tekken 3 game review
Tekken 3Born on arcade machines in 1993 with Virtua Fighter, the fighting game in 3D is today an honorable and emancipated member of the big family of the virtual mandal, uninhibited in particular vis-à-vis its eternal big brother all sprites dressed. In parallel with his brilliant career in gaming rooms, it is on Playstation first of the name that this register acquired its letters of nobility thanks to the varied efforts of softs as prestigious as Tobal, Bushido Blade, Soul Blade or Bloody Roar. Everyone having used various arguments ranging from the integrated Quest mode to the possibility of transforming their fighter into a ferocious animal ... Somewhere in the middle of all this little world, Tekken. A series which, without having managed to be loved by all, the fault of a gameplay considered bastard by the most picky, has nevertheless established itself as one of the biggest bestsellers in the history of the console . A safe bet with growing interest, until the advent of this third installment holding both the sales record and popularity with fans.
Leaving behind two founding but already aging episodes, the designers at Namco decided to make this third edition a sequel worthy of the name, a real revival for the series which would preserve its spirit and its particular gameplay. Consequently, each of the securities' compartments has undergone a more or less significant revision, always for the better. More nervous, richer, more varied and above all much more beautiful, Tekken returns to us transfigured. The gameplay itself, while remaining faithful to the principles inaugurated by the first game (two keys dedicated to fist attacks, the other two reserved for kicks), takes a big leap forward in terms of rhythm and flexibility. No more jousting, heavy assaults and forceps combos, the gain in dynamism is impressive. And this despite being condemned to the very painful 50 Hz mode (this is one of the main criticisms that we can make of the Playstation PAL version of Tekken 3). No doubt that fans of the arcade machine had to go back to their stick ... The fact remains that, even deprived of these ten precious hertz, the game benefits from a constant framerate and whatever we say, considerably faster than its elders. Another major visual change: the scale of the fights seems to have been revised upwards, the characters now occupying a large space on the screen for much more striking clashes. Much more than a simple detail, it is a remarkable idea, perfectly implemented and in total adequacy with the net revival of vitality assumed by the camera.
The combat system sees for its part the expected appearance of sidesteps. It is a side step allowing not only to dodge in style an opposing attack, but also to trigger oneself new ones which exploit this providential movement, which can moreover be carried out on one side as from the 'other. Finally, this allows two new types of mugs made from the opponent's left and right flank, in addition to those that can be executed from the front or from behind. If mobility remains relatively reduced (far from a Bushido Blade for example), the confrontations are no less really changed. On the other hand, we note the introduction of a multitude of combat poses, put at the service of certain combatants such as Lei, Xiaoyu or Yoshimitsu. Specific postures whose use is often risky but which offer a panoply of new techniques often particularly vicious and disturbing, the counterpart residing in the fact of not being able to block the attacks while adopting one of these positions. For the rest, the gameplay specific to the series remains fairly true to itself. It is indeed accessible and let off steam for occasional players thanks to numerous sequences and a rather instinctive grip, and sufficiently rich and technical to satisfy the most demanding, all the more in this third part in view of the novelties exposed above. . On the other hand, we regret the annoying absence of a real challenge - even in difficult mode - observed when we acquire a minimum of mastery. The fault of a predictable and necessarily limited AI. The two player mode, it is happy, is however there to compensate for this deficiency.
