is a 2004
fighting game
The fighting game video game genre, genre involves combat between multiple characters, often (but not limited to) one-on-one battles. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as Blocking (martial arts), blocking, grappling, counter- ...
developed and published by
Namco
was a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company founded in 1955. It operated video arcades and amusement parks globally, and produced video games, films, toys, and arcade cabinets. Namco was one of the most influential c ...
for
arcades, before being ported to the
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
in 2005. It is the fifth main game in the ''
Tekken
is a Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting games developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment (formerly Namco). The franchise also includes film and print adaptations.
The main games in the series follow the events ...
'' series, marking the tenth anniversary of the series. The game is set shortly after the events of ''
Tekken 4
is a 2001 fighting game developed and published by Namco for arcades. Initially released for Namco's System 246 hardware, it was then ported to the PlayStation 2 home console in 2002. As the fourth main installment in the '' Tekken'' series fol ...
'' featuring a new antagonist named
Jinpachi Mishima taking over the ''
Mishima Zaibatsu
is a Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting games developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment (formerly Namco). The franchise also includes film and print adaptations.
The main games in the series follow the events ...
'' while a sidestory focuses on the protagonist
Jin Kazama
is a fictional character and the protagonist of Bandai Namco Entertainment, Bandai Namco's ''Tekken'' series. Introduced in the 1997 game ''Tekken 3'', he has been the central character of the series from that game onwards. Trained by his grand ...
as he faces several enemies from the G Corporation. The home version also contains a collector's edition of sorts, as it includes the arcade versions of ''
Tekken
is a Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting games developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment (formerly Namco). The franchise also includes film and print adaptations.
The main games in the series follow the events ...
'', ''
Tekken 2
is a 1995 fighting game developed and published by Namco. The second entry in the ''Tekken'' series, it was released for Arcade game, arcades in August 1995, and was Porting#Porting of video games, ported to the PlayStation (console), PlayStati ...
'', ''
Tekken 3
is a 1997 fighting game developed and published by Namco. It is the third installment in the ''Tekken'' series and the first game built on the Namco System 12 arcade game, arcade hardware. The game takes place twenty years after ''Tekken 2'' (1 ...
'', and ''
StarBlade''.
The game reverts several major gameplay changes introduced in ''Tekken 4'', such as uneven stage terrain, in favor of a more fluid gameplay akin to the older games in the series. It is also the first game in the series to feature the ability to customize characters with accessories, clothing, and other aesthetic items purchased with in-game currency. There are 32 fighters to choose from, including five new fighters as well as Jin's alter-ego Devil Jin.
The game was upgraded to ''Tekken 5.1'', which had mostly balance changes to the gameplay, and later received the update ''
Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection'' which was released in 2005 and later ported to the
PlayStation Portable
The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PA ...
(as ''Tekken: Dark Resurrection'') and the
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
. ''Tekken 5'' was a critical and commercial success, selling over 8.2 million copies including expansion. Critics praised the return of classic gameplay features and the large amount of replay value provided by the PlayStation 2 port though the final boss was criticized for being too powerful, while Jin's story mode was perceived as "boring" in comparison to the fighting game part. The sequel entitled ''
Tekken 6
is a 2007 fighting game developed and published by Bandai Namco Games. It is the sixth main and seventh overall installment in the ''Tekken'' franchise. It was released on arcades in November 2007 as the first game running on the PlayStation ...
'' was released in 2007.
Gameplay
New to the features is the ''hot system'' which affects the vulnerability of character while they attack. For example, a move with jumping properties, such as a hop-kick, will be completely invulnerable during most of its animation time to all of an opponent's low attacks. It also retains its wall juggling concept from ''
Tekken 4
is a 2001 fighting game developed and published by Namco for arcades. Initially released for Namco's System 246 hardware, it was then ported to the PlayStation 2 home console in 2002. As the fourth main installment in the '' Tekken'' series fol ...
'', but the element is effectively more difficult to abuse and easier to defend against. ''Tekken 5'' also allows players to customize their fighter for the first time, allowing them to change the colors of their outfits, buy additional costumes, and equip them with items by using money gained from playing the Story, Survival, Time Attack, the side-story ''Devil Within'', and Arcade Battle modes.
