Not the greatest port but it’s budget price-tag makes it a must.
Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection Tekken originally made a name for itself in arcades, it was such a huge success and like all great arcade games soon made the leap on to consoles. Sony cleverly obtained the license and unsurprisingly it became an instant success, introducing more gamers to the franchise than ever before through the power of accessibility. Then last year the series delved into the portable market and once again succeeded in making a solid game that not only maintained that same great Tekken formula but also kept thing’s feeling fresh. Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection is a port of that game and while it has been toned down in many respects; it’s still as solid as ever.
The first cut-back comes from the selection of game play options. While its PSP counterpart offered an array of modes, the PS3 version has only a few to speak of. There’s the bog-standard arcade mode which see’s you fighting a selection of characters; ultimately ending in a final confrontation with Jinpachi (who is now an unlockable character), versus mode which lets two players battle it out for ultimate supremacy (offline only) and ghost battle. These are essentially computer controlled characters that take on different fighting styles and difficulty levels, so when you have no friends at hand you can jump straight into a fight with one of these guys and let your imagination run wild.
The gold system returns in which every time you win a battle your funds increase, this can be used to purchase new outfits, pictures and videos for your characters. Although the media portion is only available as an additional download once you have earned enough in-game cash. This was probably done to reduce the size of the main download.
The graphics whilst astounding on a PSP don't come across quite as well on the big screen, plus the ability to view the game in 1080p HD resolution unearths a few ugly textures, but when you consider this was designed for the portable system you can’t really complain.
All-in-all Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection is a perfect introduction into the world of downloadable gaming for the PlayStation 3 and lives up to its self-proclaimed title - The King of Iron Fist Tournament; ok it may not be the greatest of portable games but its budget price-tag makes it a must-buy for anyone with a console and an internet connection.
UPDATE: As of August 2007 an official patch was released offering Japanese and American gamers the chance to try their hand at an online versus mode, online leader boards, a survival mode and a practice mode. European gamers should expect the update sometime in November.
