Tekken 3

Tekken's characters are much more pleasingly rounded, particularly in their upper body parts. Legs and feet are still somewhat sharp, but it's a stark improvement nonetheless.

In terms of the characters personalities. Well, where does one start? Perhaps twenty years into the future is as good a place as any. It is indeed two decades since the world of Tekken 2, and the characters often bear some relation to their forefighters.

Jin Kazama is the main hero, and is also stacking all the moves of father Kazuya Mishima and mother Jun Kazama. Paul Phoenix is back, though middle-age has evidently not slowed him down. Forest Law, the son of Marshall looks ever more like Bruce Lee. Lei Wulong has that Jackie Chan supercop style about him. King is different from the original King, but sports many of the same characteristics. New characters include our favorite Lin Xiaoyu who will undoubtedly prove to be popular due to excellently crafted moves especially from low-down.

Other notable differences? All the characters look bigger and better, with human qualities shining through. The backgrounds are 3D, though non-interactive. And there are some elements of 3D fighting, though they are difficult to master.

Finally, there is a new 'falling recovery' move for each character. This move has been used in previous games to give a character a final chance to defend or recover after a knock. In Tekken 3, it offers the chance to attack while falling.

On the practical side, Tekken 3 will almost certainly win a wider audience than VF 3 simply because the System 12 board is that much cheaper to produce than Sega's Model 3. Namco's team should be commended for stretching its board to such an extent.

And Namco will have fewer problems transferring the game to PlayStation that Sega will have hauling VF3 to Saturn. Expect Tekken 3 for PlayStation to be here late this year.

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page