Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection - 9/10
PSP owners and anyone familiar with the Sony Playstation brand will become immediately aware of the Tekken name, the franchise that has made the company Namco known for being the gaming gods of the beat em up genre. During the dusty launch days of Psones unveiling in 1995/1994, we were blown away by the console hit Tekken, the series elevated once again with Tekken 2 and than Namco simply ripped the game apart and started completely new during the development of Tekken 3, which turned out to be the benchmark for fighters and the ultimate fighting experience on a home console. The trend continued as time drifted by, although not blowing our expectations away like Tekken 3 did, the series still stuck to its roots and structure and to this day delivers what every beat em up fan and arcade regular demands, a thrilling, highly enjoyable and insanely addictive one on one fighting experience that is still untouched in terms of style, depth and even humor.
Well, its 2008 now, and it has been a painfully long while since a Tekken game has graced a console. Tekken 6 is taking forever to even looking like being released on PS3. And at this moment and time, Tekken fanatics have to make do with weekly visits to the arcades to experience the HD heaven that is Tekken 6 in all its next gen glory. So what does the Tekken hungry mad crowd do in the mean time? Sitting idly back and waiting isnt the answer, grab that sleek palm made handheld gadget, also known as the PSP and have a good bash with Tekken DR. As soon as the Tekken logo blazes across the menu screen your blood will be pumping, thumbs sweating, and you would have well and truly forgotten the previous starving feeling for a new Tekken.
Simply put, Tekken DR on the PSP is like a panadol to this situation. And by god it works in minutes, which is what Tekken is so good at. It gets you, the player pumped, it purposely shoves a juicy character select screen smattered with 30+ lovely looking fighters in your face because it knows the player is going to stop and take notice and think "WOW, so many fighters, who do i pick first? You feel spoilt for choice but are blessed to have such a unique bunch of characters with their own fighting styles. It can also be a difficult time, as you only get 30 seconds to choose your fighter, by the time you highlight your Devil Jin the time meter stops and you have to make do with Roger Jr. But who cares? Why so serious? Roger Jr is the comical animal that will make winning matches all the more sweeter, he is a Aussie roo with boxing gloves and when knocking out a mean looking old man like Heihachi is just an ace feeling, although embarrassing for the down and out CPU thats programming Heihachi's movements. This is what makes Tekken so easily accessible to anyone who picks up a PSP. You enjoy every fight, marvel at every crazy move and throw, and after about 50 matches that you have brawled in goes unnoticed, you have just realised you have killed about 2 hours of your time. Its simply drags you in, and you forget about your previous thoughts on "When the hell is the next Tekken coming out?"
If you care, their is a story in here somewhere involving the King of Iron Fist Tournament. Its pretty much the same plot continued on from previous Tekken outings. A bunch of attractive looking individuals all vying for victory at the latest tournament, with all their own reasons and back stories. The Kazuya family play the central role, as well as Heihachi's latest Zaibatsu experiment on the robot Jacks and so on. Any fan of Tekken will already have some form of knowledge of the veteran fighters stories, for example, Law and Paul are good buddies, Nina and sister, Anna hate eachothers guts, Kazuya wants to crush the life out of Heihachi and vice versa, Julia wants to save the forests, Xiaoyu wants to build her own cute and colourful playground and Lee wants everything to his smug self. Newcomers however will have entirely new plots to all the other usual characters, rich schoolgirl Lili is simply taking part to put a halt to her wealthy fathers financial issues and limb snapping nazi, Dragunov has been sent into the tournament to capture Jin. Majority of us will nod the story off and simply not care about the characters we are using to beat up other characters, but regardless of the individuals thoughts on the storyline, it is good that Namco have put a decent backstory behind the characters, bringing them more to life and giving them more purpose to want to kick eachothers faces in. So it is definitely welcome, even if it is only the fighting and gameplay bliss you care about. Namco have simply sprinkled a few more hundreds & thousands on an already tasty croissant.
So who are these characters that are keen on earning the big bucks in the latest make or break tournament? Lets meet them:
Paul Pheonix - The rib cracking biker punk with the high hair, Paul is an old Tekken fave and friend of Law's that deserves his spot in the line-up.
Nina Williams - The sexy, groin kicking, high heel digging, blonde, Irish leather clad assassin who has a serious hate affair with her sister Anna.
Yoshimitsu - The freak from the bamboo forests, Yoshimitsu returns with yet another crazy alien/monster disguise that distinguishes himself from the rest of the cast.
Kazuya Mishima - The hideously scarred back, the red eye, spikey hairdo and slick black vamp suit sum up what is without doubt one of the coolest characters in the franchise.
Forrest Law - The Bruce Lee alike kung fu king of kickery donned with the yellow tight attire and flimsy sneakers. Law is definitely a guy i suggest the casual player uses.
Lee - A silver headed, head stomping, show off pretty boy who has a penchant for luring all the ladies by his side. Lee is the hated casanova.
Lei - A fan fave, the Japanese cop that has the bird style stances and all the moves to match it with the likes of Law.
