Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection released for the PS3 as an exclusive digital title on the PlayStation Network. It didn't feel like a "home release" as much as the PSP version did ( Tekken: Dark Resurrection) because the PS3 version lacked endings, Story Mode, Survival Mode, Team Battle, and Practice Mode. Tekken 5: DR Online remedies a few of the missing 1-player modes by adding in Survival Mode, and the ultra-important Practice Mode. Unfortunately, there is still no story mode or character endings in the PS3 version, so you'll have to go back to TEKKEN: Dark Resurrection on PSP to enjoy all those goodies. It's worth it to own both games, actually!

So, how is the first official online-enabled Tekken? Well, that all depends on your connection (and whom you play against)... simply put, if you don't have access to a top notch connection, you can pretty much forget about playing Tekken Online. I use a wired FIOS connection, and while imperfect, it definitely feels solid against certain players. So for this review, feel free to insert the phrase "when there is NO lag" after every positive thing I say about this game.


Tekken 5: DR Online has a variety of online features, including: Rankings, battle lobbies, headset support, and in-match spectating. You can either create a room (up to 8 people) or join a lobby, where you wait in line to play the winner. It's similar to "putting your quarter up" at an arcade machine, winner stays, loser pays... old school. Or 2005-ish if you were frequent to arcades to play TEKKEN 5, like I was.
 
 

 

Online match options include Pick-up Match, Opti Match, Quick Match, Custom Match and Friend Match; a good variety of ways to find challengers. You can of course see which of your friends are currently playing Tekken 5: DR Online via your PS3 friends list, and you can receive invitations to play as long as your profile is "online". Even if your playing another game on your PS3, as long as you're signed in to PSN, you can still receive invitations to play Tekken... pretty cool. The head-set support in this game is also an enjoyable feature, allowing for some funny (and sometimes not so funny) live commentary and/or trash talking. However, choosing to create a room with headset support will increase your chances of lag, so I usually play without it... I prefer not talking while playing anyway.

 

 

T5: DR Online is a mixed bag as far as stability goes.... Sometimes it's smooth enough to play, other times (most of the time) it lags significantly. Lag is definitely the biggest issue with Tekken 5: DR Online and once again greatly depends on who you play against & their connection, as well as your own. Unfortunately, there's no way to tell who will lag before a match, but if you do notice someone is lagging more than usual; you can easily kick them out of your room before wasting your time. 


When sudden lag appears during random fights (and it will), expect to mistakenly drop your opponent after a launcher, and mess up your air combos that you usually hit 100% of the time. Missing a combo of course can change the pace of the fight, and needless to say you can very well lose the match because of lag. It comes down to who can adapt and play well with a little bit of lag... and who can't. With that said, the "Online Rankings" shouldn't really be taken too seriously, but there is some truth to the ranks. If you go up against one of the higher ranks, there's a 99% chance they know what they're doing and you're going up against a skilled opponent who knows high-damage combos & high-level strategies.

Players are rewarded with and judged solely by "battle points," which are earned for defeating opponents close to their rank or above. Players are given little to no points for beating a much lower rank. It's a simple yet fair ranking system, and thankfully, Namco seems to have fixed some of the annoying disconnect glitches. Before they patched it, disconnecting during a match for any reason (for instance your power or internet connection goes out), you will be penalized and lose battle points. You only get one warning, and after any future disconnect, you can say goodbye to "1000" of your hard earned battle points (equivalent to winning 7-10 ranked matches). This "penalty" for disconnecting is obviously in place to remedy those "rage quitters" who might disconnect during a battle on purpose to save themselves from a loss... and it seems to work properly at least. "Disconnects" also show on each player's profile, which you can always take a look at before deciding to fight someone. Handy. ;)

 

 

Overall, Tekken Online is about the fun of being able to play a live opponent at pretty much any time. Unlike some people, I don't whine about the lag issues so much because I appreciate the heart of the game and what it provides. I've had a ton of great matches online, and have also learned quite a lot; including more advanced combos for several characters and character tactics... no doubt this game can improve your Tekken skills if you don't know a lot of skilled players in real life. 


Tekken Online also gives "newbs" the ability to experience what a real Tekken battle if they've never had one, and exposes many different playing styles all without having to step foot inside an arcade to meet skilled players. With the ability to watch a live match between two skilled players, novices and mediocre players are sure to see a lot of moves, combos, and strategies that they have never seen or perhaps never even thought of... thus, pick up a few tips from the pros! And remember, you're never too good to learn new combos. This "learning experience" will surely hold true for other next-gen online fighting games coming out in the future.