The raised and lowered sections of floors featured in the ''Tekken 4'' levels were removed for the fifth installment. This change made gameplay throughout each stage generally similar, aside from wall placements. In addition to removing the uneven nature of the ''Tekken 4'' styled stages, the design team returned to the style of stages from previous games by having some stages without barriers by allowing them to be infinitely scrolling. For walled stages, the fights take place in fairly symmetrical boxes without any uneven walls. Floors could also crack after one of the characters hit it hard enough. Only one part of a stage can be cracked at a time, however.
Other changes over the ''Tekken 4'' design included the removal of the positional change techniques, bringing back traditional air combat and using a juggle system more akin to ''Tekken 3'' as opposed to the 4th game's less juggle-friendly gameplay.
Devil Within
The home version also includes Devil Within mode. This is the third installment and gameplay variant in the ''Tekken Force'' series (the first two instalments can be found in ''
Tekken 3
is a 1997 fighting game developed and published by Namco. It is the third installment in the ''Tekken'' series and the first game built on the Namco System 12 arcade game, arcade hardware. The game takes place twenty years after ''Tekken 2'' (1 ...
'' and ''Tekken 4'' respectively). Similar to ''Death by Degrees'', 'Devil Within' focuses solely on one playable character, Jin Kazama, who can also transform into Devil Jin. This is a 3D
beat 'em up
A beat 'em up (also known as brawler and, in some markets, beat 'em all) is a video game genre featuring hand-to-hand combat against a large number of opponents. Traditional beat 'em ups take place in Side-scrolling video game, scrolling, 2D c ...
game with
platforming elements, in which players must control Jin through a series of labyrinthine levels and battle enemy armies. This mode features
boss
Boss may refer to:
Occupations
* Supervisor, often referred to as boss
* Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier
* Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization
* Fire boss, ...
es, such as True Ogre from ''Tekken 3'', who is not playable in ''Tekken 5''.
Plot
Set moments after ''
Tekken 4
is a 2001 fighting game developed and published by Namco for arcades. Initially released for Namco's System 246 hardware, it was then ported to the PlayStation 2 home console in 2002. As the fourth main installment in the '' Tekken'' series fol ...
''s ending,
Jin Kazama
is a fictional character and the protagonist of Bandai Namco Entertainment, Bandai Namco's ''Tekken'' series. Introduced in the 1997 game ''Tekken 3'', he has been the central character of the series from that game onwards. Trained by his grand ...
's departure from the Hon-Maru dojo, G Corporation helicopters approach and begin deploying
Jack-4 machines pods into the building.
Heihachi Mishima
is a fictional character and one of the main antagonists of Bandai Namco Entertainment, Bandai Namco's ''Tekken'' series. Introduced as a boss character in the first ''Tekken (video game), Tekken'' game from 1994, Heihachi is depicted as the Chi ...
and his son,
Kazuya, battle the Jacks together until Kazuya leaves Heihachi for dead while escaping. The Jacks hold down Heihachi while one activates its detonator, creating a huge explosion that seemingly kills Heihachi. The only witness to the event is
Raven
A raven is any of several large-bodied passerine bird species in the genus '' Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between crows and ravens; the two names are assigne ...
, a mysterious ninja clad in black, who relays Heihachi's death to his superiors. Heihachi's death is declared all over the world with everyone foreseeing the end of the
Mishima Zaibatsu
is a Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting games developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment (formerly Namco). The franchise also includes film and print adaptations.
The main games in the series follow the events ...
. However, somebody else takes over the company from the shadows and business continues.
Two months later, the King of Iron Fist Tournament 5 is announced. During the tournament, Kazuya crosses paths with Raven, who recognizes him after seeing him flying away from the Hon-Maru. Kazuya defeats Raven and interrogates him. When he makes Raven talk, Kazuya discovers that he was betrayed by G Corporation, and that something was awakened from under Hon-Maru. Kazuya realizes what Heihachi has done, and speculates that, in fact, it is his grandfather
Jinpachi Mishima, Heihachi's father who was confined below Hon-Maru by Heihachi after a
coup forty years ago. However, he was possessed by a vengeful spirit who granted him insurmountable power, after which he broke out of Hon-Maru during the Jacks' attacks. Ultimately, as revealed in the next game, after Jin utterly defeats
Wang Jinrei
Bandai Namco Entertainment's ''Tekken'' media franchise is known for its diverse cast of characters hailing from various nationalities, all coming together to compete in the King of Iron Fist tournament. In addition to the human characters, '' ...
