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Tekken Dark Resurrection
© Namco

Mania Grade: A
Platform: PSP
ESRB: T
Genre: Fighting
Players: 1-2
Online: Yes
Developer: Namco
Publisher: Namco
Suggested Retail: $39.99
Graphics: A
Sound: A-
Gameplay: A-
Replay: A
Fun Factor: A
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"Tekken - Dark Resurrection"

A full cast of characters returns, allowing you to play all of your favourites. Of course mine is personally Eddie Gordo, and it moves beyond namesake. With the full set of characters from the previous game, it allows you to choose your previous favourites, or if you are new to the game, discover your own. The basics of the game involve trying to defeat your opponents with hand-to-hand combat. Each time you defeat an opponent, or complete a stage, you will earn gold. This gold can be later spent in a store to unlock features of the game, or pimp out your characters.

With hand-to-hand combat, the addictive battle system returns, allowing the experienced and button mashers to relatively on the same level. The true battle often ends up with a split second choice, trying to time your attacks to dodge your opponent’s. Of course the combo system returns, empowering those that learn the ins and outs of the game. The best part is that it can allow people to end the life an opponent with one set. This brings me to the controls, where you use a D-Pad to control your characters. Sometimes it can be fairly difficult to properly activate a combo, which means it is very difficult to accomplish a one move kill. Beyond this is it the same old battle system that you have grown to love, and it is completely fluid and a joy to experience.

One of the best parts of the game is that it offers many different ways to battle. Many of the different battle types will affect the win loss record of characters, allowing you to know what your winning percentage with them is. The only problem that I had with this system is that you may occasionally be moved to turn off your PSP before you record a loss, though I am sure that not everyone has that problem. Story mode is exempted from the recording of wins and losses, which allows you to go through the game as all of the characters, while unlocking their endings. I am personally glad that they included this option, since when you are playing through story mode with the odd character you are bound to lose more often than win because you are unfamiliar with the different characters.

Battle types range nicely, making the game even more of a delight to play. With quick battle you can go one on one with the CPU, or challenge them in team battle. With team battle you also choose how many teammates each side has, which can make it a little unbalanced. Arcade sets you up with head to head battles, and after you win you choose if you want to move onto the next person or quit. Furthermore the list provides you with the options for people to battle against. Another battle option available is the Tekken Dojo, which enters you in giant tournaments. You start off on the bottom rung, and must work your way to the top, even if it means that you will need to battle through 59 other opponents. Once you do get to the top of the mountain, you move onto the next dojo, which has even more opponents. Needless to say this mode will take up a lot of your time. I suppose the most amusing part about it is that everyone has their own nicknames, and the computer’s can be quite funny.

Of course there is also a time attack mode, where you try and run through opponents in the shortest amount of time. The most difficult part about this is that the difficult jumps considerably between each of them. If you do well, you will receive considerable amounts of coin to spend. Another good way to get money though is through the gold rush mode. You will earn gold equivalent the amount of damage that you inflict upon your opponent, but the catch is you must survive to the end of the time limit to collect. This can mean that the best way to use hit and run tactics. Another game that you can unlock is Tekken bowling, and fans of the series will remember it from the Tekken Tag game. Simply put, this mode allows you to have a quick game of ten-pin bowling.

Where the game shines through though is the multiplayer. While fighting the CPU is fun, fighting against another person is always better. The game allows you to battle against a person with the game, where it will tally the win/loss record on both sides. If the person does not have the game, you can share with those without. I am glad to say that the game works fantastically in either of these modes. With the game share mode you must upload the game to another person, which takes 30 seconds to a minute to upload. What is really great to see is after the match you can quickly have a rematch, but if you choose to change characters the host will need to re-upload the information to the UMDless PSP.

Another interesting feature for the game allows your specific characters to rank up after battles. For the computer, ranking shows off how difficult they are to beat. For the human side though, you randomly receive promotion battles depending on how well you are doing. Oddly enough you can rank up against someone who is ranked much below you.

In the end, Tekken Dark Tournament is a fantastic game to play on the PSP. It will keep you playing for many hours. Another great thing about the game is that it is very “pick-up and play”. This means that you can jump right in even if you have never played the series before. Another great thing is that you can easily have a quick game while waiting around to do other things. If you have a PSP, you must have this game, because it is one of the best experiences I have playing the system. All and all, Captain Gordon gives Tekken Dark Tournament an A.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? CaptainGordonEdward@Gmail.com