For 10 years now, the Tekken franchise has been among the best 3-D fighting games. The fifth installment of Tekken, often referred to as the King of Iron Fists Tournament 5, in many ways returns to its roots. Tekken 5 corrects many flaws that were in the ill-received Tekken 4 -- Eight-way side-stepping, elevated stages are all gone. In its place, Tekken 5 refines the formula from the first three games.
The gameplay in Tekken 5 can be described in one word: deep. Several modes of play already are unlocked from the start of the game. Tekken 5 includes two new modes: the Devil Within, starring one of the games protagonists, Jin, and the Customization mode, which as the name suggests allows you to customize your favorite character.
In the Story, Arcade and Devil Within modes, you can collect money from your fights, which in turn can be used to buy outfits and different items to customize your characters. The game boasts over 30 selectable characters, some of which have to be unlocked. Three new characters, Asuka, Raven and Feng, now compete against returning Tekken veterans such as King and Law. The battles are hard-hitting, fierce and nerve-wracking to say the least.
Unfortunately the character AI has not improved all that much. The computer still naturally falls for certain sets of moves.
But, Tekken 5 isn't a clone of its predecessors. This time around the difficulty is determined by the skill level of your opponent. There are 13 classes of opponents that range from Beginners, Masters, even Tekken Lords! After the end of each fight you are given the option of choosing one of three different level opponents for the next round.
I will say one thing about the final boss, and that is he is going to cause a lot of stress to newcomers and experienced players. Fortunately, this unnecessarily difficult boss is not a playable character -- if he were, I know many people who would quit playing Tekken.
To show the extensive overhaul of Tekken 5, Namco revamped the entire gaming engine. The game moves much faster than previous installments; the graphics engine is impressive beyond words. Some notable stages include the temple stage, which has heat effect pulsing as you battle. There is even an ice stage where penguins and seals move in the background.
Character details are more real than before. Long gone are the square joints and bodies -- in their place are extensively detailed character models which represent a human counterpart effortlessly, such as King's individual muscles or Panda and Kuma's fur.
You'll either love or hate the Tekken 5 soundtrack. Its style of music is inconsistent, and not many tracks are conducive to getting you pumped up to fight in the game. However, the music is not completely flawed: It is diverse to say the least. Some tracks are excellent, like the urban jungle stage with its deep bass. With good and bad tracks mixed together, Tekken 5 music really becomes hit or miss.
Tekken overall is a great game that any 3-D fighter fan should have in his or her library. Unfortunately, the last boss, predictable computer AI, and the music detract from the experience. Overall though, Tekken 5's deep game play and enhanced graphics engine allow for a promis-ing and fun time for any gamer.
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