Namco’s long-running 3D fighter hardly needs an introduction. Exclusive to Sony since the early days of the original PlayStation, the well-loved series falls somewhere between the shiny, girly-fleshed accessibility of Dead or Alive and the hardcore-enchanting precision of Virtua Fighter. Summer 2005 sees the opportunity to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the franchise, and of course, an all-new version packed with features is coming to PS2.

Fans will be well aware that the game charts ... more >>

Namco’s long-running 3D fighter hardly needs an introduction. Exclusive to Sony since the early days of the original PlayStation, the well-loved series falls somewhere between the shiny, girly-fleshed accessibility of Dead or Alive and the hardcore-enchanting precision of Virtua Fighter. Summer 2005 sees the opportunity to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the franchise, and of course, an all-new version packed with features is coming to PS2.

Fans will be well aware that the game charts the history of the King of the Iron Fist tournament, run by the Mishima Corporation. It transpires that at the end of the fourth tournament, the businessman at the head of the company - the fearsome moustachioed warrior Heihachi - was ambushed and killed. Now the corporation has a mysterious new leader and the fifth Iron Fist tournament has been announced, and its entrants are preparing for battle.

As is traditional in the beat-em-up genre, a complicated storyline explains the reasons for each of the competitors entering the tournaments. Some fight merely to prove their prowess, others to find out a repressed secret from their past. Some are members of police organisations on the trail of martial artist criminals, others simply want to get the attention of someone they love, and more still seek answers and revenge from the murderer of a friend or relative. Many of the old favourites make a return, amongst them the tormented Jin Kazama, Hong Kong policeman Lei, Bruce Lee-a-like Law, Michelle, Jack 5 the robot, Paul, Yoshimitsu the benevolent but powerful samurai, and Kuma, the deceased Heihachi’s pet bear. In addition there are three new fighters: Azuka Kazama, Raven and Feng Wei.

The game looks better than ever with a totally revamped, all-new graphics engine. You can customise your favourite characters with unlockable clothing and accessories and watch battles come alive with destructible scenery across many beautiful stages. If the single player tournament mode isn’t enough for you, there’s also an all new adventure mode called Tekken: Devil Within. And if you’re greedy for more still - or maybe just miss Heihachi - then rejoice because Tekken 5 also contains PSone classics Tekken 1, 2 and 3! << less