Tekken Advance

"Warning: For Tekken Fans Only."

Tekken Advance was released January 30, 2002. To this day, it is one of the best fighting games on the Game Boy Advance. Though that is not saying much, TA is a decent title. Tekken fans around the world can be happy that Namco decided not to entirely disgrace the franchise with a portable version of its hard-hitting fighting series, even though it's warped a few categories that made Tekken, Tekken. The game is neither a port nor any form of continuation - theoretically speaking, it's just an arcade-styled handheld Tekken game. I'm not even a hardcore Tekken fan, but I was still quite disappointed. Thus, don't come in to this game expecting anything new. You will be sadly mistaken, maybe even turned off... and being turned off isn't any fun, is it?

And by nothing new, I mean nothing new. Nothing of any particular interest, anyway. The Tekken formula hasn't deviated, either, so not only are you playing something that's unoriginal, you're playing something you should have played before Tekken was released on the PlayStation in 1995. Not to say I was expecting fully interactive environments or anything too major, I was searching for at least some minor Tekken trademarks.

For those of you who have played, say, Tekken 3 on the PlayStation, you should have become accustomed to two very fun and well-decorated alternate game modes: Tekken Force (something like Final Fight, where you go around beating up baddies on the streets and other locales) and Tekken Ball (modified, extremely violent volleyball). Though these two mini-games would undoubtedly incorrectly transfer to the Game Boy Advance, an attempt could have at least been made. I say this because, quite simply put, every mode available to you is boring after a second run-through, and the sad thing is that the one unlockable character can be selected only after you've beaten Arcade mode 9 agonizing times. Finding a friend who has this game to access the three link-up modes is hard enough, but even if your scavenge paid off, you wouldn't be able to resist feeling the emptiness in the pit of your gaming gut. But, I suppose the super-uber Survival mode is supposed to make up for all that... And yes, that was ''super-uber,'' and it was a sarcastic one at that.

The combat itself is dainty yet unchanged from anything in past Tekken games. Working well with what it's got, the game pushes the envelope for the sheer amount of moves to bash the opponent up with. But once you've breached the hull, the replay factor will have already gotten to you in a bad way. I am, admittedly, one of the biggest handheld gaming fanatics out there, but when it gets down to it, you've got to have the fingers of a toddler and the coordination of a Harlem Globetrotter to fully experience what Tekken Advance has to offer. B is punch, A is kick, and R is throw... complicated it ain't, but it is, however, quite difficult to execute some of the moves compiled in the move lists at the in-battle Start menu. Timing is also a tad difficult, especially when the collision detection goes somewhat awry... and believe me, it does happen. You could be the next victim!

Even though most handheld fighters seemingly encourage you to turn off the sound, Tekken Advance has a change of heart. The sound effects aren't exactly earth-shattering, and you really shouldn't expect them to be. I mean, what variety is there? You have impacts, vague speech, a bit of screaming, and blips. Nope, nothing fresh there. But alas, another pearl on a necklace of hollow, rotund-rocks is nigh! And that little treasure is the upbeat club-like music. Those of you who have seen Blade or Blade 2 should find an obscure similarity in one of the themes from a stage that usually belongs to Jack. Although the tunes are good, you could, of course, do better with some CD's, as even the fast-paced melodies become repetitive quick.

What you will soon become very aware of as you trudge through the game is that there is absolutely no plot whatsoever. Why this feature, however little, was left completely out of Tekken Advance is beyond me. Just because there are only 10 characters (Ling Xiayou, Yoshimitsu, Nina Williams, Forest Law, Gun Jack, Hwoarang, Paul Phoenix, King, Jin Kazama, and the ''hard earned'' Heihachi Mishima), it doesn't mean that -someone- couldn't have integrated some kind of enactment between the battlers, other then the mostly button-mashing brawls. No murder of someone's relative, no amnesia, no twin sister, no Mishima-related semi-terrorist groups - nothing. Maybe this is supposed to be a pen-and-paper fighting game...

But before coming to terms with lack of a story, one thing will catch your eye - the thing that is supposed to catch your eye. What I am talking about are the graphics, of course, and trust me when I say that they are practically on par with that of the original Tekken. Character models are extremely well done for an early Game Boy Advance game, and every impact-induced light flash is accurate to the fighter themselves, which also means that they look just as good. The backgrounds aren't anything unique, merely there for something to look at when you knock the enemy into far range. All you get to do is glance at the surroundings, but that's all you need, or want, to do.

The main problem with Tekken Advance is the fact that there is just too small an amount of depth. So you can change the color of your outfit with the R button - who cares? That won't help you in any way. Every mode available has you jamming the tips of your fingers into A and B, therefore lacking any strategy. Like playing soccer with a paraplegic (no offense to anyone who may be), it's not fun after the first time around.

Another fatal flaw that you will come across is the degree of challenge. Tekken Advance is too easy, so the whole experience is thus not only a cakewalk, it's one that you can go through in about an hour to an hour and a half. Most fighting games have a high degree of replay to accustom their difficulty, but then again, most fighting games also have some shine on their armor, and not six pounds of rust.

The only way you should pick this game up is if you're a diehard Tekken fan. If you ain't, then avoid this game till you can pick it up for $10.00, 'cause that's all it's worth. Tekken Advance brings nothing new to the table, and subtracts what console versions have been building upon for years. The only way you will be completely happy with this fighter is if you've either A) been recently blindsided by an ice cream truck or B) the wall in your room is full of Tekken posters signed by every one of those split personalities of yours, last named ''Mishima'' or ''Kazama,'' or maybe even C) you're in denial. If it's A, I feel bad for you. If it's B, I implore you to reconsider the path your life is taking. And if your scenario is C, well, I can kinda understand that - I also that Namco had some sense as to give us a game based not on the Tekken template alone.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 04/06/03, Updated 04/06/03