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Tekken 5 Review
Jon Wilcox
24/06/2005
Ten years after the original, Tekken returns to PlayStation 2 after a lacklustre fourth iteration
Released as one of the first real pretenders to Virtua Fighterâs 3D beat-em-up crown in 1995, the Tekken franchise has become one of the most popular action fighter brands, and has gone on to introduce some of the most well known characters in the genre including Jin Kazuma and Heihatchi Mishima. With a huge number of attack and defence manoeuvres (as well as some of the more âuniqueâ game modes â“ Tekken Ball, anyone???) the Tekken brand has almost become as well-known for indulging its fans with a multitude of options and game types as it has for its frantic fighting action.
Three years after the release of the slightly disappointing Tekken 4, Namcoâs ten-year old beat-em-up returns to the PlayStation 2 for a fifth iteration hoping to reassert the seriesâ position ahead of its debut performance on PlayStation 3. But is it another âby-numbersâ release that will only please die-hard Tekken fans, or does it actually progress the franchise? In November 2004 Hideo Yanagihara, Director of Namco Ltd made the rather bold claim that, "Tekken 5 will propel gamers of all ages to the next level in the fighting genre," but with the Director of Bungieâs âninjas on fireâ description of Halo 2 back in 2002 still the cause of many an eye-rolling session in TVG Towers, such claims surely have to be taken with a healthy dose of salt. Or do they?
Certainly something that has never been found lacking in the series is variety, and Tekken 5 is no different with a selection of game types that will satisfy both Tekken newcomers and gamers with tattoos of Mishima-san on their arm alike. Including the usual modes that are expected of it (such as Story Mode, Time Attack, Survival, Battle Mode, and Arcade Mode), Tekken 5 also features two new additions: 3D action game âDevil Withinâ which follows of the exploits of Jin Kazuma, and Tekken History â“ both of which will be discussed a little later. Tekken 5 also includes a character customisation mode, which certainly adds a little more variety into an already jam packed mix of options for the player - after all, the franchise was always a little short on that, wasnât itâ¦
Set immediately after the events of Tekken 4, the game opens with the announcement that the iconic head of Mishima Zaibatsu, Heihatchi, is dead following an explosion set off by a series of Jack-5 robots. Witnessed by Tekken newcomer Raven, the explosion reawakens Heihatchiâs Devil possessed father Jinpachi Mishima who becomes the final boss of the game. Just over 31 characters feature in Tekken 5 with 20 of them available to fight from the start; some of them, including Raven make their Tekken debut in the game, but most of the fighters such as Marshall Law, Nina Williams, and Yoshimitsu return for yet another King of Iron Fist Tournament.
Before embarking on the chosen characterâs storyline, Tekken 5 provides gamers with a brief overview of their situation, which clarifies their motivation for entering the new tournament. For Marshall Law, the draw is money to save the life of his son (Tekken 3âs Forrest Law) after a bike accident, whilst for others such as Paul Phoenix the draw is to prove to the world just how tough they actually are. Of course, only the most ardent of Tekken fan should take the character storylines seriously since the attraction of the game is the actual fighting â“ if you want a good narrative in a game, go and play an RPG or an adventure title. Post overview, itâs then time for the real meat of the game to beginâ¦
Scattered across a range of environments from the penguin populated Antarctic (where strangely enough the characters donât seem to suffer the effects of hypothermia) to a blazing temple and the Fight Cub-esque Urban Jungle, Tekken 5 once again continues the traditional of the series of taking gamers to a huge variety of emotive locations. In fact, there seems to be almost the same number of environments as there are fighters (actually there are thirteen, but it seems as if there are more) and gamers are sure to end up having their own favourite - personally âMoonlight Wildernessâ which offers a great mix of ethereal moonlit backgrounds and rousing âfinal battleâ choir-based music should be visited as often as possible.
One of the key criticisms made about Tekken 4 was its less than impressive character models, and in its bid to push the series forward Namco announced that the Tekken 5 would utilise a totally new graphic engine for in-game action as well as the licensing of the âendorphinâ Dynamic Motion Synthesis software from UK company NaturalMotion to create high-quality cut-scenes. Able to synthesise 3D animation in real-time, endorphin is said to reduce animation costs by up to 80% on action titles, and after playing Tekken 5, it seems that both the endorphin software and the time taken to develop a new engine has been a good investment as the game is probably one of the most impressive looking titles on PlayStation 2, and perhaps one of the best looking games of this generation of console. Not only are the characters and environments in Tekken 5 clean, crisp and details, but the is fluid and seems to flow more naturally than the gameâs earlier incarnations.
