..
.
...
.
Profile
General: Tekken... One of the best, and in many opinions, the most fun hand-to-hand 3D fighting game there is... In Summer 2006, the first true handheld version of Tekken exploded onto Sony's PSP (which was much in need of more fighting games), and luckily for us 'Tekken Fanatics', just so happens to be the latest version Tekken, recently released in American arcades as Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection!
Namco tossed the "5" out of the title for the handheld version, most likely to distinguish the two versions, and dubs it Tekken: Dark Resurrection... PSP's first rock solid 3D fighter includes every character from Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection, and kicks your ass with a presentation you could only expect from Namco. Tekken + 5 + DR + PSP = A new psp exclusive intro, all the general modes from previous Tekken installments, a new "Tekken Dojo" mode, more character customization items and options than before, probably the best Tekken soundtrack to date (along with a cool BGM player, complete with a dancing bear), downloadable ghost fighters from human players all over the world, a theater mode where you can watch character endings / stories, and entertaining mini games like Gold Rush and Tekken Bowling (back from Tekken Tag).
Tekken: DR simultantiously wins the titles, "best psp fighting game" & "best handheld fighting game to date," and to date, is one of the best 3D fighters you can play on any system. Tekken: DR is also one of the best looking games on PSP... Geez Namco, quit making me brag about your damn games. Shit... I can't help it. Just take a glance at Tekken on the PSP... Best PSP graphics to date. Character models "shine," and really do look almost as good as their Tekken 5 PS2 counterparts, only lacking a few minor details and polygons. And to praise this stupid silly game just a bit more, the character's faces seem to have translated almost perfectly from the arcade version, not to forget the nifty facial expressions. All the stages are also incredible eye candy (especially for a handheld), although the textures are a much lower resolution than in the arcade version; but that's to be expected. However, how Tekken really looks to the human eye, as always, depends on who's playing... Of course.
<Insert = Smartass Webmaster Rant..>
You see
kids, when two random button mashers start playing Tekken: DR, you'll
usually be subject to witness a lot of ridiculous jumping around,
overused
crouching jabs and kicks, and probably a few jumping ground punches from
the likes of Tekken or
Tekken
2, ... For some reason, Namco hasn't taken out some of the older and
"less cool looking" Tekken moves from previous games. I honestly think
Namco keeps those silly moves in the game just to make the "newbs" look
silly, and if it's not done on purpose, it's obviously clear in the first
5 seconds of a match who the non-Tekken players are. Besides a few
cool moves that are easy to pull off, all together, you'll see really pathetic
"linear" action when watching to beginners play. Don't forget, some
folks haven't even learned how to sidestep yet... But don't worry, Namco
has you covered. 
Just for the Non-Tekken experts, Namco presents a Tekken for dummies-esk Tutorial mode which explains basic 'Tekken' movement, commands, Aaand... take a deep breath Tekken noobs..... "It teaches you how to block." Tekken: DR is your new Tekken Guru, or something to that effect. Aside from the tutorial mode, the PSP version of Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection can actually improve your game if you're just starting out. Even the computer AI characters combo you "correctly" (for the first time ever) which is also a good way to learn combos / AKA... How to play the game. Thanks Namco, this may help minimize the button mashers of the world.
The Tekken 5 series somewhat made it easy for beginners to pull of some decent and cool looking moves quite simply by moderately button mashing, since Namco is constantly adjusting the move commands in Tekken to feel more natural and comfortable when playing the character. After watching even mediocre players playing Tekken, it would be easy for someone to say "Tekken always looks the same." Little do they know, they might draw a completely different opinion if they watched two highly skilled players go at it. There's just no comparison when it comes to the action, and makes for a totally different visual experience. Thus, Tekken is what you make it, like most quality fighting games...