 

Page Updated: July 13th, 2021 Developer(s): Bandai Namco Publisher(s): Namco Platform(s): PlayStation 3  (PSN) Release Date(s): Aug. 1st, 2007        Aug. 30th, 2007      Nov. 8th, 2007         Characters:  Asuka Kazama, Feng Wei, Raven, Dragunov, Lili, Bruce, Anna, Jin Kazama, Lee Chaolan, Ling Xiaoyu, Bryan Fury, Nina Williams, Paul Phoenix, Yoshimitsu, Steve Fox, Craig Marduk, Christie Monteiro, Eddy, Hwoarang, Kazuya Mishima, King, Marshall Law, Julia Chang, Jack-5, Lei Wulong, Armor King, Roger Jr., Wang, Baek, Ganryu, Devil Jin, Mokujin, Kuma, Panda, Heihachi, Jinpachi TFG Links:  (NEWS: July 2021): Fighters Gen Podcast Episode 5 - TEKKEN-OLOGY Featured Video: Related Games: Tekken 5, Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection, Tekken: Dark Resurrection, Tekken, Tekken 2, Tekken 3, Tekken Tag Tournament, Tekken 4, Tekken 6, Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Tekken 7, Tekken 7: Fated Retribution, Tekken Hybrid, Tekken 3D: Prime Edition, Tekken Advance, Tekken Revolution, Street Fighter X Tekken, Dead or Alive 4, Street Fighter 4    Gameplay Engine  9.5 / 10 Story / Theme  9.0 / 10 Overall Graphics  9.0 / 10 Animation  9.5 / 10 Music / Sound Effects  10 / 10 Innovation  8.0 / 10 Art Direction  8.5 / 10 Customization  8.5 / 10 Options / Extras  7.5 / 10 Intro / Presentation  7.0 / 10 Replayability / Fun  9.0 / 10 "Ouch" Factor  10 / 10 Characters  10 / 10 BOTTOM LINE  8.5 / 10      Final Words: I had a lot of fun with TEKKEN 5: DR HD Online. I played this game religiously until TEKKEN 6 released in America in 2009. (It was a long wait for that game!) For its time... T5DR Online was actually great, and revolutionary in some ways as one of the "first" major 3D fighting games to feature online. I had many great matches against online opponents, and local friends as well. As far as online goes, it was rough 50% of the time... and you needed a wired FIOS connection (which I had) to have playable matches regularly. Lag issues aside, I appreciate the fact that one of my all time favorite fighting game franchises has finally gone online! Why is Tekken 5: DR still one of my favorite games? Maybe because there's 35 or so different ways to play it... not counting the different ways you can play each character of course. The dynamic characters are still so much fun to use, and now with Online, players can study and learn from each other's playing styles. This is a huge breakthrough for TEKKEN, in particular! Even with imperfect / laggy connections... you can still learn from other Tekken players around the world that otherwise you may never have been able to play against. Glass half full. Try it. Once you find some players that you get a good connection with, it's great fun! When you mess up your air combos, lose rank points for disconnects out of your control, and have to change your play-style because of unstable lag... it's not-so-fun. Welcome to online fighting games. (Not many others are doing it in 2007.) To elaborate on my 8.5 score... I was hoping for a few more extras from this "add-on" to the home version of T5: DR HD. The additional artworks were nice, but ending movies would've been better. The game's practice mode isn't bad (although it could use more features), and sadly, the cool practice stages from the PSP version didn't make the cut to PS3. I was also hoping for Namco to "fix" a few of the stages visually - as a few have a lower resolution and appear "blurry". I even had my hopes up for the updated intro, as seen in the PSP version; but unfortunately it's still the (shorter) arcade version, with the new "Online" logo added. New customization items or costumes wouldn't have hurt either...  Thankfully, and as expected, Namco didn't make any "fatal" mistakes with the first TEKKEN Online... and I do appreciate the many fundamental things that they actually did right. For example: NO Jinpachi in Online Mode (God no), character change at continue (just the way I like it), solid 8-player battle lobbies, the ability to kick laggy players out of your room, and the relaxing music while waiting in a battle room. The entire T5:DR ost is still great. Namco also added subtle improvements in their downloadable update (4-17-2008) by adding a "sound and vibration" if you're using a DualShock 3 when someone enters your battle room! That way you're notified when they enter and don't leave them waiting because you took your eyes off the screen. Smart. I got so much practice at the arcade since 2005 with TEKKEN 5... so naturally I had a bit of an edge when fighting against most opponents. That said, it was a proud day when I earned TOP 10 and Tekken Lord rank (circa Nov. 2007) rank. Have a look in the gallery below for some screens of my rankings and win/loss stats. In closing, DR Online paved the way for future online modes in TEKKEN sequels, all which saw great improvements. ~TFG Webmaster | @Fighters_Gen    HD WALLPAPERS / RANKINGS Click here for all HD wallpapers!                                                                      Click here for all character artwork!