Tekken: Dark Resurrection

"PS2 rehash? I think not."

As soon as this game was announced all the nay-sayers started crying "it'll just be ANOTHER crappy port of a PS2 game" Definetly not the case here. In face, this is just what the PSP doctor ordered. An original(not a direct port), AAA quality game for the PSP in it's lacking fighting genre. This game definetly raises the bar once again, really proving what the PSP is capable of as a system. It's load times are very tolerable, the longest I ever noticed was about 7 seconds, proving that games don't need to take 60+ seconds to load up on PSP(Daxter was ther other game to show this). Graphics are top-notch, sometimes you'd swear you were playing PS2. Anyway, on with the review.

Graphics: 10/10
Absolutely fantastic. Stages are colorful and varied, and each has a fitting color palette(ex, grassy fields have rich greens and very saturated colors, while an urban rooftop is dark and grungy). Certianly no bland, recycled colors in this game. Character models are fantastic and definetly up to par with console quality. During fighting you may notice a couple "jaggies" here and there, but it's certianly not a big deal. Leading me to the truly amazing part of this game: the game runs at a [b]locked[/b] 60fps. It never lags or drops, even with intense action onscreen. Most console games can't even do that. Really a "see to believe" thing.

Sound/Music: 10/10
Another shining part of the game. The game has a very diverse, orchestrated soundtrack, as well as believable voice-acting by the characters that speak English(all have subtitles by default, but that can be switched off if you desire). The music always fits right in with the stage and situation, it never feels ackward or misplaced. The game does have a media player that allows you to just listen to the many songs.

Gameplay: 9/10
Before I picked up Tekken:DR, the only other fighting game I had played(extensively) was Soul Calibur 2. I expected this game to be pretty similar to it, the only difference being that Tekken is hand-to-hand while SC is with weapons. They're both fighting games, but the similarities end there. This game has so many modes you have a tough decision to make when the main menu comes up. Play through a character's story? Maybe play some time attack? Or maybe rank up in the Tekken Dojo. Or perhaps go for the arcade version. In a hurry? Just pick "quick battle" and be fighting away in seconds. Record some ghost data and upload it to the internet with Network, or download someone else's. Want a break from the fighting? Play some Bonus Games, such as a Bowling game and a move practive game. Play a game of Survival. Or a round of Gold Rush, where you rank up Gold(currency) by dealing out combos and inflicting as much damage as possible. It just goes on and on.

The actual fighting is very quick to learn. The 4 face buttons are assigned to left/right kick, and left/right punch. The d-pad controls your character either foward or back, or a sidestep into the fore or background. My only gripe with this is that there isn't a set "block" button, you press the opposite direction on the d-pad that your character is facing, and a crouch block is diagonal with that direction and down. Which wouldn't be bad, if practically every combo and special move used the d-pad and diagonals. Neither of the shoulder buttons are used, it would have been so much easier just to make one of those a guard button.

Other than the ackward d-pad controls(which makes the learning curve unnecessairly steep) there really isn't much I can complain about. You get used to it in time, but it is a bit tricky.

This is not for people expecting a quick game they can breeze through in a rental. Even on the game's default difficulty(medium) some of the Story mode battles can take multiple tries until you master a few key combos and moves. Button-mashing won't get you ANYWHERE in this game. However, most other modes ramp up in difficulty much more gradually since they last much longer(each story mode is 8 battles and the boss), so it makes sense that the difficulty has to ramp up from easy to boss hard in only a few battles.

Buy/Rent/Don't Bother: If you're even remotely a fan of fighting games, a definete buy. If you've never played a fighter, at least give it the justice of a rent(but know you won't see everything the game has to offer in that time).

Bottom Line: The epitome of a portable fighter. Practically every mode can be started, played through, and finished to a save point within a few minutes, making it perfect for a quick gaming fix waiting in line, or long plane rides with screaming kids, the game accomodates all. It has practically unlimited replay value.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/08/06