</Insert>
The all-important controls were of course on Namco's mind when making this game, and thankfully they are close to arcade perfect. I'd say the biggest drawback that the handheld version has, is that the sidestep game is quite a bit stiffer because of the control layout. Many Tekken players use a "sliding" sidestep technique in Tekken 5, which doesn't quite work the same on this version. Of course using an arcade stick or PS2 controller for Tekken is leauges better... but the PSP version is a suitable substitute when on the road, and a great way to practice your combos and timing at the very least. Diagonals are hard to find on some PSPs, but if you picked up Namco's "alternate d-pad" that fits on top of the default PSP d-pad, diagonals should no longer give you much trouble at all. If you ever thought PSP's d-pad was stiff in general, I definitely recommend the alternate d-pad... Sure, some moves are "a tad" tougher to pull of on PSP than a PS2 controller or arcade stick, but it's no big deal in the end... There's PLENTY of other moves you can get off consistently.
Once you step over the learning curve of the PSP contols, it plays exactly like Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection... Tekken 5's bugs and balance issues have been taken care of, and new combos and moves are waiting to be learned. The game runs at a perfect 60 fps, with cutscenes running at 30 fps (and still looking quite good). Replays are still 60 fps, and bring the pain, looking as good as you'd expect. The only gripe I have is that the camera angle during the cutscenes in between rounds (where both characters are usually seen), has been somewhat altered so that you can only see the losing character... and maybe almost half of the winner (if you're lucky). Kind of a shame, since characters have been given new animations for winning the round in Tekken 5: DR. But since those cut-scenes are usually skipped during an intense battle anyway, it's a gripe that I'll soon forget about. The only other things that are "imperfect" are that characters don't open and close their hands as smoothly as they used to, and when looking at a character model really close, you can see some strange black dots appear between the polygons... Bah, not a big deal.
Let's see,
OTHER
things that make the game great!? Well for one, Namco went the extra mile
and offers an innovative new feature, portable "ghost creation,"
where players can train characters that pretty much mimic your combos when
fighting against other human opponents... No, it doesn't really substitute
a human opponent at the end of the day, but this is the closest way currently
possible to "fight against yourself" in Tekken.
You can have any of your friends fight against your ghost, which will perform
the combos and moves that you most commonly use. Thankfully, the computer
AI has improved MUCH over Tekken 5, and many of the higher
ranked ghost characters will actually combo you quite well, and even low
parry you... Which is something Tekken 5's AI left out, as if combos and
low parries aren't even in the game. The computer AI still isn't perfect,
which means the ghosts you and your friends create will also suffer from
"getting up too fast" and "doing easy to read get-up kicks" among other
things highly skilled players can see to easily destroy the AI... In any
case, the ghost system is still entertaining, and a clever feature for
a portable fighting game. 
...And if that's not enough, yes Tekken Bowl is back!!! So fun.
Manufacturer: Namco
Platforms: PSP
Year: July 25,
2006
Characters:
Devil
Jin, Asuka Kazama, Feng
Wei, Raven,
Kuma,
Panda,
Bruce,
Anna,
Jin
Kazama, Eddy, Lee
Chaolan, Ling Xiaoyu, Bryan
Fury, Nina Williams, Paul
Phoenix, Yoshimitsu,
Steve
Fox, Craig Marduk, Christie
Monteiro, Hwoarang,
Kazuya
Mishima, King,
Marshall
Law, Julia Chang, Jack,
Lei
Wulong, Armor King, Roger
Jr., Wang,
Baek,
Ganryu,
Mokujin,
Heihachi,
Jinpachi,
Dragunov,
Lili
Related Games:
Tekken,
Tekken
2,
Tekken 3, Tekken
Advance, Tekken Tag Tournament, Tekken
4, Tekken 5, Tekken
5: Dark Resurrection, Tekken 5: Dark
Resurrection Online, Tekken 6, Tekken
6: Bloodline Rebellion
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Closing Comment:
Tekken on the PSP has a bit of a learning curve due to the controls, but
it's definitely worth your time getting used to! For any Tekken fan, the
only handheld version of Tekken worth playing is definitely a must
have... And no, I'm not talking about Tekken
Advance... Let's just never bring that up again... 
Once you pop this UMD into your PSP, there's eye candy in every corner
of your screen, until you turn off your system of course. The menus are
slick, and the diversity of the modes can keep you busy for a long while.
It seems Namco gives you every reason to make you want to play this game...
And if you're a Tekken beginner, this is a great place to start!
~F.Yagami,
Webmaster
of TFG
.
.
.
.
.
..
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.