Tekken Card Challenge

"Quite simple but proves to be a very addicting Wonderswan title"

Introduction

Tekken card challenge is, as the name suggests, not a beat 'em up but a card collector game. Why Namco did this is beyond me. Capcom showed with Pocket Fighters that the Wonderswan can very well handle great beat 'em ups. I guess Japanese people just really like card collector games and it was probably cheaper for Namco as well.

Story

As far as I know there is not really a story in this game. Off course the game is in Japanese, which I don't understand, but there are no hints of a real story. Perhaps it's written in the instruction manual but that's in Japanese as well so I don't know. Anyway, it doesn't seem to affect the game. I don't imagine this game being a lot better with a real story although some people might like to know why they're going through all this trouble and why True Ogre has to die.

Graphics 6

This game obviously wasn't designed to be pretty. When in battle things look quite okay but on the map things are ugly to be honest. This game could have been done on a standard black and white Gameboy.

Sound 7

In the sound department this game does a lot better than in the graphics department. There are some digitized voice samples like ''Fight'', ''You win'' and some other typical Tekken sounds. The voice samples even sound good which is quite an achievement for a wonderswan title. The music however is not as good as the voice samples, it's not bad but it's like the graphics: it just doesn't push the hardware.

Gameplay 9

Gameplay is where the game really shines. I can't really point out why but the game is very fun and addicting. Maybe it's because this is one of those pick up and play anywhere, anytime titles. It's always fun wether you're on a bus or at school, early or late.

The basics of this game are so simple that they really give you the feel of an old 8-bit title. All you have to do is walk from left to right on a 15 X 15 tiled screen. While on your way you encounter cards, Tekken forces, temples and other Tekken characters. When you encounter another fighter you will be taken to a battle screen. At this screen you play some kind of roulette to select a card which is then compared to your opponents card. If yours is better his health will go down, if not your health will go down. There are some variations like combo's, counters and blocks to keep thing interesting.

I know this all sounds quite interesting but it actually offers less variation than a standard NES title. The only reward you get for playing is unlocking other Tekken characters you defeated. Off course you have to beat Ogre and True Ogre in this game but why and what they have done to anyone is not very clear.

Overall (not an average) 8

Overall this is an addictive title that will entertain most people for some time. It's not the best Wonderswan title available but it's certainly not one of the worst. It's a shame Namco didn't put some more effort in this title because it feels a bit cheap and 8-bit which could have been avoided in my opinion.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/24/02, Updated 12/24/02