Tekken Hybrid (PS3)

I've been a Tekken fan since the first and the original Tekken Tag was one of our favourites at work for many a happy lunchtime. I was therefore really pleased to see this re-released as we (myself and my daughter) still enjoy the original when I visit her with the old faithful PS2 although I won't be travelling with this until they bring out an even slimmer PS3.

Anyway, back to the review in hand. I was pleasantly surprised to find all three products on one disk.

TEKKEN TAG TOURNAMENT

As mentioned this was/is definitely one of our favourites mainly because of the huge and varied character cast (3 flavours of Jack for a start) and of course the tag feature allowing you to swap characters which adds to the tactical gameplay and fun. This version is very polished and the motion jerkiness has definitely been smoothed out but as with the original, the combos are fairly limited so you can't juggle your opponents as much as in the later Teks. All the different modes are present as well as Tekken Bowl which is unlocked from the start as are all the characters which is a bit of a shame to be honest but no worries. Definitely best enjoyed with friends or fam, those who whinge about "completing it too quickly" miss the whole point of the game.

TEKKEN TAG 2 PROLOGUE

This is a taster for the autumn release and pretty good it looks too. You only get the Arcade mode (offline) and four characters but "A New Challenger" can jump in by hitting the Start button as usual. The fighting is fast, smooth and very responsive but unfortunately the newly devilled Kazuya and Devil Jin look very similar which makes them an odd selection but if you watch the film, character choice make more sense.

With this version you also get the new ability to briefly tag in your second character simultaneously so at times there are four dudes kicking butt in there which can be confusing and it ends up looking like Maidstone town centre at closing time. The trigger buttons are programmable so you can e.g. set R2 as a tag throw but I'm in two minds as to whether this "driver aid" is a good thing or not but this will become more apparent when the full version comes out and I'm getting pwned online as usual.

TEKKEN: BLOOD VENGEANCE

Bonkers movie starring the evergreen Ling Xiayou and new favourite Alisa fighting against the Mishima corporation and the Devil gene (or is it Jin?!). Quite good fun with some excellent set pieces and top-notch animation. Worth a watch but it is very Japanese, you've been warned.

SUMMARY

As a budget release (I paid around twenty quid) this offers decent value IMO. Old-school and noob Iron-Fisters will love the facelifted TTT but also enjoy a taste of the new version and the film is a nice bonus too.

Lets face it, Tekken Tag is probably one of the better franchises coming from Namco lately. I like the way when you get beat up, you can just ask your side kick to get in there and finish off the job you want to do. I missed this, as I don't have my PS2 connected as often as I'd like, so having a brand new HD version is brilliant, and the trophies make it more of a challenge.

So what do you get for your money? A film, which I have not watched as of yet. I'm not a big Manga fan anyway, I got this as a gift because I love Tekken Tag. You also get a demo of Tekken Tag Tournament 2, which should be coming out soon. Of course you get the new Tekken Tag HD, which is superb.

TTHD is just like the one on the PS2, all the characters from Tekken 3 are here, so don't expect Alisa or any of the new ones from Tekken 6. My favourite is Forest Law, as I always felt his combos were the best. Heihatchi is still there, and both Ogres are there. One let down for me was all the characters being unlocked, I used to enjoy unlocking them all and it was challenging at times, especially characters like Alex and that Sumo wrestler, could never get a decent fight with him!

There are plenty of modes, the arcade which is just the usual way to play Tekken, VS mode which is 2 player fights; survival where you have to survive so many rounds without a refill of life; team battle where you chose fighters and once they get beat your next in line has to try and win and finally Tekken Bowl, which is a game where you play bowling.

The trophy set for this game is not bad, some are tough to get. Though saying that I have played for 2 or so days now and have already got 31% of the trophies. I do have many years experience of Tekken though, playing since Tekken 3 on the PSOne.

The demo of Tekken Tag 2 was a shame for me, as there are only 4 fighters, none of which are Law. You get Alysa, Kazuya, Devil Jin and Xydu. What makes me laugh though is there's a trophy set for this demo! No, it's not an easy way to get a platinum as there is none, the highest is gold. I found it dull, after a few fights I stopped playing and went back to TTHD as it's much more fun.

Altogether this is a great deal, but I'd probably wait to get this on sale, as it's not really worth the same price it was on the PS2 back in the day.

Must buy for any Tekken fan !!

Pros =
- Great bargain at cheap decent price
- A great remake of Tekken Tag packed with content
- Tekken Tag 2 prologue looks promising
- Tekken Bowl mini game

Cons =
- Sadly no online in either tekken games =( !
- Only 4 playable characters in the prologue
- Tekken blood vengeance aint the best of movies..But still fun to watch