Tekken 5 (PlayStation 2)

Reviewed by Billy from Australia on April 25th, 2006

The fighting is lovely, less credibility though. Tekken 4 had more of a strategic thought within it. Tekken 4 you could say was an art, Tekken 5 is more of a 'I'm going to beat you to a pulp and you can't do anything about it' sort of duel, except usually they can do something about it and the action is very quick.

The story, woah, it's all so amazingly intertwined. It is like the martial arts world is just one street full of neighbours.
The graphics, one word, killer.

Oh and the difficulty, ouch! You begin from Ultra hard because you think just because you beat all the other tekkens with ease, you will smash this one, but soon eonugh you will be beating yourself up and pondering whether it really is a wussy move to play the game on medium or easy level.

Only problem with the game is the huge array of moves to learn, I'd rather not spend hours memorising innumerable moves for each character, and i feel ripped off if I am not a great fighter with every character. So it is a dilemma to either spend many hours perfecting the moves or just stick to my favourites and kick serious butt.

Reviewed by David from Wellington, New Zealand on November 19th, 2005

It is only a bit of an improvement to Tekken 4.

Arcade mode lets you play and earn money, which you can buy costume upgrades to fully pimp out your favourite character with.

New characters and slightly better graphics, both character-wise and environment-wise does not necessarily make the gameplay better. They've taken most of the good aspects out of Tekken 4, and added some new ones. Craig Marduk, King and a few others can now grab opponents in mid-air. It doesn't matter which way they are facing, just as long as you grab them. It makes a nice finish to a juggle combo.

Feng Wei, Asuka Kazama, and Raven are the new characters, although Asuka Kazama is really just like playing as Jun Kazama in Tekken 2/Tag. Feng Wei is an interesting character, he has some interesting moves that look great but take too long to perform, leaving him vulnerable. Raven reminds me of playing Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. His moves are also rather good looking, but learning how to use him properly might take a while, since he often ends up with his back towards the opponent.

Jinpachi Mishima, Heihachi's dad, is the boss. No you can't play as him (unless you have an Action Replay or something). He's actually a challenge this time. You'll have to take full advantage of side-stepping as he can shoot fireballs out of his stomach which instantly knock off half of your health. He can stun you quite easily, and his regular kicks and punches are quite strong.

Devil Within is an interesting game. Think of Streets of Rage or Double Dragon, or if you aren't that old, think of Tekken Force from Tekken 4.

Not much of an improvement, but still the best.

Reviewed by Bruce from Auckland NZ on September 6th, 2005

After hearing so many good reviews, I bought it.
I found it better than Tekken 4 (Not that hard to beat) but it just feels so repetitve and not as good as tekken 3.
The graphics look great and returning characters like Baek and Bruce a nice plus, but the extras are not as well thought out.
Devil Within is boring. The only reason I played it was to get out Devil Jin.
Finally though, the last boss isn't a pushover. Jinpachai was a nice change.
With so many characters to use, it will take you some time to finish it with all of them.
I prefer to play Tekken Tag as I can choose either bowling or Fighting

Reviewed by Sean from Flatbush, South Auckland on August 30th, 2005

Finally! Tekken is back and better than ever! I personally thought Tekken 4 was a bit of a mess but Tekken 5 is just GREAT!

The graphics in this game are very good (Dead or Alive graphics are better, but the character models are better in Tekken)! Although, most of the characters look different from their character art. Also, the FMVs are great as usual!

One thing I found about this game is that it is generally fun! Now, I'm a fan of both the Tekken series and the Dead or Alive series and have found that Dead or Alive games are always more fun that Tekken games. But, Tekken 5 is a lot of fun!

The customisation feature is something new to Tekken but it is ripped right from Virtua Fighter 4. Nonetheless, it is a welcome feature.

If you like fighting games, then you MUST get this game! I MUST for all PS2 owners!

Reviewed by Phillip from Christchurch, NZ on July 14th, 2005

Tears of joy burst as I descovered just how great Tekken 5 is. It surpasses all my expectations. Best graphics, best moves, best music, best options and modes. And the new characters will satisfy even the most die-hard Tekken fans.

Tekken 5 is a must for everyone, not just fans of the series. Just buy it already!

Reviewed by The from Invercargill, NZ on March 21st, 2005

The graphics of this game blew me away, the screen shots do it no justice, i am speechless.

I am not the hugest tekken fan but this game is tops, i haven't even had time to play it alone as my friends are always at my house hogging the ps2.

I am quite shocked at the huge delay between american and NZ release dates, it is worth the wait. With a never ending array of moves i think its impossible for anyone to truley master this game.

Plus as an added bonus Tekkens 1, 2 & 3 are all on this aswell! It was a very pleasant suprise when i clicked on Arcade History & saw them their, aswell as a new version of "tekken force" called Devil Within, where Jin finds out more about the devil gene.

Nice work NAMCO!