in the later stages of the tournament,
Hwoarang
Bandai Namco Entertainment's ''Tekken'' media franchise is known for its diverse cast of characters hailing from various nationalities, all coming together to compete in the King of Iron Fist tournament. In addition to the human characters, '' ...
faced Jin and defeated him in the semi-finals. While Jin was lying on the ground, suddenly, he roars paranormally and produces a gale that blows Hwoarang away. From Jin's back, two black wings spread, and Jin stands up in his devil form. Hwoarang is at his wits end. He is not able to fight back, and soon he is knocked unconscious. Presumably because Hwoarang could not continue, Jin was allowed to continue in his place, and progress through the tournament. Jin manages to defeat his great grandfather Jinpachi in the final stage, who dissolves into dust and disappears shortly after, with his wish being fulfilled. With this victory, Jin becomes the new head of the Mishima Zaibatsu, setting in motion the events of ''
Tekken 6
is a 2007 fighting game developed and published by Bandai Namco Games. It is the sixth main and seventh overall installment in the ''Tekken'' franchise. It was released on arcades in November 2007 as the first game running on the PlayStation ...
''.
Characters
The game features a total of 32 playable characters, consisting of 26 returning and 6 new ones. Unlike previous games, the home version adds no new playable character, and the game's unplayable final boss from the arcades,
Jinpachi Mishima, remains unplayable in the console version. The home version also has two uncontrollable enemies fought during the Devil Within minigame: Gun Jack and True Ogre.
New characters
The new characters include:
*
Asuka Kazama
Bandai Namco Entertainment's '' Tekken'' media franchise is known for its diverse cast of characters hailing from various nationalities, all coming together to compete in the King of Iron Fist tournament. In addition to the human characters, ' ...
: A high school student from
Osaka
is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
which practice Kazama Style Traditional Martial Arts and enters in the tournament to take revenge against Feng Wei for having injured her father and destroyed her family's dojo.
*
Devil Jin
is a fictional character and the protagonist of Bandai Namco Entertainment, Bandai Namco's ''Tekken'' series. Introduced in the 1997 game ''Tekken 3'', he has been the central character of the series from that game onwards. Trained by his grand ...
: The Devil form of Jin who uses Jin's old move set composed of his paternal family's martial arts.
*
Feng Wei
Bandai Namco Entertainment's ''Tekken'' media franchise is known for its diverse cast of characters hailing from various nationalities, all coming together to compete in the King of Iron Fist tournament. In addition to the human characters, '' ...
: A Chinese arrogant prodigy of the God Fist style who searches through Japan for information about the scrolls of God Fist.
*
JACK-5: The fifth model of JACK series again sent by his creator, Jane, to retrieve JACK-2's memories from Mishima Zaibatsu.
*
Jinpachi Mishima : The father of Heihachi who is resurrected from the dead by a vengeful spirit.
*
Raven
A raven is any of several large-bodied passerine bird species in the genus '' Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between crows and ravens; the two names are assigne ...
: A mysterious
ninja
A , or was a spy and infiltrator in pre-modern Japan. The functions of a ninja included siege and infiltration, ambush, reconnaissance, espionage, deception, and later bodyguarding.Kawakami, pp. 21–22 Antecedents may have existed as ear ...
agent who is the first to report Heihachi Mishima's supposed demise.
*
Roger Jr. : The wife-and-son duo of
boxing
Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...
kangaroo Roger set out to rescue their husband/father from Mishima Zaibatsu.
Returning characters
*
Anna Williams
*
Baek Doo San
*
Bruce Irvin
Bruce Pernell Irvin Jr. (born November 1, 1987) is an American professional football linebacker. He played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers and was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round with the 15th overall pic ...
*
Bryan Fury
Bandai Namco Entertainment's ''Tekken'' media franchise is known for its diverse cast of characters hailing from various nationalities, all coming together to compete in the King of Iron Fist tournament. In addition to the human characters, '' ...
*
Christie Monteiro
is a character in the ''Tekken'' video game series of 3D fighting games. She is a Brazilian fighter who uses the fighting style, capoeira.
She is the granddaughter of a legendary capoeira master who taught Eddy Gordo the art of capoeira in pris ...
