Tekken 5

Tekken 4 was such a letdown that Namco really needed to nail it with Tekken 5. Well, they certainly did that as this is one of, if not my favorite fighting game on the PlayStation 2. This for me is one of those rare occasions where the home version of the game is actually better than what its arcade big brother offered.

The Real King of the Iron Fist

What really grabs you about this game is just how much it “feels” like Tekken. There was something very off and strange about Tekken 4 and thankfully rather than building upon that, Namco went back to what the original trilogy (and to an extent Tekken Tag) so special with Tekken 5. The game plays just like classic Tekken and that is a good thing.

Tekken is the kind of game that anyone can jump in, play, and have fun with. It can in many ways be a button masher kind of game. yet there is a real level of skill involved here that if you are willing to put the time into learning makes the game even more fun, especially when playing against another skilled player.

You’re The Best Around

Tekken 5 hands down is the best-looking fighting game on the PlayStation 2! This is a series that has always been known for its high-quality presentation and this game takes it to a whole new level. Never have your favorite characters looked so detailed! I notice it especially in the face and the facial animations! The stages look great too and they are not as over the top with explosions like the arcade version was which I am thankful for. The soundtrack is very fitting and rocks! I love most of the songs here and the voice acting is also very well done. It is all tied together with these awesome CG scenes that are not only very well done, many will also give you a chuckle too.

So Much Fighting!

There is no shortage of game modes on offer here. You have your main arcade mode where you can pick your character, beat a bunch of characters, and then the final boss to get the ending. There is also time attack, vs and a new beat-em-up mode called The Devil Within which I thought was a whole lot of fun and very addictive. Tekken 5 also has a bunch of stuff that you can collect so you can customize your characters. I will admit this is not something for me as when I play as Paul I want to play as Paul and be just the way he looks, but you can get all kinds of weird stuff for your characters if you like.

Three Of The Best

As you can tell, I love what this game offers, but if you are a hardcore Tekken fan this game has the best extra content imaginable. You get the arcade versions of Tekken 1, 2, and 3 thrown in with this game! They are all on the same disc so you have a fantastic collection of fighting games here.

Pros:

• The fighting action is a ton of fun
• It feels like classic Tekken
• Over 30 characters to play as
• The game looks and sounds amazing
• It features the first three Tekken games on the same disc

Cons:

• The customization aspect is not for me
• The series never quite reached these highs again for me

Fighting humans, demons and human-demon hybrids, the martial arts world has let mysticism into its ranks and is now paying the price for generations, that's the way of warriors in the fighting game - Tekken 5. Fight the best of the best and win the right to own the family organization in the new installment of the famous fighting game.

Family Trouble

The Mishima clan's family squabbles have interfered with the peaceful lives of everyone in the city for several installments of Tekken. This time, right after the events of part four, Kazuya and Heihachi are attacked by G Corporation robots. Heihachi explodes along with the family temple and frees another relative. who can cause trouble for the whole family and the world. Jimpati Mishima awakens from his long sleep and immediately becomes the head of the family organization. The old man holds a tournament, the reward for winning which will be the very same family business, the Mishima Zaibatsu.

Distant Evil Relative

Thirty-two characters will try to subdue an evil grandfather who carries the demon gene within him. Jimpati himself will be the main boss of this whole mess, so victory seems farther away than anyone in the tournament imagined. Among the familiar faces from past installments we can see new heroes:

• Asuka Kazama
• Jin (Demon)
• Raven
• Roger Jr
• Feng Wei
• Jimpati Mishima is in charge of the hustle

Not only the fighters are new, but also the character improvement system. In-game currency is now given for battles. In the store you can buy accessories that will improve the fighting skills of your ward.

Who doesn't love a good and tough fighting game? Tekken 5 is the fifth entry in the Tekken series, one of the most popular and beloved fighting game franchises. As you probably know already, fighting games fans are hardcore about their preferences. There are big tournaments where people make big money every year, and Tekken is always among the main events.

Released in 2004, Tekken 5 was the last Tekken game to be released for the PlayStation 2 after Tekken Tag Tournament and Tekken 4. So, what does the fifth entry in the series have for us?

About the game

The plot of Tekken 5 revolves around the Mishima family and its curse. While the storyline in the previous Tekken games was more of an extra element, here it is much more complete. Not only they added cinematics, but also complementary texts that complete the story. Sure, the game goes on as a tournament just like it always has, but now it's more plot-heavy than ever before.

But of course, as any fighting game that's worth mentioning, it includes other game modes. There's the arcade mode, the free-fight mode, and the completely new Devil Within mode. In the latter one we play as Jin and we'll have to fight hordes of robots as we proceed through the levels. Unlike the Tekken Force mode in Tekken 3 and Tekken 4, here we can't choose the character, as this mode has a storyline.

A step forward

This was really the first time in a Tekken game where the story is important. A well-developed story with cinematics and complementary text adds up to all the amazing fighting. Similar to how the narrative takes place in other fighting games like Dead or Alive, the story plays an important role.

However, due to the short time between Tekken 4 and Tekken 5, there aren't many new characters included. But they did change the level style, making the movement and rotation more solid and flattening them up. But don't worry, it is not limiting or annoying, in fact, it kinda makes fights feel more focused and intense.

Review

Tekken 5 is still, to this date, one of the best Tekken games in the series. There are tons of extra modes to flavor up the fights. The hitboxes are excellent, and balance is great, it makes fights feel fair and real. It's a tough experience, great not only for fans of fighting games but also for any newcomer to the series. It's an excellent way for the series to wave goodbye to the PS2, and hello to the next generation of consoles.

• Graphics and visuals: The game looks amazing, the character design is great and the models look beautiful. Even the levels are highly detailed and good looking, and the visual effects from the fights look excellent. The animations are fluid and realistic.

• Gameplay: The Tekken gameplay is one of the best in the fighting game scene, and this is still true in Tekken 5. The controls are excellent, you'll have to train to master them though. There's a perfect character for everybody, and you have where to choose from.

• Sound: The soundtrack in Tekken 5 is excellent, filled with action and fitting themes. The voice acting is also great, and the sound effects in the middle of the fights are super cool.