After endless hype and lots of doubts the current
incarnation of the PSX could handle the number of polygons
and the backgrounds, Namco unleashed "Tekken 3" to the
masses this past May 1st and was welcomed by the
simultaneous sound of hundreds of thousands of wallets
opening up. Much like "Final Fantasy VII" and "Resident
Evil 2" before, Namco's premier franchise shattered
records, quieted the critics and has yet again solidified
the PSX as the success story of the 32/64-bit era. And now
the only thing left for us to ponder upon is, what on Earth
could these guys do to top this one on PSX with the
inevitable "Tekken 4"? Prediction: opening salvo for the
Fall 2000 release of PSX2 or (if Namco gets thrown the
right amount of sacks of yen) the Sega Katana. Why?
Because it is clear that this game, as flawless and
exciting as PSX games ever dream of getting, is pushing the
machine to its limits and that, in order for Namco to aim
at the top ("Virtua Fighter 3"), the next Tekken will have
to be leaps and bounds ahead of this one; food for thought!
GAMEPLAY / FUN FACTOR: B+
An evolution from the previous "Tekken" incarnations (which
served as first and second-generation benchmarks at their
respective "peak" periods) that has stuck to basics,
"Tekken 3" plays just like "Tekken 2", only faster and with
side-stepping controls and attack-from-the-ground moves
that can make the matches between two skilled players an
interesting back-and-forth affair. All the cool camera
angles and assorted visual trickery only distracts from
this game's biggest imporvement over its predecessor:
speed! Add to that the return of standard Modes like Team
Battle, Arcade, Survival, VS., Practice and the "Final
Fight"-like Tekken Force Mode (left-to-right,
side-scrolling punch-fest where you beat thugs and pick-up
"Chicken" :-P), and "Tekken 3" has all the bases covered.
Had the game received a more intense graphical update, or
developed a more ground-breaking attack technique for the
entire game (instead of giving a couple of fighters like
Eddie Gordo and Ling Xiaoyu specific techniques), it would
get a higher grade on my book. As it is, it feels more
like a prettier and faster "Tekken 2" than a bona-fide
sequel. To their credit Namco developers have managed to
keep the loading times short and, despite the heavier
graphical burdens on the PSX, the pace is not interrupted
by "San Francisco Rush"-caliber waiting periods (in which a
person could write his/her taxes, and/or mow the lawn).
GRAPHICS / VISUALS: A
U-N-B-E-L-I-E-V-A-B-L-E! Sure, the backgrounds are nothing
more than "faked 3D" background wall-paper instead of the
polygon landscapes of the arcade version (remember the
backgrounds of Saturn's "Virtua Fighter 2"? Same thing!),
but they do not affect the gameplay in the least and are
presented in such a way that, unless you're an
anal-retentive picky guy, wouldn't be noticed (and they
sure are a hell of lot better-looking than the lifeless
wall-paper on "Dead or Alive"). Movement of the
characters? Smoothness of their acrobatics? The
complexity and quality of the textures on the characters?
The number of polygons per character? Folks, this is
Namco! Only Sega produces and distributes better-looking
and playing arcade fighting games, and they have yet to
develop a system that the masses accept wholeheartedly for
home use... sorry fellow Saturn owners :-( With 20+
characters, several hurting moves and bone-crunching grabs
that make you go "ouch", and a weird but exciting mix of
characters (everything from a mask-wearing wrestler and an
old man with a severe back problem, to Jackie Chan and
Bruce Lee wanna-be action men), "Tekken 3" is to PSX
fighting games what the Beatles music is to classic
rock'n'roll: the standard by which all competitors will be
judged. Why not an A+? The cinematic FMV of Capcom's
"Resident Evil 2" is the new high-water mark, and although
it still demonstrates dominance of the technology, "Tekken
3" cinematics fall a tad short from "RE2" and "Soul
Edge/Blade" (another Namco game?).
MUSIC / SOUND EFFECTS: B
I'm sorry to say that the music in this game failed to
impress me, and actually turned me off somewhat. Too much
generic and/or hard-rock tunes, too little of the eclectic
and weird (but likable) tunes in "Tekken 2", which I feel
was a much better soundtrack. But this is just a personal
taste of mine, and should not affect your opinion if
hardcore rock'n'roll is to you what subliminal/sophomoric
sexual jokes are to the Miller Beer "Dick" ad campaign:
it! But what bothered me somewhat are the absence of any
voices and taunts from the characters; shouldn't the Tekken
gang have a distinctive personality developed by now? Why
should they remain restricted to yells and grunts, and not
have corny one-liners like every other fighting game? And
while we're picking apart the audio (which is really good,
but in my opinion not "Tekken 2" good), the punches and
bone-crunching cracks (a staple of the series) are not as
crystal-clear and loud as before; they seem somewhat
muffled and recorded at a lower sampling rate. Maybe the
monstrous graphical needs ate up into the audio's limited
specs? We'll never know, and frankly I don't hear too many
people complaining about it... which kinda makes me the
anal-retentive type of guy I was mocking before! Right
back at me babe.
OVERALL: A-
Tremendously derivative, but unsurpassed for sheer arcade
thrills brought home (almost) impact, "Tekken 3" could be
Namco's best PSX conversion to date. With "Gran Turismo"
taking the driving-genre crown away from the "Ridge/Rage
Racer" series, and no other triple-A titles in the horizon
for the near-future (although Namco might want to burn a
few more copies of "Time Crisis", because that one is hard
to find!), "Tekken 3" could become the next evergreen cash
cow that keeps selling long after its initial release (like
"Tekken 2" and the original "Resident Evil" before it).
All I know is that, when coming home after a long day at
the office of exhausting daydreaming about a better job,
Heihachi and Co. will shake me up and turn me upside down.
And that's just from playing Nina Williams :-).