Jin - The face, the icon of Tekken. Jin is the pretty Japanese ass kicker that needs zero introduction, you will use him for his ultra cool hoody, his mad movelist and just for the fact that he is just plain unstoppable.
Xiaoyu - Every fighting game needs a cutesy anime esque Japanese schoolgirl stereotype, and Namco knows this and delivers it with the adorable, Panda loving Xiaoyu, also adding the clearly intentional knicker flashes here and there.
Hwoarang - A blood headed Korean karate master and student of Baek, his face grinding kicks and graceful move set make him a top fighter for newbies.
King - Another fan fave, the lion masked mexican wrestler makes a return, WWE fans will have a ball with this big guy.
Julia - The soft spoken, innocent Indian girl Julia participates in the tournament all in the medium of saving the forests.
Bryan Fury - My personal fave, a grey headed, bullet ridden undead supercop that is as brutal as they come. His win pose has him kneeling over an opponent, laughing manically whilst repeatedly smashing their faces in.
Christie - The sexy, busty, Latina-esque Beyonce alike Brazilian capeoira master usually decked out in colour mental tops and oversized sandals. She is the sister of Eddy Gordo.
Steve Fox - A David Beckham alike British Boxer. Steve has zero kicking moves, his focus is bruising bodies with his boxing gloved mitts.
Craig Marduk - The big hairy hulking Aussie, Craig takes the role as the big slow guy of Tekken. He may be slow, but what he lacks in pace he makes up for in brute force power.
Anna - The slutty dominant sister of Nina, with her whorish attitude and bondage style bob, she really is known as the tart with no heart that wants Nina underground for good.
Baek - Think Steven Seagal with Hwoarangs style and you have Baek, who is one of the lesser exciting brawlers in Tekken.
Bruce - The tattooed African American kickboxer, Bruce looks similar to a giant NBA player, but with added kicking flair and style.
Wang - The token old man of the game, dont be fooled by the liver spot populated skin and white beard, this little old father can make even the biggest of show offs meet their maker.
Kuma/Panda - The big cuddly teddy bears of the series, they're fun to use, but losing to a bear with a cap and sneakers can be downright embarrassing.
Ganryu - The chubby slow as a truck sumo with a thong so large it makes Heihachi's Tekken 4 ghetto look less disturbing. The gentle giant has some feelings for Julia.
Mokujin - A wooden tree man that mimics others fighting styles, Mokujin is a creation of Zaibatsu labs.
Heihachi - The Tekken villian, an old fork haired man with an awesome tiger outfit and big clunky sandals, he is one of the most powerful fighters in the Tekken universe. You would be mad not to use him.
Eddy Gordo - the dredlocked brother of Christie, Eddy shares the same fighting style as his sisters.
Asuka - A sexy Japanese college girl that uses open palm attacks and cartwheel kicks, she is Juns permament replacement and is a fave among many Tekken fans.
Feng Wei - A skull crushing ponytailed Shaolin Monk, Feng buries his mitts into hot sand and can snap tree trunks with his bare arms, making him a warrior to be feared.
Raven - A Wesley Snipes Blade lookalike, Raven uses a ninja style style and has the ability to teleport during fights.
Jack-5 - Yet another android grunt creation of Zaibatsu, in the form of screen smother Jack-5. Big, slow and powerful.
Roger Jr - Everyones fave boxing kangaroo, a rival to the Kumas of the Tekken series.
Devil Jin - It doesnt get any more bad ass then this guy, devil horns, black tats decorating his skin, glowing demonic eyes and massive wings. A devil has never looked so beautiful before.
Jinpachi - The inferno influenced boss of todays Tekken, a demonic old man with a sharp beard and a gaping mouth for a stomach, need i go on?
Lili - A snobby, lolita goth. Lili is like an albino bo peep. Equip her with a schoolgirl outfit and some goth make-up and you have one of the sweetest fighters seen in any fighting game The fact that she fights like a ballet dancer on meth is already a big plus. She can almost be mistaken for Marilyn Mansons innocent little emo daughter, she is simply hauntingly gorgeous and very satisfying to play as.
Dragunov - Marilyn Manson in a spetznaz nazi outfit sums of Dragunov. He has a habit of bending limbs the wrong ways and breaking ribs. Without doubt, he is the most sadistic creep in the game.
Armor King - Just as awesome as any of the Tekken fighters, King with added armour, red eyes and spikey boots says it all. He is brilliant.
So its zero surprise that Tekken already delivers on the roster front, with some fantastic fighters available, all unique and diverse in their appearance and fighting abilities. Now for the serious question, what about the game modes? Is there enough on offer here for beat em up lovers to appreciate? Enough knuckle busting entertainment that will make those long train trips seem shorter? The answer to these questions is a resounding yes! But if history is anything to go by, Tekken fans always knew there would be enough modes to keep the masses proud, and Dark Resurrection is no exception.
