unlocking and almost all of the characters have their own set of moves that revolve using both the directional buttons and the symbol buttons. While this may sound complicated, you’d be surprised how easy it is to pull off a throw or a special move. For the people who look deeper and must learn every move by heart, there are so many moves for each character you’ll spend quite a time learning them all. The sheer accessibility is the key to this game and indeed the series.
Playing on your own is a fairly limited experience with the only real challenge being to unlock the extra characters and see each of the original characters endings. It’s in the 2-player vs. mode that the game really comes into its own. Choosing the character you’ve sat and mastered for weeks and then beating your friends gives a sensation like no other. It makes the whole experience worthwhile and enjoyable, even if you don’t win you’ll be back want a rematch until you do! The whole ease of the game adds to the experience, as just constant panic button bashing will generally create a great move!
The only problem with Tekken is that the other Tekken’s, notably Tekken 2, do everything that Tekken does, and more, and they are a bit smoother at it too. It does make this game a little redundant, but if you see it cheap, grab it! You will not be disappointed.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/21/02, Updated 06/30/03