The actual gameplay is impressive too, and as youâd expect, Tekken 5 continues to pile on the offensive and defensive button combinations that are very much one of the distinguishing trademarks of the franchise. Though that means the continued risk of matches disintegrating into a series of button bashing action that would make Virtua Fighter veterans wince, the vast number of commands for each character means that beginners and advanced players all have access to a list of techniques that will help to develop their skills further. The controls feel very responsive although there are occasions that namely down to the sheer number of commands and the limited number of buttons on a controller, when an attempt to pull off one move results in the execution of another. Although in other genres that âfailureâ would result in frustrating gameplay, here it is nothing more than a slight irritant and something that can be forgiven. Overall thereâs little doubt that Tekkenâs sheer visceral, immediate action more then compensates for its intricate layers of skill.
One of the key features to make its debut in Tekken 5 is the Customisation mode where gamers can spend credits that theyâve earned on a variety of new items for their character. From entire changes of wardrobes right down to a pair of 1970s sunglasses, the level of customisation is certainly substantial for a fighting game and is certainly one way that the franchise could expand upon when it appears on PlayStation 3 â“ we can hear the cha-ching of micro-transactions as gamers purchase new costumes for their characters in Tekken 6. Already there are reports on the web that Nina Williams can be made to resemble The Bride from Kill Bill and there are sure to be more look-a-likes announced on the net in the future.
In order to win the credits used in the Customisation mode players have to compete in some of the other gametypes available in Tekken 5, such as Time Trial, and Survival which reward gamers with varying levels of credits after winning a bout â“ credits in Survival mode increase as the player progress through the stages by 100 a win, while winning a bout in the Arcade mode can earn a player over 1000+ credits, which is essential when it costs 500,000 for a costume change. All of the above gametypes, including Team Battle are all veterans of the series, and are as well established in Tekken tradition as some of the characters. The implementation of a Customisation mode now means that there is a reason to play through some of them rather than take the view that they are âadditionalâ modes almost tacked onto the side of the main Story mode. Itâs a welcome idea to the series and looks to be one way that Namco aims to develop the franchise in the future, and itâs also one way for the title to extend its longevity with gamers.
As has already been mentioned, Tekken 5 includes a âTekken Historyâ mode, which allows gamers the chance to experience the arcade versions of the first three titles in the series, which certainly proved to be a real eye-opener. Having experienced the joys of Tekken in the amusements arcades back in 1995 it was quite a shock to see that the game didnât look or feel how we remembered. In terms of visuals the industry has certainly come a long, long way in the last ten years and playing the arcade version of Tekken 1 merely acts as a wakeup call to that progression.
Seeing the introduction of now established characters such as Lei and the development of the Jack robots throughout the series put the sometimes-convoluted stories featured in Tekken into some perspective. A nice touch is the ability to âhackâ into the arcade system and make certain amendments to the coin-opâs set-up including the number of rounds and even the colour of the blood from red to green. Like so often in Tekken, the mode seems to be that âextra chocolate sauceâ of indulgence for fans of the franchise, and something that perhaps wonât really be of much interest to casual Tekken players, who will probably spend 99% of their time trying to beat their way to the final stage of the King of Iron Fist Tournament 5.
Namco has also evolved the Tekken Force mode of earlier iterations into a Jin Kazuma focused third-person action adventure title called âDevil Within.â Acting as a side-story to the King of Iron Fist Tournament, the story reveals what happened to Jin after fleeing the Hon Maru complex just prior to the explosion that killed Heihatchi. Like itâs predecessor however, Devil Within does feel tacked on at the last minute, with strong issues over the sensitivity of the camera. Having said that, if a quick rest bite from the one-on-one action is required then Devil Within will act as a distraction for gamers and of immense interest to fans of the series that eagerly await the story Jin.
One feature that would have really pushed the Tekken franchise further than before would be the option to take the game online with Net Play, but sadly the game is restricted once again to a one or two player affair. Perhaps that is one area that Namco are working on in the development of Tekken 6 and itâs certainly one that fans of the series would pretty much demand be included in the next iteration. For the moment though, gamers will have to be content with offline Tekken action; itâs a small whinge but one that could grow exponentially if omitted from the forthcoming PS3 release.
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