Tekken 3 good/bad read to find out (Tekken 3 (PS))

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Product:	Tekken 3 (PS)
Date:	11/10/01 (10 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: great graphics, great gameplay, great sound and music

Disadvantages: none

It has been fabled that Tekken 3 was in fact the sequel to the beloved game, Tekken 2. As unlikely as it may appear to you, this is the truth, and there's also something else which man seem even more unlikely but is the truth, Tekken 3 actually managed to surpass the standards of its predecessors! Tekken 2 was and still is an awesome game; it just so happens that Tekken 3 is even more awesome! There's even a great story here, apparently a bad guy names Ogre (and if you ever name your son Ogre don't be surprised if he turns out nasty) has been killing off many of the leading martial artists around the world. Some people are deeply offended, some have personal reasons and some just want to kick some arse, but there's a whole lot of skilled fighters ready to do battle and proclaim themselves to be the champion.


Tekken 3 is a game that will last you a long time, a very long time. There are a lot of secrets to be unlocked, lots of characters, hidden movies, special costumes, and they don't come easily. A lot of the unlocking involves extended play times (which you should be willing to do this anyway) and can be very rewarding in the end. There's a lot of modes, they're all good, they're all going to hog your attention at one time or another, this means a lot of time spent on the game. Beating the computer opponents can get monotonous, so it's always good to delve in a little bit of multiplayer, and it's these multiplayings that will extend the lifespan out over the rest of the games in your collection!

This game has the potential to be a lot of fun, a few glitches and a few annoying habits from the computer players stop this section from being perfect, but it's still a good enough effort with what they've got. Some modes are more fun than others, but you should find them all to be equally rewarding. Naturally the most fun you can have is when playing against a friend, and fierce rivalries can be forme
d between people, it's a game that can give you instant gratification if you're lucky (if you're not, too bad!) and will give you a fair share of fun.


The challenge of the opponents the computer throws your way is very nice indeed, no matter what level of expertise you're at, you should be able to run into someone in the game who will give you a competitive match. There is a lot of customising that can be done to get the players to your level, and once you've found whatever your level is, there should be no problems at all with this section. Naturally I recommend playing against humans, but everyone always tells you that, so I'll recommend that you play against some form of flying squid instead. Don't you look at me like that!


Tekken 3 was, and very well still could be the best beat 'em up to grace the Playstation. It's right up there with the best of all time, but is still starting to show a bit of old age now. Tekken 3 has a lot of redeeming features, and there are very few negative things to be said about it, most people can decipher that equation and work out that it's obviously a very good game, but in case you missed it, Tekken 3 is a very good game! It's now being sold for a price lower than it's theoretically worth and is therefore worth buying if you STILL don't have it (and if you don't, you're a naughty little person). A great leap from Tekken 2, and one of the true classics on the PSX, what more could one ask for?

GOOD POINTS
- A lovely range of characters at your disposal
- A lovely range of moves at your disposal
- A lovely range of modes at your disposal

NOT SO GOOD POINTS
- You might get sick of bashing up the AI
- The AI might get sick of bashing up you

The gameplay of a fighting game can often appear shallow, just walk up to Mr. Meanie Man, whack a few buttons absent-mindedly and be off on your merry way. Luckily, T
ekken 3 can be a very strategic game when you want it to be, not only are you constantly in a state of offence, but you must try to anticipate your opponents moves and block or counter accordingly. Tekken 3 is a game that when mastered, you have unlimited power at your control, the enormous amount of moves at your disposal mean that there is room for a varied and planned attack, rather than all out psychotic button-mashing.

The first thing you have to do is get a character that tailors to your needs, each one has a different style of fighting and different characteristics. By going for a character that is faster or one that is stronger you will then need to play according to their strengths, this is what makes it one of the most tactical fighting games out there. Each character has a large amount of moves that they can call their own, these lists can be brought up in the middle of a game should you be stuck for originality. The more powerful moves can have quite complicated buttons assigned to them, and only the experienced and the skilled could have any hope of pulling them off successfully in the middle of a heated battle. There are moves that attack high, moves that attack low, moves that attack fast and moves that attack slow! Nearly all of them are counterable so you have to be prepared!

Tekken 3 has a large amount of modes to tailor to everyone's primitive urges to slaughter their opponents in different scenarios. There's the tournament, in which you fight through ten opponents and some bosses to be the champion, a Tekken force mode where you take your character along on a side scrolling adventure through four levels, getting life pick-ups and knocking off countless baddies (for more game modes please see the next sentence). Tekken ball mode is where you take on your opponent in a volleyballesque game, hitting the ball at them and hoping for the best, there's also modes such as survival (defeat a lot of people until you yourself a
re defeated) and team battle (self explanatory). Each one of these modes is quite a bit of fun and they all add up to your Tekken 3 CD spending a lot of time in your console.