No less than 19 fighters, plus two well hidden, are gathered in this opus and ready to give all they have of technique and brute force to win the supreme title of the Tournament of the steel fist. A total slightly lower than that of Tekken 2 (which amounted to 23) but still very honorable. The casting has in any case the merit to avoid to a large extent the recurring syndrome of the "clone" characters. These duplicates, the handling of which varies only slightly and which nevertheless each occupy a place in the selection menu. On the other hand, it introduces many new heads and thus completely new fighting styles. Among these newcomers, some are content to recycle the panoply of blows from their parent or mentor, not without taking the trouble to enrich and revitalize it in the process. This is the case of Forest Law, Julia Chang, Gun Jack or even King. When others do not hesitate to put into practice martial arts never seen in the series, even unprecedented in the world of video games. Here, we immediately think of Eddy Gordo, follower of the exotic and spectacular sport that is capoeira. Jin Kazama, for his part, offers an interesting synthesis between the style based on the self-defense exercised by his mother Jun, and the traditional Karate of the line of Mishima which his grandfather Heihachi taught him. Hwoarang is the Korean taekwondoist of the group, flexible and powerful, he is inspired while dusting it with the technique of legs of his master Baek. Ling Xiaoyu, the frivolous schoolgirl, uses a combination of Chinese arts such as Hakke Sho and Hikka Ken which makes her a rather technical and pleasant to handle protagonist, although not very powerful. Finally, Bryan Fury combines speed and impact power thanks to his impressive kick boxing.
Besides this new blood overflowing with energy and ambition, we can always count on the solid presence of veterans Heihachi Mishima, Paul Phoenix, Lei Wulong, Yoshimitsu, Nina Williams and his sister Anna. Let us also mention Ogre, the end boss of this episode who, having absorbed the souls of some of the most powerful warriors on the planet (including Baek and Jun), uses in combat a kind of compromise between their different styles with a formidable efficiency, not failing to add his personal touch based on supernatural powers. To finish with the character chapter, let's present the most eccentric fighters that we will be given to handle in Tekken 3. Let's start with Mokujin, rustic wooden puppet animated by an unknown force and whose only occupation is to randomly imitate his peers with infallible accuracy. Even more improbable in the context of the tournament, Gon, the excellent dinosaur of the mangaka Masashi Tanaka whose smallness is only equaled by the weakness of its range. And then Boskonovitch, prolific scientist with recurring appearances in the series - he is the creator of the first models of the robot Jack - whose difficult and clumsy control must not have failed to tense up a good number of players (the good doctor passing three quarters of his time lying on the ground). In this regard, only one address to get the most out of each protagonist: the Practice mode, which for the occasion has been completely redesigned and now offers many additional tests and options. Freestyle, training against the computer, assisted rehearsal for ten stroke sequences, possibility of making your own replays ... Difficult to ask for more.
In terms of content, Tekken 3 is generally quite strong by offering a significant number of game modes. The great classics first, with an Arcade mode quite faithful to the homonymous terminal where we chain the ten stages up to to the final confrontation (moreover not so formidable as one might have expected it although the first form of Ogre is surprisingly more dangerous than the second). Then, apart from the Versus mode already mentioned, we find the famous Time Attack, Survival and Team Battle, the latter offering the possibility of organizing mini-tournaments with a maximum of eight participants per team. Among the original modes, those which appear among the novelties brought by this opus, is first of all the Tekken Force which takes the form of a very nice little beat'em including four fairly short levels but well supplied with adversaries and which systematically end with a boss fight (each time one of the main protagonists of the game). In this mode, we especially criticize a static camera during enemy encounters which often impedes action. We also discover the Tekken Ball, unlocked after some Arcade victories and which places us on what is similar to a beach volleyball court to play a match of the said sport. The idea may seem preposterous, let us specify that it is in fact, as in a classic combat, to reduce to zero the bar of life of the opponent but by propelling him this time the balloon charged with energy in order to hurt. The other way is to send it behind the opposing line without being intercepted. Fun for a few sessions, this test remains rather anecdotal.
But beyond all that has been mentioned so far, what we may retain essentially from Tekken 3 is the atmosphere it gives off. Or more precisely his very assertive character, rock in the soul, clearly breaking away from his two much cooler and impersonal elders. This episode is therefore essential as the episode "punk" of the franchise, the ugly duckling who frees himself without complexes from the childhood inhibitions of his predecessors - symbol of the rebellious adolescence of the series in a way. A brutal awakening that shakes both the gameplay (as said above) and the scenario, since the game takes place 19 years after the second tournament and presents a whole new generation of fighters. This revival of healthy vitality is also felt at the level of the graphic realization and the soundtrack (the latter wanting to be very rock oriented, of course). Also, the fairly neutral and often natural environments of the previous shutters give way here to a series of much more urban and dirty decors (vacant land with tagged walls, industrial zone, public housing, street, riding school ... in addition to the traditional landscapes, temples and other dojos). This makes us regret that more bitterly the less and less tolerable absence of entertainment or even the slightest spectator in these different places, against all logic. Nothing serious, that said. Especially since overall, Tekken 3 is undoubtedly the most graphically advanced 3D fighting game on the console, achieving almost flawless performance at the technical level. A new title, unassailable in most areas and which stands out as the authentic suite expected from the very first Tekken.