*
Craig Marduk
Bandai Namco Entertainment's ''Tekken'' media franchise is known for its diverse cast of characters hailing from various nationalities, all coming together to compete in the King of Iron Fist tournament. In addition to the human characters, '' ...
*
Eddy Gordo
is a fictional character from the ''Tekken'' series by Bandai Namco Entertainment (formerly Namco). Eddy is a Brazilian capoeira fighter. Introduced in the 1997 fighting game ''Tekken 3'', Eddy has since appeared in every main game thereafter. He ...
*
Ganryu
*
GUN JACK
*
Heihachi Mishima
is a fictional character and one of the main antagonists of Bandai Namco Entertainment, Bandai Namco's ''Tekken'' series. Introduced as a boss character in the first ''Tekken (video game), Tekken'' game from 1994, Heihachi is depicted as the Chi ...
*
Hwoarang
Bandai Namco Entertainment's ''Tekken'' media franchise is known for its diverse cast of characters hailing from various nationalities, all coming together to compete in the King of Iron Fist tournament. In addition to the human characters, '' ...
*
Jin Kazama
is a fictional character and the protagonist of Bandai Namco Entertainment, Bandai Namco's ''Tekken'' series. Introduced in the 1997 game ''Tekken 3'', he has been the central character of the series from that game onwards. Trained by his grand ...
*
Julia Chang
is a character in the ''Tekken'' series centered on fighting games by Bandai Namco. She was introduced in the original ''Tekken'' (1994) as a Chinese- Native American woman possessing a pendant capable of controlling evil powers. The pendant ...
*
Kazuya Mishima
is a fictional character and one of the main antagonists of Bandai Namco's ''Tekken'' series. Debuting as the protagonist of the original game, Kazuya has since become one of the series' most prominent villains after serving as the penultimate ...
*
King II
*
Kuma II
*
Lee Chaolan
Bandai Namco Entertainment's ''Tekken'' media franchise is known for its diverse cast of characters hailing from various nationalities, all coming together to compete in the King of Iron Fist tournament. In addition to the human characters, '' ...
*
Lei Wulong
Bandai Namco Entertainment's '' Tekken'' media franchise is known for its diverse cast of characters hailing from various nationalities, all coming together to compete in the King of Iron Fist tournament. In addition to the human characters, ' ...
*
Ling Xiaoyu
Ling Xiaoyu () is a character from the ''Tekken'' fighting game series by Bandai Namco. Making her debut in ''Tekken 3'', Xiaoyu returns in all the subsequent main installments, as well as several spin-off titles. She is a skilled Chinese martia ...
*
Marshall Law
''Marshall Law'' is an Australian television series, which aired on the Seven Network in 2002, starring Lisa McCune and Alison Whyte as lawyers and sisters.
History
The show was originally conceived as a legal drama mixed with ''Ally McBeal' ...
*
Mokujin
Bandai Namco Entertainment's ''Tekken'' media franchise is known for its diverse cast of characters hailing from various nationalities, all coming together to compete in the King of Iron Fist tournament. In addition to the human characters, '' ...
*
Nina Williams
is a character from Namco's ''Tekken'' fighting game series. A cold-blooded professional assassin from Ireland, Nina made her first appearance in the original 1994 game. She is the only female playable character to appear in all main games of ...
*
Panda
The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear or simply panda, is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its white coat with black patches around the eyes, ears, legs and shoulders. Its body is ...
*
Paul Phoenix
*
Steve Fox
*
True Ogre
Bandai Namco Entertainment's ''Tekken'' media franchise is known for its diverse cast of characters hailing from various nationalities, all coming together to compete in the King of Iron Fist tournament. In addition to the human characters, '' ...
*
Wang Jinrei
Bandai Namco Entertainment's ''Tekken'' media franchise is known for its diverse cast of characters hailing from various nationalities, all coming together to compete in the King of Iron Fist tournament. In addition to the human characters, '' ...
*
Yoshimitsu
Unlockable character
Unplayable boss
Skin/palette swap
Unplayable enemy in Devil Within mode
Development
After the release of ''Tekken 4'', series director
Katsuhiro Harada
is a Japanese game director and producer for Bandai Namco Entertainment. He is best known for his work with the fighting game series ''Tekken.''
