The Tekken series has always been synonymous with the PlayStation brand, and when the PSP was released it was the first Sony system to launch without a version of the legendary beat-’em-up. However, there has been little comment on this because at the back of everyone’s minds was the thought that maybe Tekken couldn’t make it to the PSP without some serious compromises being made. Sure, we had a new Ridge Racer game, but Tekken was a completely different matter altogether; when the fifth game in the series came to the PlayStation 2 the gulf appeared impossible to bridge. Fortunately Namco isn’t as pessimistic as the rest of us, and thanks to some hard work has not only succeeded in delivering an authentic Tekken game to the PSP, but has given us the best version of the series to appear on a console so far.

Before we get into the review proper, it’s probably best that we start with an explanation of what Tekken: Dark Resurrection is. The first thing to know is that in the arcades it was known as Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection. Basically it was an update of Tekken 5 – best described as Tekken 5.5 – with gameplay modifications, more stages, two new characters and the return of fanfavourite, Armor King. If you’re familiar with Tekken 5 then you’ll be instantly at home with Dark Resurrection, as all the moves and combos from the previous game have made the transition to the PSP, although there has been some tweaking to tone down certain characters to improve balance.

The two additions to the Tekken 5 roster are 16-year-old spoiled rich girl Lili – who uses a general street fighting style – and 26-year-old Russian ‘human weapon’ Sergei Dragunov – a practitioner of Soviet-developed combat sambo. Lili is light and agile, which makes her good at dodging and launching counterattacks. Offensively she’s no slouch either, and has a number of combos that quickly change height, making it hard for opponents to successfully block her attacks. Dragunov is the polar opposite to Lili, a heavy hitter who specialises in grab manoeuvres over strikes. Unlike the luchador style of King and Armor King, and Marduk’s vale tudo, Dragunov’s style is that of a pure grappler.

With that out of the way we can get on with the review as promised, and we’re going to start with something we try not to talk about too much, and that’s the graphics. As the old saying goes, a picture literally speaks a thousand words, so we would normally let the screenshots framing the review do the talking for us, but in the case of Dark Resurrection we’re going to make an exception. It is by far the best looking 3D game on the PSP, and just by glancing over these pages we think you can agree that it is absolutely gorgeous. During fights the game runs at full 60 framesper- second with no slowdown whatsoever, which is one of the most important things in a beat-’em-up. Best of all though, when compared to its arcade and home console counterparts, Tekken: Dark Resurrection stands up remarkably well, not looking like the poorer cousin that in a lesser company’s hands it could so easily have been.

It definitely looks the part, but most importantly, Dark Resurrection plays just as a Tekken game should. The PlayStation pad has always looked like it was conceived with the Tekken games in mind above all else, and as the PSP’s button layout is modelled after the classic design, the right/left kick/punch control method works as well here as it ever has before. During the multitude of battles we fought there was never a problem with any of the buttons’ responses, and the D-pad works fantastically (admittedly there aren’t many diagonals to contend with in Tekken games, which may explain it). The only downside we could think of was that due to the way you hold the PSP, it’s hard to press both kick or punch buttons together, but by assigning them to the shoulder buttons, this obstacle was very quickly overcome.

Aside from the outstanding graphics and spot-on gameplay, one of the most impressive things about Dark Resurrection is how much Namco has crammed into the UMD, with a number of modes to play through. Before you can jump into the game though you have to create a player profile, which will record your wins and losses with each character in certain modes, save your creations in character customisation mode (see ‘Tekken Does ‘What Not To Wear’’ for details) and your overall progress through the game. The more battles you win the better your rank, but this is only affected by fighting certain matches.

Story mode is as close to a traditional arcade mode as you’re going to get, where you choose a character, play through eight stages and finally fight Jinpachi to see the ending movie. There is an arcade mode available that simulates a two-player game you would have in an arcade against a human opponent, offering an infinite number of battles to improve your rank. Quick Battle allows you to jump into a one-on-one or team battle match; Attack is where to go for time attack and survival modes; Gold Rush where you beat up your opponent to win money – if you’re alive at the end of the round you get to keep what you earn; and Practice, which gives you the opportunity to hone your skills.

The Tekken Dojo is an interesting addition, and consists of a number of tournaments against computer-controlled fighters. Each dojo has a number of opponents in and around your rank, and the goal is to improve your rank until you’re in the top tier, win the main tournament and proceed to the next dojo with higher-ranked foes. The Tekken dojo is a good way to build your rank and gain cash, but as you improve so does the competition. If you choose to turn ghost data on, the game will record how you play the game, and create a virtual you, or at least in the way you play Tekken. This ghost data can be uploaded to the Internet for other players to download and fight against, or you can download other’s data and fight their ghosts in the single-player game.

Finally there are the bonus games, Command Attack and Tekken Bowling. Command Attack is pretty straightforward, and you have to win a fight by performing the required moves, but Tekken Bowling – aside from being exactly what it sounds like – is a fantastic little diversion. A hit with fans since its debut in Tag Tournament, Tekken Bowling plays as you’ll remember it, hiding a deep game beneath its simplistic exterior. Much like when they’re fighting, each of the characters has different attributes for bowling, adding some unexpected strategy. Admittedly you wouldn’t buy it as it is as a stand-alone title, but as a bonus game, it’s all you could ask for.

With a grand total of 34 playable characters, a multitude of stages to do battle in, a huge variety of game modes and the almost limitless possibilities of the character customisation mode, Dark Resurrection is the ultimate Tekken experience. Everything we loved about the PlayStation 2’s Tekken 5 has made it into the PSP version, plus all the extras that Namco could have easily not bothered with, making for a game that exceeds even our expectations. As the first ‘pure’ 3D beat-’emup on the PSP, Dark Resurrection has set the bar unbelievably high, and unless Sega comes up with a particularly fine conversion of Virtua Fighter 4 Final Tuned (Virtua Fighter 5 is a little beyond the PSP’s capabilities), then what we have here is the best fighting game the PSP will ever see.

Jude Salmon