Tekken 4 (PS2)

Being a beat-'em-up, Tekken 4 doesn't have the most complex of rule sets: you punch and kick your opponent until they fall down. But what separates the wheat from the chaff with this sort of game is how easy and instinctive it is to pull off the various gravity-defying moves and how much tactics there are once you know exactly what you're doing.

Tekken has been accused of having too much of the former and not enough of the latter, but this newest version is a touch more technical; indeed, it seems to take on some of the features which the more complex Virtua Fighter series has discarded, namely enclosed, variable-height arenas and more emphasis on 3-D movement via the dodge button. The whole package makes for a very worthy sequel with some excellent graphics and even interactive scenery (you can punch some of the crowd watching you "by mistake").

Some of the new characters are excellent, too, particularly Steve the boxer who has no kick moves but a custom set of ducks and weaves instead. In a genre that is usually a bit of a wasteland of originality, Tekken 4 has a pleasing amount of new ideas and together with the top graphics it should entertain even the most resolute of pacifists. --David Jenkins

On its own merits it is an adequate game, but feels wrong. There is little of the sense of challenge in fighting through the characters and little to put itself the rest of the genre.


Addictive   July 26, 2005
Jane McCallion (England)
1 out of 8 found this review helpful

I played this game non-stop for 3 days. I had a cracking headache afterwards, but it was worth it. When I buy a PS2, this'll be the first game I get.


Tekken 4 - A New Century of Fighting   July 18, 2005
Sam (Northampton, United Kingdom)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

Tekken 4 sees the return of some classic characters like Paul Pheonix and King, along with some new ones like Steve Fox and Craig Marduk. The settings in this game are great, although some of them are a little too small for my liking. The story lines in this game are quite frankly, terrible, and some of the 'new' characters are simply old characters in new bodies. The Tekken Force mode can be insanley annoying, as the enemies become stronger as they go along, and then they expect you to fight a normal enemy (A playable character). However, I think the gameplay makes up for this, and it definatley deserves a place as a classic fighting game.


Tek-kack   March 11, 2005
S. Pritchard (london)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful

This is the worst tekken game to date.
Yes it looks much better, but they have tinkered with the gameplay to a level where it feels wrong, and off, if you havent played tekken before then this isnt an issue. But who hasnt played tekken.
Tekken Tag was better, 4 has a lack of characters, a lack of different extras, and the new characters dont feel good. Jin's changed style completly.
Not a bad game, just a bad tekken,


Great game   February 4, 2005
3 out of 5 found this review helpful

One of the best games I have ever played. It is a good simulation of various martial art styles, and despite some of its shortcomings (its realistic but not as realistic as it could be), its real good. Its graphics are smooth and fluid, with characters being near perfect. Nice shadowing system and great audio. Plus it features Nina, my fave of all fighters (she uses a mix of aikido with bone crushing techniques and explosive kicks). I can't wait for Tekken 5 to come out! Buy this game! :D