Tekken

Game Description: Tekken: Dark Resurrection arrives on the PSP, bringing one of the most explosive fighting games to the handheld platform. New characters Lili and Dragunov join the classic cast such as Jin, Heihachi, Paul and Law in the battle to be crowned King of the Iron Fist Tournament. An all-new intro movie lets you dive into the midst of the world of Tekken, this time with ad-hoc multiplayer mode to fight against friends as well as more items to customize your favorite characters. Now you can fight anytime, anywhere.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Language, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence

With the announcement of Tekken 5, I was prepared for a by-the-numbers sequel only adding a few new faces. Now that it's here, I'm quite pleased to say that unlike its predecessor, Tekken 5 is anything but uninspired.

Game Description: Tekken 5 is a sight to behold for fans of realistic, exciting fighting action. After the events of Tekken 4, Heihachi Mishima is dead. It was thought that the crime syndicate that ran the Iron Fist Tournament ("Tekken") would cease to exist with its leader gone, but a mysterious new figure has stepped in to take command. Now the Mishima Zaibatsu has announced the fifth Iron Fist Tournament, and old warriors will meet new challengers as they try to claim victory one more time.

With each new Tekken that comes out, I tell myself I've had enough, that I've already played these games way too much, but Namco has always pulled me back in with new characters, new mechanics, or even new graphics that make it a fresh experience. This just wasn't the case with Tekken 4.

Game Description: Tekken 4 marks the return of Namco's premier fighting franchise. Tekken 4 strikes back with new jaw-dropping graphics, gameplay mechanics, and fearsome fighters. Newcomers engage old favorites in interactive, multileveled arenas. New strategies in fighting are introduced with the addition of walls, terrain effects, position changes, and enhanced side-stepping. Expanded game modes such as training, team battle, and the new Tekken Force provide the player with a deeper gameplay experience.

According to the ESRB, this game contains: Violence

Among the current contenders for the 3D fighting game crown, nearly every game is a kind of proof that this statement is true. Generally, the fighting genre has been suffering from a malaise of small innovation and unwillingness to change proven formulas. In turn, this has caused a slump in the number of games being released and a dwindling interest in what was once a hot and exciting genre.

About six months before the release of the original PlayStation, I was fortunate enough to attend a small CES (Consumer Electronics Show) near my home. After waiting in line for nearly an hour, I rushed inside in hopes of getting my hands on a demo unit for this crazy, unknown new game system put out by Sony of all companies. My first experience on the PlayStation was Battle Arena Toshinden, and regardless of what people may say about it now, at the time it was stunning. Still reeling from the mind-blowing experience at the show about a month afterwards, I ran into an arcade machine for the original Tekken.

Game Description: Forget the fancy full-motion video intros of the past. The cutting-edge gameplay that is promised in the extended intros of fighting games is finally realized in Tekken Tag Tournament. This visually stunning action game contains fully rendered 3D characters that can execute smoothly animated martial arts moves. With polygonal characters and texture maps this real, you'll end up looking for the coin slot on your PS2. With more than 30 characters to fight against or beside, this game allows you to pull off the ultimate human combo: tag-team fighting.