Tekken 2 Review - More than a sequel... one in a million

Release(s):

March 26, 1996 (Japan)
August 27, 1996 (North America)
October, 1996 (North America)

Platform(s): Arcade, PlayStation 
Genre(s): Fighting
Developer(s): Namco
Publisher(s): 

Namco (Worldwide)
Sony Computer Entertainment (Europe)

Player(s): 1-2




Overview

Even though the first Tekken game is dated by quite a bit, it was still a great and revolutionary game when it first came out with it's console version being the first Playstation game to ever sell over a million units. The next logical step would be a sequel to refine what worked with the game and fix what didn't.... that sequel came just months after the first game took arcades by a storm. How much can Namco accomplish in that time span? Let's find out.

Gameplay

Tekken 2 returns with the innovative 3D combat system from the first one so just about every mechanic you can think of is here... but don't think Namco just adds in new moves and characters then calls it a day. This game does a lot to improve the solid foundation that the first game had created whatnot with every character having a powerful and inescapable back throw, a counter system that allows you to escape grabs or tackles (a feature that was experimented with in the first game but never fully implemented) by pressing the left or right punch button at the right time, the ability to roll to the side while laying on the ground, and more diverse fighting styles meaning hidden characters are no longer derivative of the starting characters. The controls are much tighter here than the somewhat stiff controls in the first game and running actually has a purpose in battle as you can either bum rush them, stomp on them when they're laying on the ground, do a jump kick, or with the right timing... tackle them to the ground to lay on the beatdown. 

The gameplay still has some issues though... the jumping mechanics are still awkward and the AI's been beefed up significantly. While the first game's AI difficult curve is mostly adjustable (unless you fought Heihachi), Tekken 2's is downright unforgiving to newcomers. 

I ain't playing, this game.. WILL.. OWN.. YOUR.. BUTTHOLE!!! It would input complex button combinations at a rate and consistency that's seemingly impossible for a human player, they guard just about any attack you throw at them, will punish you for any mistake (if possible), and grabs or tackles... don't even consider them as a strategy. They'll counter them all the time and it just gets worse as you progress... but even with that Tekken 2's combat is still a lot more enjoyable than the first game's for the reasons I gave earlier so you'll naturally have the incentive to improve.

Content

All the game modes from the first game have returned but Tekken 2 adds more meat to the bones. Arcade mode still has you select a character then fight 7 of the starting characters then a sub-boss that will depending on the character you play as (which will be unlocked after completing Arcade mode) and the final boss... this time it isn't Heihachi Mishima it's Kazuya Mishima then Devil. After completing Arcade mode you won't be given a record on fast you completed it but you still get treated with an ending for the character you've completed it with even the hidden characters have endings of their own. Kazuya and Roger/Alex do require a special condition to unlock them... the latter you have to beat stage 3 by getting a great (winning a round with 5% health or less) at the last round and the former you will have to unlock all the hidden characters besides him then complete Arcade mode with one of the hidden characters without getting a continue. That's a little better than the first game's method with Heihachi and Devil Kazuya but still more work than necessary.

Tekken 2 also introduces a bunch of game modes that will become staples of the series such as Team Battle mode where you can select up to 8 different characters and either fight against another player or the computer. You still fight one-on-one as always but if you defeat your opponent the current character you're playing as will recover health and if you lose you will play as the next character you have selected.

There is a Time Attack mode which functions just like the Arcade mode except the only thing you have to worry is completing it at the fastest time possible to set a new record and the difficulty setting you have in the options menu doesn't effect it so it's medium by default. One problem I have with this mode is you can't pause it during gameplay so you have to play through it constantly.

There's also a Survival mode where you select a character with only one health gauge which recover after each match and you take down as many opponents as possible without losing for the possibly of setting a new record. It's difficulty is also fixed like the Time Attack mode and unfortunately it carries the same problem of not being able to pause during gameplay.

