A near arcade-perfect port of a near arcade-perfect game.

User Rating: 9.6 | Tekken 3 (PlayStation the Best) PS
By Sagacious_Tien | Review Date:
Where have you been if you have not heard of or played the Tekken series? This is a series which has seriously lifted the Playstation's profile, with the first coming out just months after the Playstation's debut and selling in huge amounts. Tekken 2 was released a year after and perfected many of the problems with the original - and beefed up graphics considerably. And then there were three. Looking at the previous games - Tekken 3 is in a league of it's own. The third King of Iron Fist Tournament had gone beyond gamer's expectations - it is an epic title which features the biggest cast yet, more moves, more arenas, more action and prettier graphics. There was a lot of talk that the highly popular 3rd Arcade game would have to be compressed, that the Playstation simply couldn't handle it, it was too epic, too huge and too graphically powerful. They were right - but the Playstation port of the excellent Arcade game has a lot to offer. First of all - every move, combo and character have been given the full translation, and none are worse for wear. There are several new additions as well - making this decidedly epic compared to the more primitive predecessors. Every mode from Tekken 2 has reappeared, including Arcade, Team Battle, Versus, Survival, Practice and Time Attack. However, further play will yield new modes, such as Tekken Ball - a suprisingly fresh addition of Beach Volleyball where characters are placed on either side of a Court. Hitting the ball will transfer the attack energy to it, and if allowed to hit the other character, will damage them. The same also rings true if it is allowed to hit their side of the court. It's a nifty addition, and while hardly revolutionary, is great fun and a good diversion from the main action. Also included is a new Tekken Force mode, which plays out similarily to an old school 2D side scrolling action title - like Final Fight. However, you are kept on a single path and don't have freedom of movement, making the game initially difficult. It gets easier with repeated play though, and if you were to complete it 4 times (there are 4 levels, and the mode can be finished in less than half an hour) - you gain access to a new character, Dr Boskonovitch, who you may remember from Yoshimitsu's ending sequence in Tekken 2. There is also a Theater Mode, allowing you to view any of the game's incredible FMV sequences as you unlock them, and, if you were to place the Tekken 2 disc in the Playstation, any of their FMV sequences as well. The opening sequence must be seen to be believed, which introduces the characters, their fighting styles and a little of their story, and how they have come to enter the Tournament. Tekken 3 has an excellent presentation. From the aforementioned opening sequence to the various menus, everything is clean and flawless. Playing Tekken 3 after having spent so many hours in the Arcade game, I can notice some things have had to be toned down. The backgrounds now scroll on a 2D plane, (as did the previous titles) and polygon counts had to be reduced slightly. Still, you would be hard pressed to find a better looking game on Playstation, and especially one that plays so well. While your initial roster of 10 each have their own styles, stances, combos and throws, you will be flabbergasted at the amount of attacks you can use throughout. There is a lot of variety in how the game and each character plays, and while I'm sure everyone will easily attach themselves to a singular character, every one has something to offer. Not one character appears to have a great advantage over the other, they all have an array of both offensive and defensive moves which chraracterises both their style and also their immediate playability. All the characters are balanced well, but some are easier to get into than others. The sound is also excellent, with meaty grunts and thumps which complement the accompanying music well, which is unusually flexible, encompassing a wide variety of styles, with rock and funk being major influences. There is little speech, but it is the sound effects which are truly great, and little touches from wind blowing to the different surfaces make all the difference. In two player, Tekken 3 is almost unmatched in just how much time you can spend fighting one another. The A.I of the enemy has been given a good tweak, and there are 4 difficult levels, so it's easy to find one that suits you. The many combos you can utilise are easily accessible via a menu system, and you can test them out on the superb Practice Mode which traces every button press and gives feedback on not only the amount of damage inflicted, but also where it was inflicted. Overall, Tekken 3 is a no-brainer. If you want an excellent fighter, with heaps of options, some fine-tuned gameplay, fantastic combat, and enough lastability to keep you playing for a good long time, than I can recommend this easily. Undisputedly the best fighting game on the Playstation, and an absolute joy to play.

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