Tekken 5 (PS2)

So, what makes Tekken 5 so great ? Where do I start.Firstly the graphics are amazing,matching those of the fantastic Soul Calibur 2, clothes and hair flow beautifully and the characters are gorgeously detailed.Secondly the gameplay surpasses even Tekken 3 and Soul Calibur 2, making it the most fluid and exciting fighting game to date.

There are also lots of modes in Tekken 5. The usual Time Attack,Story,Practice,Survival,VS and Team Battle modes are all there but there are a couple of new ones. Arcade is a fantastic new mode lets you build up your own character through the rankings and since the opponents are customised it makes up for the lack of online play, sort of anyway. Customise mode is also good as you can change your characters appearance. Finally arcade versions of Tekken 1,2,and 3 are all playable making this game an essential purchase.

There are also 30 characters in Tekken 5 compared to the 19 in Tekken 4. Old favourites like Jin,Heihachi,Julia,Nina and Yoshimitsu all return, as well as unexpected comebacks from Wang,Bruce and Mokujin.There are also 3 new characters to get to grips with, Raven, Feng and Asuka adding 3 new fighting styles.

The locations are also superbly detailed and the wonky surfaces in Tekken 4 have thankfully,gone. This is most definately the best Tekken so far and was well worth the wait.

The graphics are absolutely outstanding. It's as if you are playing an Xbox game. The fighters are superbly detailed and the background effects are fantastic. This also gives me more confidence that Resident Evil 4 will still look great when it is released on the PS2. The stages also look sublime, whith a mixture of enclosed and open arenas opposed to Tekken 4 when the arenas were just too small. They are also interactive so hitting the ground or wall causes it to crack or break which adds to the effect.

There are 3 new characters: Raven, a ninja working for a secret cooperation, Asuka, who uses Kazama style martial arts and Feng Wei, a chinise kempo artist who killed his master. This adds to the roster of returning characters from previous games such as Baek Do San, Bryan Fury and Anna Williams. This also adds to old favourites like Kazuya, Paul, King and Law.

The best thing about Tekken 5 is that it has gone back to basics. Instead of trying to get you tactical in Tekken 4 it has gone back to being an all out beat em up like it should be. Namco have learnt it shouldn't try to be something it's not. Some additional features include the Devil Within, an action side story playing as Jin, the ability to fight for money and customise your characters clothing and even Tekken 1,2 and 3 are playable. Sure it won't last long in single player, but it is awsome in multiplayer. Tekken is well and truly back, and with Tekken 6 planned for PS3, it's back with a bang!!!