Last and not least, Tekken 2 adds in a Practice mode which would be rather archaic by today's standards where fighting games practically teach you how they design the game but I'd imagine it being somewhat impressive at the time when practice modes were uncommon. You set the attack data to display total amount of hits you did in a recent combo and a damage ratio to maximize damage. You can also set your initial attacks to count as counter attacks all the time and you can practice combo moves/strings either through reading them from the command list found in the Pause mode (which is in all game modes... thank god) or key displays including the infamous 10-hit combos. You can even replay combo though it's ruined by the fact you can't manually set the recorder to start or replay the record at any time... the game sets the recorder automatically. This mode also demands constant attention as it will send you back to the main menu if you remain idle for too long (damn, what a selfish game!).

Graphics

The character models have been smoothed out and refined considerably from the blocky ones at the first game had plus the animation is even more realistic. The static 2D backgrounds on stages still clash with the rest of the game's graphics though not nearly as much as the first game. Speaking of stages... each character now has a stage unique to themselves right from the ambient Japanese bamboo forest for the mysterious samurai-ninja Yoshimitsu, the desert for the Native American Michelle Change, or the room filled with dark for the final bosses Kazuya and Devil.

Sound

The voice clips for Tekken 2 are recycled from the first game but this time none of the characters other than Armor King, P. Jack, and Kuma share the same voices with other characters and the badass announcer is even more badass. Musically, Tekken 2 is a major step-up from the first game. All the tracks are memorial and are completely atmospheric to every stage (and characters they represent). It's even remixed for the Playstation version... of course, the same can be said for the first game but here they really went the extra mile and... the music for the port is just amazing. It makes you wanna go back to the older times and the sub-boss characters even have their theme even though they're just the tracks reused from the first game, but it's still better than them sharing the same song.

Aesthetics

The story of Tekken 2 takes place 2 years after the story of the first game and the plot thickens. Kazuya had gotten his revenge on his father but as a surprising twist instead of righting the wrongs of Heihachi, he not only continues the corrupt ways of the Mishima Zaibatsu but he takes the evil acts to even greater extremes as he let his hate consume him and the Devil is feeding off from it. Because of his various illegal actions (drug-dealing, smuggling endangered animals, assassination, etc.) several fighters have entered the 2nd King of Iron Fist Tournament to beat him for one reason or another with some new faces to boot, including Heihachi who shockingy survived and wants to reclaim his throne. The best part about all this is the FMV cutscenes aren't nearly as uncanny as in the first game... for the most parts.

Also, just like the first game many of the moves are based on real-life fighting moves giving it a more grounded feel to it than other fighting games, even though it's still clearly exaggerated since most of the fighters are superhuman.

Overall 

Tekken 2 does things in less a year that other game sequels don't in few years or more.... it's a significant improvement from the game that proceeded in almost every way resulting in even greater commercial and critical success. It's also a prime example of an arcade port done right so with that... this game may actually be worthwhile to have in your collection even if you play or own the later Tekken games.

Overall, I give Tekken 2 an 8.9 out of 10

Tekken Review - Enter the Tekken!!

Release(s):

March 31, 1995 (Japan)
November 7, 1995 (Europe)
November 8, 1995 (North America)

Platform(s): Arcade, PlayStation 
Genre(s): Fighting
Developer(s): Namco
Publisher(s): 

Namco (Worldwide)
Sony Computer Entertainment (Europe)

Player(s): 1-2

Overview

For those who don't know I love Tekken... in fact, it's my favorite fighting game franchise of all-time and in anticipation of Tekken 7: Fated Retribution coming on home consoles/PC, I've decided to look back on the whole series beginning with the very game that started it all.

In the 90's, arcades were sweeping the nation with fighting games being one of the most predominant genres. 3D graphics were also starting to emerge at that point so naturally fighting games followed suite and while Virtua Fighter was the one that pioneered 3D fighting games, Tekken was certain the one that put it on the map. The one thing that really matters here is does the first game still hold up in spite of it's legacy.



