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Tekken 4
PS2 Review by: Kazooie

As a long time Tekken fan, I was bound and determined to get Tekken 4 and nobody could convince not to. So when it was released a week ago, I bought it. Now here's my review.

It's definitely not Tekken as usual. Sure, the controls are the same, but in fights, one thing you'll realize real fast is that Tekken 4 controls a little looser. For example, you may find yourself trying to do one move and your character does another. Such is the case with your basic punch. If the opponent is too close, your character will simply does a grapple move instead. One thing I do like however is the reversal moves. Suppose that your opponent has you against the wall. Well, a simple reversal move and suddenly you have the upper hand. Your character grabs the opponent and switches places with him.

Tekken 4 takes place 20 years after Tekken 3, which means that this Tekken is totally redone virtually from the ground up. You'll soon realize that some of you're favorites are no longer here. Like Forrest Law (Tekken 3, Tekken Tag) is no longer here, instead, his father, Marshal Law (Tekken 1, Tekken 2), has replaced him. Pretty much everyone that you know and love is either gone or you have to unlock them.

As we all know, Tekken has always been known for its side games from Galaga (Tekken 1) to bowling (Tekken 3). Well, Tekken 4 offers a revamped form of Tekken Force (which was originally shown in Tekken 3). Tekken Force can be compared with Fighting Force or The Bouncer for the PS2. Simply enter Tekken Force, grab your favorite fighter, and take on the Tekken Force. In Tekken Force, your goal is to defeat as many opponents as you can in a given amount of time. The amount of time you have will increase as you defeat more opponents. These opponents far too often like to gang up of you or sneak behind your back. They're not too hard (given they're low health), but very annoying at some points. At the end of each level is a boss (another Tekken character) to defeat. There are four Tekken force levels in all; beat them all and you'll unlock the Dojo stage. One nice thing about the updated Tekken Force is that you can change targets. So if you find that you are still stick on one target that you just got done beating up (which happens far too often) and can just press the L1 or R1 buttons to move onto a different target. However, one thing they didn't change is the rest of the controls. Tekken Force uses the same control style as the rest of Tekken. Just remember the up makes you jump, not move your character up a hallway. Right is to advance and left is to go back.

And, as with every Tekken, there are things to unlock such as new players, new stages and new modes. In Tekken 4, there are a wealth of new fighters, at least one new stage (the dojo) and at least one new mode (theater mode).

* Theater: watch a characters intro and exit FMV. Also listen to music and view the game demos. Unlock this mode by beating Story Battle or Arcade once.

Well, no denying, Tekken 4 has some great graphics even compared to Tekken Tag Tournament (and that's saying a lot). The stages are beautifully designed and are in full 3D. You may remember that in Tekken 3 and Tag, the stages for the most part were in 3D arenas but had a 2D background. As you are fighting, the camera is no longer just stuck in one position but it freely moves estimating the best angle for you. Another thing I appreciate is the environment. This time, you fight in actual settings rather then closed off arenas kind of like in Dead or Alive 2 or 3.

But my major gripe is with the character designs. Tekken 4 is taking place 20 years after Tekken 3 (the game in which Tekken Tag is a mod of). So, you would think that some of the characters would look stronger and more buffed then ever right? Yeah, that's what I thought too, and I was dead wrong. It seems that over the past 20 years, some of the characters really let themselves slip. It seems that the main theme is that after loosing in the King of Iron Fists Tournament 3 (Tekken 3) some fell into a drunken stupor. And, as a result, most of the characters we know and love have become hippies. For example, Paul, always know for looking butch with that free standing, cylinder looking hairdo is now just looks like some plain clothed bum off the street with shoulder length hair. And in the case of Yoshmitsu, he sports a completely new design with wings like a grasshopper and the head of a skeleton and looks even more deadly then ever.

Tekken 4 has some great sounds and background music. If you've played previous Tekken installments, you pretty much know what to expect here. It also has a jukebox so you can listen to all your favorite Tekken 4 tunes.

I really think that if Namco were to have put the tag feature into Tekken 4, the replay value would increase. But since they didn't, it's just your run-of-the-mill, average fighting game. In fact, Tekken fans might find themselves going back to Tekken Tag Tournament after completing this one.

Tekken 4 is a good fighting game but as I said, Tekken fans might find themselves going back to Tekken Tag after this one. But, Tekken fans can also find comfort in the fact the Heihachi poses a challenge this time around. Although, it might not be that he's better, it could just be the sumo wrestler getup he's sporting. Tekken 4 is a good game in many ways, but still not as good as some of the past. I give Tekken 4 for the PS2 an 8/10
8/10