Tekken Advance
(LAST UPDATE: 5/2/08)

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General: Based off of Tekken 3, Tekken Advance was the first portable version of Tekken, released only for the Gameboy Advance. Controls were simplified for the Gameboy's buttons layout... One button for punch, one for kick, one trigger for throw, and the other trigger for sidestep. The game included traditional 1 on 1 bouts, and also 3 on 3 tag battles.

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   The gameplay mechanics were obviously simplified for the GBA; and as a GBA game, it's not completely horrible. However, as a representation of Tekken, and as a fighting game in general, it's lacking to say the least. First off, many characters and moves were taken out of the game... Ouch. There are some decent combo possibilities, but they're done quite differently than in the arcade counterpart. With that said, this game doesn't really "feel" much like Tekken, contrary to what some mainstream reviewing sites said. IGN seems to think that Tekken 1 through 3 featured "2D gameplay with 3D graphics," so they said Tekken Advance wasn't really "that far off" ... *sigh*  Tekken 3 had 3D gameplay you noobs... I guess, like many other "gamers," they didn't learn how to sidestep in Tekken 3. Tisk tisk.

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   Graphically, there's not a whole lot going on... but considering the time, and for GBA standards, I suppose the graphics are, dare I say,  "good." You've got your flat 3D texture mapped rotating floor, cut & paste background image, and poorly animated 2D sprites which were ripped straight from the 3D character models in Tekken 3... Good? Yeeeeahh... That's pushing it. I'd say average at best, even for Gameboy Advance graphics. I think the GBA looks best when it uses clean cut 2D sprites, rather than attempting something that was originally made with 3D polygons. I can appreciate the effort in smoothing out the character sprites, but that doesn't mean it looks good... Or plays good for that matter.

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   So is this game trash, Frank? No, it's not trash. The sound is actually pretty decent for a handheld game, and the 3 on 3 tag mode is pretty cool... but I can't get past the fact that this is a "dumbed down" version of an epic game that is Tekken 3... And there's no forgiving that. Damn you Tekken Advance. Damn you to hell.

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Manufacturer: Namco
Platforms: Gameboy Advance
Release: December 2001 (Japan), January 2002 (US)
Characters: Jin Kazama, Forrest Law, Hwoarang, Eddy Gordo, Ling Xiaoyu, King, Nina, Paul, Yoshimitsu, Gun Jack, Heihachi
Related Games: Tekken, Tekken 2, Tekken 3, Tekken 4, Tekken Tag Tournament, Tekken 5, Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection, Tekken: Dark Resurrection, Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection Online, Tekken 6, Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion
 
Gameplay Engine 
5.5 / 10
Story / Theme
6 / 10
Overall Graphics
4.5 / 10
Animation
3.5 / 10
Music / Sound Effects
8.5 / 10
Innovation / Creativity
4 / 10
Customization / Options
 2.5 / 10
Intro / Presentation
2.5 / 10
Replayability / Fun
 3.5 / 10
"Ouch" Factor
5 / 10
Characters
7.5 / 10
Overall Score
4.5 / 10

Closing Comment: Tekken Advance... No, I didn't buy it. I played my friend's copy of the game, and gently put it down after a tear ran down my cheek... From laughing. Okay, so it's not that bad, but it's got this "cheap" feeling to it that I mildly despise. My closing statement is that, if you want to play Tekken; play it on a system that can handle it. Because playing this version of Tekken is like wasting your time... You're not getting any better at Tekken because the gameplay isn't true to the series. It's like going back and playing Street Fighter 2 on the original Game Boy. Now who would want to do that? ...Besides someone who wants a quick laugh. In closing, there really isn't a need for this version of Tekken... Especially now that there's a true portable version of Tekken (see Tekken: Dark Resurrection). ~F.Yagami, Webmaster of TFG
 

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