The notes
Graphics 18/20
Between exceptional animation quality, exemplary finesse modeling and rock-solid fluidity, Tekken 3 represents the very best in terms of 3D fighting on Playstation. We can always deplore the use, once again, of pre-calculated backgrounds devoid of limits and the slightest effervescence. This aspect also causes a rather conspicuous shift between the ground (3D surface) and the background landscape, but this is more of a whim in the face of an achievement of this kind. The superb cinematics in computer graphics have largely contributed to Namco's reputation in this area. If we are not forced to love it, the game has in any case a real graphic identity.
Gameplay 17/20
Without fundamentally renewing, the gameplay clearly goes into high gear in this episode, gaining both ease and intensity. The fact of being able to finally exploit the playing area in depth thanks to the side steps is obviously not for nothing, as is the possibility of performing juggle combos (keeps the opponent in the air) really deadly . We will also appreciate the large number of martial arts represented as well as the growing list of moves. If it is still far from equaling the technicality of a Virtua Fighter or the originality of a Tobal, Tekken 3 remains the ideal compromise between these different approaches. The only downside, but big: the imposed 50Hz mode.
Lifespan 15/20
The twenty or so characters that the app offers to embody already assiduously practices Arcade, Survival, Team Battle and Training modes. Among these fighters, ten are available from the start while the second half must be unlocked via Arcade mode. Then, the beat'em up (Tekken Force) and beach volleyball (Tekken Ball) sessions try as they can to bring a little variety to the whole, a laudable intention despite the imperfections they contain and their interest reduced in the long term. Finally, the two-player mode remains the essential driver of the life expectancy of such a game, especially if we are looking for a challenge up to the task (the three difficulty modes are therefore not sufficient).
Soundtrack 16/20
Successful crosses between a nice punk rock kneaded with bass guitar riffs and an electro light sitting on fat beats, the music of Tekken 3 astonishes faith by their unity and their artistic coherence with the rest of the game. complex and catchy, giving a heavy and fairly powerful sound. Without going so far as to cry genius, we cannot decently criticize the game for its lack of audacity and inspiration in this precise area. The sounds linked to the impacts, more numerous than before, are themselves deliberately exaggerated and perfectly accompany the games. Still no dubbed dialogues however, even if it's a detail that we easily do without.
Scenario/
The script gap that exists between Tekken 2 and 3 (almost two decades) allows to place on the front of the stage a new generation of characters, which also results in the disappearance of certain important figures from the first two parts, Kazuya in mind . The main plot, which revolves around the resurrection of a Mexican deity thirsting for power and in search of strong souls, fulfills its task perfectly and is accompanied as usual by the individual motivations of each of the participants. We will especially appreciate the fact, it's new, to be able to view the many cinematic scenes of the title, available in Theater mode as well as all of the musical themes.
In retrospect, we could say that Tekken 3 is to Tekken 2 what the fourth installment is to the Tag episode: a violent and saving slap, a title that did not hesitate to shake up the little world of the 3D fighting game by imposing both his style and his dynamism. A charismatic game if ever there was one, this third Tekken of its name is the episode of maturity and renewal, thanks to less rigid mechanisms, more content and a more confident approach. Far from being a dusty relic, Tekken 3 now appears as dashing and playable as it has always been, a true concentrate of youth and electrical violence. He was remembered as one of the greatest representatives of his category until the shock Soul Calibur, and probably the most significant episode of the series in the eyes of many players. A summit of its kind.
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