Tekken 5 hits London! details and screens inside

Earlier today, deep in the vaults of the neon-lit Namco Station on the South Bank, SPOnG bore witness to the finished Tekken 5 arcade machine in all its pugilistic glory. On hand to show off more complicated combos and immaculately timed air-juggles were an array of Tekken champions - many of whom were seemingly slipping into trances of ultra-concentration.

Indeed, by the looks on some faces, you might imagine that these chaps weren't actually enjoying themselves. But in reality, they were becoming one with their joysticks, offering us mere mortals the chance to see Tekken 5 in full flow.

The general sentiment seemed to be that Tekken 5 is a true return to form. Some people had found that Tekken 4's slighty more realistic approach detracted from the traditional style of play, perhaps not dramatically; but Tekken 3 is still considered by many to be the highlight of the series. With this in mind, in the words of Namco's PR, "Tekken 5 returns to the roots of Tekken with exciting visuals and deformed expressions."

As you would expect, the graphics have been improved and sharpened. There has been a slight stylistic shift in character design, with more exaggerated physical attributes: Jack 5's arms, for instance, are seemingly bigger than his entire body.

Tekken 5 starts off with 20 default characters including all the usual suspects, some of which are the time-released fighters from earlier iterations. Three of these are all-new cast members. Adhering to precedent, there will also be a variety of unlockable and time-released characters in this incarnation. Unfortunately, Namco was being tight-lipped about how many there might be, or who they are, but those details are sure to reveal themselves in due course.

The new characters all seemed resonably accessible, with the well-qualified Tekken players taking to the new moves like ducks to water. Asuka is a new female martial artist; Feng wei is a Chinese Kempo warrior; and Raven, who 'works for a certain intelligence agency' is a good ol' ninjitsu expert. He also has a massive X-shaped scar in the middle of his face that makes him look like someone smashed him in the head with an Xbox (perhaps during the negotiations over PS2 exclusivity).

When Tekken 5 does make the transition to PS2, it ought to receive a warm welcome: especially if online play can be implemented effectively. This version seems more substantial, especially compared to Tag Tournament; the levels are all much larger, the irritating ground undulations of Tekken 4 have been removed and there's plenty of interactive, destructable objects and environments. it is, as they say, all good.

For those planning on training themselves up in the arcades, Tekken 5 also boasts an customised save-game card. The IC cards, which come in 5 different designs, record all the usual stats: names, customised appearance, money etc, and allow players to attain an offical ranking. Most interestingly, however, it is also possible to save a 'ghost character' which mimics the traits of its owner's fighting style - allowing other players to come along and challenge them; which will be much appreciated by those who have had their fill of the standard 1 player mode.

It's all positive news and Tekken 5 is a definite step fowards. It might not be a sufficiently big step to convert those who weren't already Tekken fans, but for followers of the series, this is arguably the finest outing yet.

We'll be back with news on the PS2 version as soon as we can.