Gameplay

Tekken plays similar to any other traditional fighting game. You have your crouches and jumps (which are done at ridiculous heights in the game for some reason), high/low blocking zones, and intricate button inputs for special moves but there quite a few diversions as well. One is instead of having your basic attacks determined by strength of the attack your attack buttons in Tekken are assigned to each limb allowing for greater combo intuition. Another is there's no special gauge meter of any sort so any super powerful attack can be pulled off at any time but there is no projectiles in Tekken which limits your ability of keeping opponents at bay. Lastly, there's a lot of combo moves and strings to memorize for each character which you would need to know in order to make the most of the game's combat... in fact, the series as a whole is very well known for it's huge library of complex button combinations notably the chain throws and 10-hit combos making it an extremely hard (yet satisfying) fighter to truly master (which is made even harder with no command list to look at) but there aren't as many to master with the first game as later on (naturally). Special moves are also done differently from tradition. In Street Fighter, the inputs for special moves reward accuracy and speed but in Tekken, it slows down the action for greater strategic play.

However, there are a few notable problems with the combat. For one the controls feel somewhat heavy especially when you're trying to run towards the opponent (run is useless btw) and another is the hidden characters play too similar to the starting characters. Granted the starting characters themselves are completely diverse and the Playstation version does remedy this issue by giving them some individual moves from Tekken 2 but this point still stands. You can say I'm spoiled by the later games which refined the formula but age certainly revealed a few flaws with this one in the gameplay department.

Content

This is a mid 90's fighting game so don't expect much in terms of game modes. You have an arcade mode where you select a character and fight 7 of the starting characters plus a sub-boss (who is one of the hidden characters) and the final boss who is the root of all evil, Heihachi Mishima. Another player can intercept at any point to take over and you can earn a new record based on how fast you complete it along with being treated with a character's ideal ending (starting characters only). Arcade mode is also where you unlock the hidden characters although the one you unlock depends on which character you complete it with except for the big bad Heihachi Mishima who is unlocked by playing through Arcade mode without any continues and Devil Kazuya who is unlocked by beating all 4 levels of the Galaga game which happens before the actual game boots up... but is it worth it?

There's also a 2 player mode which is the standard versus mode where you play against another player. You both select a character and set each other's handicaps before fighting on a random stage.

Graphics

Tekken is one of the first 3D fighting games and it really shows. The character models are very blocky and pixelated with the floor being done on 3D while the rest of the environments are clearly done with static 2D images giving it a rather ugly look even for it's time. However, it's not all bad... the characters are animated realistically in a way that makes you feel the attacks being landed and they all have animation that's actually representative to their unique fighting styles. The environments are also familiar as they're based on real-life locations... but you don't really get to choose any of them.

Sound

Aside from the (kickass) announcer, there isn't much voice acting in Tekken aside from the battle grunts characters make and I can't really knock that either (except a few voice clips are just plain bizarre notably with Marshall Law) but one thing that to complain about is that aside from Wang Jineri, all of the hidden characters' voice clips are blatantly recycled from the starting characters. The sound effects is great stuff though as it helps make you feel the pain of the attacks and the soundtrack is great stuff which can be said for the whole series... even though the music for this game is rather subdue in comparison, there's a lot of memorial tracks especially for those who enjoy 90's synthesized arcade music and they're quite fitting to the environments they represent.

Aesthetics

Even though there's technically no story mode in Tekken, the story it has is surprisingly involved for a fighting game. You have the basic international fighting tournament plot but Tekken has characters all with their own reasons for participating that you would actually care about. Kazuya MIshima wants revenge against his father Heihachi, Yoshimitsu wants to provide for the poor, Nina Williams sent to assassinate Heihachi Mishima, and Paul Phoenix wants to prove he's the strongest. Of course, you won't get all the details in-game but you'll get a gist of it from the endings... that is if the uncanny FMV facial animations don't haunt your dreams first.

Just like I said earlier the environments in Tekken are based on real-life ones and the same be applied to each character's fighting styles. Unlike something like Street Fighter which does base each character's fighting style on real-life martial arts but makes it super flashy and sorta does it's own, you'd notice the parallelism to real-life martial arts with Tekken almost instantly even if it's still exaggerated due to almost all of the characters actually being superhuman.

Overall

With all this does Tekken hold up by today's standards? No really... don't get me wrong, I won't deny Tekken is a very revolutionary and innovative game... in fact, it was noted as the "First Fighting Game to Feature Simulated 3D" but there's practically no reason to go back to this game after playing the others unless it's for nostalgia.

Overall, I give this game a 7 out of 10.