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Review: Tekken 3 (alternative) |
Without a doubt, the Tekken and Virtua Fighter series of games are the most acclaimed 3D fighters of all time. There have been many contenders and imitations that have tried to knock these two giants from the top – all have failed, even though the Soul Calibur and Dead or Alive games are clawing at their feet.
The original Tekken game on the PlayStation was the first 3D fighting game I really got into. Unfortunately I swapped my PlayStation for a Sega Saturn as its arcade conversions were too difficult to resist. Although I became quite good at the game, mastered all the characters and played it constantly, that was where my Tekken experience ended.
However recently I have had the privilege of access to some of the latest Tekken arcade machines (though, unfortunately, not Tekken 1 & 2 or I’d have reviewed them all), so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to get back into the series. After all these years away from the games, what were these newer versions like? Did they play the as they did before? What was new? Was the new cast better than the old cast? There was only one way to find out – insert coin.
The excitement of playing and learning a new arcade fighter is something I have missed over recent years. Perhaps it’s because arcades are a little harder to come by these days and, when you do find one, they’re full of novelty games such as Dance Dance Revolution. Whatever the case, fighting games will be something that’ll be sorely missed if they disappear altogether, which was made all too apparent by playing Tekken 3.
I have to say, the first thing that struck me about the game was how bad it looked. I hate to start a review of what I will later reveal as a great game on such a negative note, but you can’t deny that it looks rather shoddy. I know I shouldn’t expect much of a game that was converted to the original PlayStation machine quite easily, but this was a rival to Sega’s Virtua Fighter 3 – and it falls short by a long shot.
The debates over which was a better game out of Virtua Fighter 3 and Tekken 3 clearly did not include the graphical side of things (and why should they?). Whilst Virtua Fighter 3 had fully 3D backgrounds, uneven floors and different fighting layers – Tekken 3 uses the same flat floor that “goes on forever” as with the previous titles. However this time the backgrounds seem a little closer to the action and the arenas are more enclosed, which is just an illusion but it’s a slight improvement over the original. But, as the stages are just a combination of scaled sprites and a couple of polygons, they’re not really in the same league as some of the other popular fighters from the same era.
The character models are also, graphically, very average. They look better than anything seen on the PlayStation, but a little better is expected, especially when compared with some of the other fighters released at the time. It certainly doesn’t come close to the visuals of Virtua Fighter 3 and it can be argued that even Virtua Fighter 2 tops it graphically. The attract mode does have some cool rendered FMV sequences, which just look awesome, but it’s kind of like false advertising though. However, despite looking a little rough around the edges, the characters themselves are quite cool and interesting.
I was pleased to see a lot of my old favourite characters returning from the original game such as Paul, Nina, Law, King and Yoshimitsu. They’ve had a bit of a face-lift, but they’re still recognisable as the same cool characters from the original game. Unfortunately, as I’ve practically missed out on Tekken 2, I’m a little unsure of who are the all new characters and who is returning from the previous game. From what I can tell, Hwoarang, Eddie, Lei and Xiaoyu are all new to this game (no need to correct me if I’m wrong) – and great characters they are too. There’s a nice mixture of karate guys, cops, schoolgirls and break-dancers (fascinating) that are just as interesting as the returning characters. Oh, there was also a panda and a guy made out of wood … perhaps I unlocked some secret characters or something but it was just weird fighting them in the game. Unlike other fighting games, I was drawn to using these new characters first (apart from the panda and wooden guy) rather than trying the older characters I was familiar with. I have to say my favourite was Hwoarang (spelling?) who had an interesting range of kick attacks. Lei (the cop guy) is also a really cool character with some great moves and combinations.
One of the great things about this game is how easy it is to pull off the moves for each character. Despite not playing Tekken for a number of years, I found myself pulling off stylish combinations and moves even with the characters I’ve never used before. There are two kick buttons and two punch buttons in Tekken 3 that are used to execute the various attacks. Each character has a number of special moves too, which are relatively easy to pull off (and there’s instructions on the machine) unlike the special moves found in most 2D fighting games. They basically require a combination of punch and kick buttons (as well as the joystick) pressed in a certain order, however it’s very easy to find them out on your own.
There are also a number of cool throws that can be performed relatively easy. All you have to do is press two of the attack buttons (usually a punch and a kick) and your fighter will reach for the opponent to perform the throw. These look really impressive and the only problem you’ll encounter in executing them is actually getting close to the opponent.
Anyone can be made to look like an expert with this game, even if they’re a complete beginner. By simply pressing the buttons in different orders, you can pull off some impressive stuff. So yes, it is a “button basher”, but there’s a certain degree of skill required if you really want to master the game. You’ll find it relatively easy up until about the sixth fight when playing in single player mode, then you’ll require quite a bit of strategy to defeat your next few opponents. This works out great for an arcade game because you can really get to grips with the game before you get your arse kicked. If you’re a beginner and have never played a Tekken game before, you can still go a long way with 50p. With the first few fights being relatively easy, you’re given enough opportunity to learn a few techniques to get you through the later fights. As I’m much more used to the Virtua Fighter series, the game seems perhaps a little too simple, but it’s refreshing to be able to learn a few impressive moves and combinations without hours of practice.
It’s the two-player mode where the game really shines, though, and these can be great fun no matter how skilled you are. While I have no doubt that Tekken experts will be able to wipe the floor with any amateur player in seconds, the fact the game is easy to pick up means there’s always at least a chance of a win sooner or later. Well even someone as great as me at fighting games got my ass kicked from time to time. I have to say, though, I found the character “Eddie” (the break-dancing guy) a little “cheap”. By pressing different combinations of kick attacks, Eddie will use a form of break-dancing kung fu that means it’s almost impossible to get near him. The problem is most of these attacks go for your legs, so you constantly get knocked off your feet before going near him. This seems to be a major balance issue with the game and, every time an opponent chose Eddie, I groaned at the prospect of my forthcoming humiliating defeat.
The ease of control was actually helped with the use of the joystick – something I usually hate using with fighting games. When it comes to arcade gaming, I sometimes can struggle to pull of certain moves (especially super combos) on most 2D fighters – for that reason I prefer to use a joypad. However with Tekken 3 the joystick seemed perfect for the game and I found using it easier than using a joypad was for the original Tekken. I guess pads are better for 2D fighters and sticks for 3D fighters – but then that just might be what I’m used to.
Finally I guess we should take a “look” at the sound – because that’s so important in a noisy arcade. It’s good, I guess – well it doesn’t sound bad or anything. The announcer is particularly cool and Tekkeney, so I’m guessing it’s the same guy from the previous games. The sound effects seem the same as in the original too, but then it’d be a crime to change them. The music also sounds kind of average, nothing memorable at least, but the tracks have cool beats and help add to the overall atmosphere of the game. There’s no one thing I can really pick out about the sound – it’s the combination that makes Tekken sound so distinctive.
And that’s Tekken 3. It’s a really great game and really easy to get into. The graphics are quite average and it doesn’t really add anything new to the fighting game genre, but this shouldn’t matter when the game is fun to play. Get a jar full of 50p’s, a couple of friends and get yourself down to an arcade (if you can find one with a Tekken 3 machine) because, well, it’s great fun.
The end.