So whats on the menu? First we have the story mode, which pits your chosen one through ten battles *the last battle being against Jinpachi*, each fighters story having a neat ending sequence to give you incentive to beat the story mode with every fighter. We then have the arcade mode which speaks for itself, its just like being in the arcades, but the experience is in your palms and you dont have to feed the machines your coins. The big breath of fresh Tekken air is the Dojo mode, which will most likely be everyones most popular mode. The Dojo allows the player to customise your own fighters appearance with items you can buy from money you earn after winning fights. Its a simple system but it works and it's satisfying. Each opponent you face will have internet blog style names as their username and their rankings listed before or after a fight. The rankings can range from 10th Dan to Legend, to Tekken God. Its a perfect way of showing off your skills to Tokyo's youthful elite Tekken lovers. And it is always a highlight when your lower ranked newbie fighter makes light work of a Pro.
The fun part about Dojo mode is the ability to play dress ups with your fighter. There are some funny items up for purchase, from eye patches, dead foxes *that can sit on Pauls head* , funny hats and manga lion heads that make the mean looking Armor king look cute and cuddly. Do you fancy Raven with cornrows? Asuka in a college uniform? Lili with gothic make up? Nina in a pink nurse outfit and a giant syringe? Would Roger Jr look good in flippers and swimming goggles? Well it can all be pulled off in Tekken DR. You can make the most evil of characters look incredibly silly, and when you have beaten a high ranked Devil Jin with your novice ranked Kuma *with star glasses and clown shoes equipped* the rewards can be smile inducing to say the least, the fact that a so called pro lost to your newbie, decked out in an embarrassing ghetto is just the icing on a very sweet cake. A great feeling for the winner, not so for the loser.
Each match you win earns you more money to buy more improved and hot looking clothing for your character, the more bouts you win and more foes you crush, the more money you rake in. Keep winning battles consistantly and your ranking will increase, you will be aware of when your rank is on the verge of rising as a promotion battle will play out, if you win, you earn a rank up, if you lose, you're back to square one and your opponents ranking will rise. The rewards of higher cash counts and ranking stats gives you so much incentive to continue playing endless Tekken bouts. Which is what makes the game so addictive. Every fight seems important, and no brawl is ever boring. Little in game touches is what makes winning or even losing battle interesting. If you're KO'ed or you KO an opponent, you dont get some stale win pose, instead you get interactive win poses involving to characters, which although small, is a neat addition that other beat em ups have never included. Whether its Nina stepping on her opponents back, Anna sitting on a kneeling loser, Asukas point and taunt pose or Bryan Fury repeatedly burying his fists into the caved in faces of his unconscious opponents, there is always a a satisfying or humiliating sequence that makes the victory, or defeat that much more sweeter.
Gameplay mechanics are refined as they always were, and PSP's pad makes the experience all the more margarine smooth. Its the simple four button sequence: punch, kick, throw and so on. With a tap of the directional buttons having your opponent parrying and side stepping the opponent with ease and minimum of learning curve. In fact, i believe PSP is the perfect device for a Tekken game, it makes an already highly accessible title even more easy to get into. Playing Tekken on a handheld is a fighting fans home made haven, it is a near complete experience that no other fighter can come close to matching.
Visually, Tekken DR is one of the hottest looking games on the PSP, let alone a handheld console. It falls short of visual prowess to only God of War and maybe one or two others. The whole game is colourful and vibrant, the animations are smooth, fluid and graceful and the characters are highly detailed in design. From Lili's flowing hair, Jins hoody coat, to the spash and rippling of water as your fighters wade through a water stream. None can complain about its visuals, its pretty spectacular and pumps out enough PSP juice to keep graphic whores beaming like proud fathers.
Big graphical glow comes from the arenas, from underground caves flooded with ruined ship wrecks and undiscovered treasures, gothic cathedrals with tainted windows, dark woods during the night populated by blood thirsty wolves, slippery ice bergs populated by penguins, a stunning field of grass and dazzling white daffodils, atop of a hong kong city rooftop with a sunset in the distance to a overly bright pink candy land stuffed with giant toys and cutesy anime inspired flavour, and finally, no beat em up is complete without the usual hellish level with the thick haze of heat and lava streams to add to the evilness of the stage.
Overall, what we handhelders have here is a perfectly refined and balanced fighting experience brimming with fistfuls of characters, a goblet of spectacular moves, a plethora of costumes and items for your fighter, hugely detailed arenas to trample in and enough gaming modes to keep you thrilled for hours on end. All in all, fighting fans cant really ask for more, if whats on offer here isnt enough, than you're simply arrogent and cant appreciate that perhaps enough is enough. Tekken DR isnt just a pill for killing time during those long car drives, or never ending university lecture sessions, its an addictive beast that will take a bite of many hours of your life without you noticing because you're having too much fun. Tekken DR draws you in, lures if you like and keeps you amused and occupied. If only all games could manifest the same lure that Tekken can. So to put it simply, if you're after a game that delivers bang for the buck value, Tekken DR is your best bet, with insanely addictive gameplay, easily accessibility for hardcore and casual gamers alike and visuals that are simply gorgeous for a handheld title. If you own a PSP, dont live with it without Tekken DR, its a sin. Buy immediately.
Submitted by callan5
25/09/2008
17
Join MyPSP to vote for your favourite story!
More Info:
Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection
Other Reviews:
Related Videos: