Tekken 2

Developer - Namco
Publisher - Sony
Players - 1-2
Extras - Memory card

The bit on the box

Nothing there but a bunch of screenshots.

Graphics

The graphics in Tekken 2 are so very very smooth. Each fighter has a jagged almost boxy look to them (not all rounded like the combatants in Soul Blade) but the frame rate is extremely high leading to some realistic looking animation which is a joy to watch. The light sourcing adds a polished look as the lighting around the fighting arenas relects off the characters (for instance the lighting from Lei Wulong's roof top arena with the light beaming up onto the underside of fighters). As for the arenas, they are not true 3D (a 3D floor put in front of a 2D backdrop) but this does not matter in the long run as they are very well drawn and the action is so thick and fast there is no time to sight see anyway (unless you don't want to live forever).

Sounds

The sounds are pretty much what you have come to expect from any fighting game on the playstation. A punch sounds like a punch, kicks sound like kicks, and fireballs sound like they should (not that I have actually heard a fireball streaking past me lately, but then who has? Sit down Arthur C Clarke!). At first I found the music irritating but then I went into the sound menu to switch it off and found you could change the score to a more orchestral feel, and even to a more techno feel. This is a great idea as though some people will prefer the original music, I like the newer compositions available, and so it increases the appeal to varying people who may buy the game.

Gameplay

Of course no fighting game, no matter how good the graphics, can get by without good control and gameplay. So how does Tekken 2 fair? Brilliantly. The moves are very simple to get to grips with, and to learn those special moves we have grown to know and love there is a special practice option where you can bring up a menu with all the moves listed (the same menu can be brought up during the main game too, just in case you forget that desparation move you need to win). The enemy AI is also well programmed as the computer opponents wise up to your moves if you over-use them, so you are really forced to come up with varying strategies in order to go all the way. There are no finishing moves though, but then again I never found myself wishing for them anyway with the large amount of moves already available..

I feel a verdict coming on

With around 22 characters playable (10 to start with and 12 to unlock) Tekken 2 is great value for money. It is also the best fighting game I have played on the playstation to date, although I won't compare it too much to Soul Blade or the Toshinden games as they are based on weapon fighting, whereas this game is made toward more hand to hand fighting (although one character does have a sword, it is mainly cosmetic). With a whole new group of fighting games in development by Namco's competitors it should be interesting to see how long Tekken 2 stays on the top of the heap, although Namco themselves may eclipse this with the next in the series, imaginatively entitled Tekken 3. Bring it on!

Review by D.R.T.Barrett