The basic controls of the game are simple, each of the four action buttons dictates a limb of your character and the control pad manoeuvres them around the playing arena. Delve deeper into the psyche of Tekken 3 though, and you will discover a lot of extremely advanced moves which can make your character agile and rather difficult to belt. I don't know why I told you this, it just seemed like a nice thing to do!

Overall, the gameplay of Tekken 3 is some of the best you'll see in a fighting game. You can play against the computer and win easily enough by whacking a button here or there, but it becomes more enjoyable than ever once you've spent a bit of time in practice and developed your skills significantly. A match between Tekken masters can be truly awe-inspiring, watching them develop strategies for attacks whilst trying to evade their opponent. It's deep, involving gameplay that will give you a very entertaining time.


Fluidity is a very nice word indeed, not only is it fun to say and hear but it can also be used to describe the graphics of Tekken 3! The graphics are very pretty indeed and could be likened to a gourmet feast (except for the eyes rather than the mouth). The backgrounds look like they've had a lot of work put into them, showing lovely amounts of detail and a fair amount of realism. You are taken to such scenes as a laboratory where there's all sorts of chemicals simmering away merrily, a bamboo forest where there is a lot of bamboo (another unlikely occurrence right there) or simple outdoor scenes which may resemble lifelike places. The colours have been used wisely, they won't distract you too much, but they still manage to look stunning. As the fight moves around the playing area the background scrolls with it accor
dingly, it appears as if the scenery will stretch on forever despite it not being too expansive at all. In closing, the backgrounds are nice, very nice indeed!

The characters have been modelled superbly, there are a few rough edges here and there but for the most part they look quite good. Trivial details such as faces and hands and feet have been dealt with smoothly and don't look too awkward at all. The characters are quite imposing figures, and there's a varied cast of them to say the least. People from all sorts of countries with different hairstyles, clothing choices and fighting techniques have been thrown in here. It makes the whole visual look more appealing by having the contrasting looks of the different combatants. The motion capture of every single one of the moves is breathtaking, there is nothing too outrageous and they look just as one would expect them too, were someone to display them on you in your everyday life. Everything about the characters was done smoothly, without too many glitches, and they look tops! TOPS!

As you finish the tournament with each of the cast, you will be treated to a sumptuous FMV. The standards of them have been slightly overshadowed now, but they still look damn good. The movie player they've whacked onto the game is a godsend, so you won't have to battle through some tough matches just to see a minute or less of video.

Overall, the graphics are simply great and I doubt anyone will ever get sick of looking at the screen when Tekken 3 is playing. Improvements over #2 are immeasurable; the beauty of the game has increased significantly between outings. Despite being a slightly older game now, the visuals can still hold their own against the majority of the games in the Playstation library.


The sound has been done very well indeed, not dropping the ball which has been inflated so nicely by the visuals. Background music is a reasonably important section of a fighting gam
e, some have been let down completely by low standards in this section (don't ask me to name any, I'm just assuming ;). The tunes that you'll hear in Tekken 3 however, are nothing short of glorious. They have lovely beats, and are just the types of things you'll want to listen when you're smacking the crud out of your opponent. There's a couple of tracks which are of lower standards, but when there's a large amount of music to be made, you can assume there will be a couple of let-downs. The majority of these tracks are entertaining listening, have a great deal of variety, and avoid irritating the listener too much at all.

There's an obscenely large collection of sound effects in Tekken 3, the number of punch sounds or other impact sounds is off the charts. Throw together a combination of punches, and not only will they sound realistic, but you might just get to hear a different sound with each one if you're lucky. Each of the characters has their own little voice actor who has winced in pain, cried in pain and done all sorts of wacky things (while in pain of course, you can't be nice to those voice people or they'll walk all over you). The result is a convincing sound scheme, with each THWACK accompanied by an OUCH you just can't go wrong. They're a professional unit down there at Namco, and they've got professional sound effects.

Overall, the sound accompanies the graphics very nicely and doesn't sound too shabby when you've got your eyes closed either. The music and the effects gel nicely to create atmosphere, tension and anything else you might ask for (unless you ask for something silly, you little joker you!). They round off a very slick looking/sounding appearance for Tekken 3; it's not a game you'll turn down the volume on in a hurry.

This game is great so go out of your door and go and buy it now!!

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