Tekken 3

"Obsession? Check. Storyline? Check. One of the best fighting games ever released? Check."

Tekken 3, perhaps the greatest fighting game ever to be released on the Playstation, and with good reason, too. I must admit I was skeptical when I picked this game up at a rental store, but after I gave it a whir, all doubts of its greatest flew out of my head and evaporated into thin air.

Gameplay: Well, what can I say? Your objective in this game is to fight people, and win. There are many different characters that you can play as, and each one of them has their unique fighting style, story, disadvantages and advantages. You might have a strong and slow character, or a fast but weaker character. Either way, it’s always good to strike a fine balance between the two.
There are many modes that you can play as. Arcade Mode, in which you unlock new characters to play as, as well as part of their lives. You can only unlock one character with each original character, but that’s perhaps a good thing, because it forces you to try out new character instead of always sticking to your very favorite.
In Tekken Force mode, you travel through four levels as your favorite characters, eliminating all of the enemies in your way and fighting a final boss at the end. You are timed, but you can add your time by defeating all of your enemies. Of course, you’re not the only one who can attack, and your enemies are not dummies, either, so they will counter. When that happens, collect the blood bags to replenish lost health.
In Vs. mode, you fight against a friend for bragging rights. If you are playing against your younger cousin and want to give her a advantage, you can set that by decreasing your power level. Score is kept, so you better not lose or you’ll never hear the end of it.
There is also a multiplayer mode similar to Vs. mode, and that is Team Battle. In this mode, up to 8 characters at a time go head-to-head in a fierce, winner take all, battle for glory. You can battle against your friend, 8-against-8, or against the computer. Either way, this mode promises to be great fun and entertainment for everyone, except the loser, that is.
In Tekken, you don’t rely on brawns to win. You rely on fast fingers, a good memory, and great techniques. You can string long combos together, depending on your character. Tough, brawny ones might be able to K.O a weaker one in one well-placed combo, but it is highly unlikely. The faster, smaller characters can just dodge or weave in there and let loose with a small punch.
Throws are also necessary. Throws are nearly impossible to reverse, and they are effective, you are nearly invulnerable while performing them. While they are fun to perform, they’re certainly not fun to your opponent, or to you, for that matter, if you are on the receiving end. With the right timing, you can reverse a throw, although it is hard and will take some practice.

Graphics: The graphics are great, although Namco mainly focused on the characters, not the terrain or background. The characters are intricately detailed, with each and every single line carefully sketched. The background can use more work, but you barely notice it when you’re busy whacking people, so it doesn’t really count. I mean, why put more work in it when people won’t even noticed, much?

Rating: 8/10

Sound: You can actually hear your punch connecting with your opponent, or the force of them landing after you threw them halfway across the arena, and with incredible timing, too! The sound is very realistic.

Rating: 8/10

Storyline: So, it looks like a fighting game such as Tekken won’t have a storyline, right? Wrong, each character has his or her own past and main basic. Some are left unfinished and mysterious, for the sequel, but most of them are clear. Some, like Ogre’s and True Ogre’s, are creepy and filled with destroying. Others, such as Hwoarang’s is full of jealousy and revenge, while those of Anna’s and Xiao Yu’s are light-hearted and funny. The basics are all ranged, and with impressive detail, too.

Rating: 9/10

Replay: Well, duh, you can’t just play a fighting game for half an hour, then put it down and never touch it again. First off, you’re going to have to unlock all the secret characters, so why not just set aside about two hours doing that? When you’re done, you’re going to have to practice and get to know every single one of them, beat the tournament with them to see what’s up, learn their fighting technique, their disadvantages and advantages. Tekken 3 is going to last you awhile, so why not just curl up on the couch with a snack, flex your fingers, and prepare to be amazed by the most amazing fighting game ever to invade the Playstation?

Difficulty: It doesn’t take much time to learn how to play Tekken, but it does take a lot of time to perfect it. Each and everyone your techniques are unique, with their own weaknesses and advantages. That way, you must spend time studying each character’s fighting style and exploit both their weaknesses and strengths. You’ll be surprised at how hard it can be.

I would recommend Tekken 3 as a rent first, and then a buy, since you might get bored of it quickly, since it is a fighting game and the results might be the same (you creaming the computer) every single time you play. I think Tekken is definitely worth the money to buy, though, especially if you’re a major fan of strategic/fighting games, and Tekken is just the right combination of those two.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/06/03, Updated 04/07/03