DESCRIPTION

Tekken 5 is built on a new game engine, designed to render more detailed characters and environments, and much smoother, more natural-looking animations. The game's control scheme has been tweaked from earlier versions, in order to accommodate the new moves that characters can perform, but the focus remains on providing easily accessible, pick-up-and-play fighting that's backed with powerful, complex combo attacks and special moves for those players who invest the time to learn and master them.

Released in time to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the series, Tekken 5 comes to PlayStation 2 consoles with a solid selection of familiar fighters and three new characters: Raven, a ninja, Feng Wei, a fung-fu master, and Asuka Kazama, an unassuming teen girl. In all, there are 20 playable characters available at the start of the game, and more than a dozen others waiting to be unlocked. Forgotten favorites such as Kuma, the fighting bear, and Mokujin, the animated wooden combat dummy, are waiting in the wings.

To emphasize the international flavor of the tenth anniversary of the "King of Iron Fist Tournament," each character in Tekken 5 speaks in his or her native tongue (English subtitles are available as well). As they progress through the single-player game, players will face increasingly powerful opponents, as in Virtua Fighter 4's acclaimed "Kumite" mode. Also as in VF4, Tekken 5 characters can be customized with items such as sunglasses, hats, and new clothing colors they earn by winning matches. Accurate, playable emulations of the arcade's Tekken, Tekken 2, and Tekken 3 are also included, as a bonus for fans of the series. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide