Tekken 5

Tekken 5 is definitely a must-have for any avid fighting game fan. New characters have been added, and some cl*ssics from previous Tekken games have returned. There are plenty of new features to be mentioned.

The gameplay has retreated back to the old Tekken 3 style gameplay, with a bit of 4 tossed in. You don't have to worry about trying to crouch and instead sidewalking, like you did in Tekken 4. Basically, every problem in 4 was fixed in 5. You can still sidewalk by holding Down after a sidestep.

Characters' movelists have improved, as well. Some moves have been removed and replaced with different versions of the move. Some moves have also been tweaked a bit to be more combo-compatible. A new juggling system has been introduced, making air-combos much more effective. There is still an occurence of button-mashable characters, but with the new system and moves, even beginners can defeat button-mashers without breaking a sweat. There are tons of counter-starter moves, such as parries and attack reversals.

Interactive environments still exist, and are more beautiful than ever. You can now slam your opponent to the ground, and watch the ground crumble in your wake. The gl*ss will break, the stones will crack, flower petals will fly around, and even bats in one stage. The new stages are incredibly well-designed, and are pretty to look at; and even prettier to destroy. The character desings are also improved. There is a larger amount of detail in the Tekken 5 characters, compared to Tekken 4. They move much more fluidly and realistically, and their moves are just amazing to look at.

The AI has been redesigned to be compatible with the new movelists and juggling system. They're missing a few things though... like sidestepping.

Now for the characters; basically every Tekken cl*ssic is here. Jin, Xiaoyu, Law, Baek(Yes, Baek Do San the taekwondo man... hehe, rhyme), Bruce, and tons others are included. Miss Jin's old Tekken 3 movelist? No worries; you can unlock Devil Jin. DEVIL. FREAKING. JIN. FINALLY. Devil Jin has Jin's T3 movelist, along with some added extras and attacks that closely resemble that of Devil Kazuya, including the eyebeams. EYE BEAMS! The last boss is Jinpachi Mishima... he is not fun to fight, believe you me.

There are plenty of extra modes to access. There's Story Mode, where you play through stories of each character. Some story scenes are very serious, while others are pretty humorous(Anna spanking Lee... hahaha). Others, like the animals, make you just want to go "WTF?" There's Arcade Mode, where you basically play until your fingers pop, to earn G(Fight money), which you can use. The Arcade Mode also includes an innovative ranking system. The higher your rank, the tougher your opponents... very nice touch. There's the cl*ssic VS mode, Team Attack mode and Practice Mode. As an added bonus, there is the Arcade History mode... where you can play the original arcade versions of Tekkens 1 through 3... awesome...

And you can't forget; the costume customization. By earning Fight Money, you can buy items for your characters to wear. Each costume for your characters has different items, and one both-outfit item. Costume customization is very innovative, and you can battle against other players with customized characters if you both have memory cards, which is a fun little twist. You can buy all sorts of items; hats, gloves, different colors, guitars, and even completely alternate costumes, such as Christie having an Eddy Gordo costume available. The alternate costumes aren't editable, but considering the way the alternates look, you probably won't even need it.

One more mode... In this game included is a special game called "Devil Within." Devil Within is a whole different game from Tekken. You play as Jin Kazama, and you explore different levels to earn more Fight Money, customizations, and you will receive Devil Jin as a playable character after completing every stage. You can replay the levels as much as you want to get more G or customizations. Every level has five difficulty levels, and each level of difficulty has different items that you can find. The controls in Devil Within are different from that of Tekken. There's also a trigger button you can use to transform Jin into Devil Jin. Be careful though; it saps vitality as it's active, but Devil Jin's attack power is so much higher than regular Jin's in Devil Within.

Overall, this game definitely deserves a full-on five star rating. It is an instant cl*ssic that you'll want to keep playing. It has a high replay value, the biggest character roster in a Tekken since Tag, and returning cl*ssics. It includes as well, excellently made gameplay, improved graphics and extra modes. Don't miss out on this one if you're a Tekken fan. Or if you're a fighter fan.

Five stars.

5 star(s) out of 5

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