Biography
Harada was born in Osaka, Japan, and grew up within the Nara Prefecture region. He la ...
left
Namco
was a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company founded in 1955. It operated video arcades and amusement parks globally, and produced video games, films, toys, and arcade cabinets. Namco was one of the most influential c ...
due to pressure with game's decline in sales. Harada's boss insisted him to keep producing more titles as he was capable of pleasing people with his work. After a year away, Harada went back to the company explaining it was due to his passion with fighting games. Namco first announced ''Tekken 5'' in
E3 2004
E3 (short for Electronic Entertainment Expo) was an annual Trade fair, trade event for the video game industry organized and presented by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). It was held principally in Los Angeles from 1995 to 2019, wit ...
during May. Harada aimed to make it the best game in the entire franchise to celebrate its 10th anniversary. He aimed to amplify the action elements of the games and make them more over-the-top. In regards to the handling of the game following the sales of ''Tekken 4'', Harada claims Namco used this response to develop the game. Namco also aimed to make the game fitting for newcomers. The early success of the arcade led the team to research for more content to add in future installments. Based on the company's revolutionary Dynamic Motion Synthesis technology, endorphin was chosen to implement an AI and dynamics simulation to create 3D character animation in real-time, thus dramatically accelerating 3D animation pipelines in games and visual effect studios. Shinichiro Yoda of Namco was optimisitic with this decision. Torsten Reil, CEO of NaturalMotion, said that they were delighted by Namco as they had already put it in test for its first trailer. The arcade cabinet of the game was notable for allowing players to use their PlayStation 2 controls over the regular arcade system. The team felt that for the first time in years, the franchise made a notable progress thanks to ''Tekken 5''.
The game was developed to be different from its predecessor.
This was mostly due to the feedback ''Tekken 4'' received to the point of being considered by some as one of the worst installments in the series. In contrast to ''Tekken Tag Tournament'', ''5'' runs on a System 256, a stronger arcade, allowing the team to produce more detailed backgrounds and characters. This was done thanks to the new engine provided by Namco. Early in development, Namco promised gamers there would be a minigame on action adventure style mode similar to the one provided by ''Tekken 3''.
Harada wanted the game to be enjoyable to newcomers as a result of multiple playable characters that might be difficult to master. A blur effect was added to the visuals while several stages were given flames.
Early in the production, ''Tekken 5'' was meant to have 20 playable characters, with the selected returning ones being the most popular ones. New movements were added to the returning cast. 600 items were also made for the idea of customization. Among the newcomers, Asuka Kazama stands as a replacement from the missing
Jun Kazama
Bandai Namco Entertainment's ''Tekken'' media franchise is known for its diverse cast of characters hailing from various nationalities, all coming together to compete in the King of Iron Fist tournament. In addition to the human characters, '' ...
who only appeared in ''Tekken 2'' and ''Tag Tournament''. Despite promotion from ''Tekken 5'' claiming that the character has died in the intro, Namco Bandai denied this statement in interviews.
''Tekken 5'' also makes most characters use their own native language during cutscenes, introductions to battles and victory scenes. Producer Takai Homma was in charge of this part of the game. Homma recalls having fun in giving the characters their respective lines as well subtitles. This also led to animal characters having their own lines which have to be read. The goal of Homma was surpassing the two previous ''Tekken'' games.
The CGI studio
Digital Frontier
, also known as , is a motion picture production company in Japan with a distinguished large scale CG production department. The company is equipped with motion capture studio called "OPAKIS" in Odaiba, Tokyo.
The company started producing CG wo ...
, who had previously worked with Namco on earlier games, assisted with the creation of CGI cutscenes in the game.
Music
The game features a large cast of music composers, including Akitaka Tohyama, Yoshihito Yano,
Yuu Miyake
is a Japanese composer and sound engineer who formerly worked at Bandai Namco Entertainment. His most known work surfaced with '' Katamari Damacy'' soundtracks, on which he served as a sound director. Other notable works include various tracks in ...
, Junichi Nakatsuru,
Satoru Kōsaki
is a Japanese music composer and arranger. He is best known for his work on anime, including '' Lucky Star'', '' The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'', ''Monogatari'', ''Beastars'' and '' The Apothecary Diaries''. He worked at Namco, where he prima ...
, Rio Hamamoto, Ryuichi Takada, and
Hiroshi Okubo. The same team also worked on the PS2 version, with the addition of Tetsukazu Nakanishi,
Keiichi Okabe
is a Japanese composer and arranger, best known for composing music for the ''Tekken'' and ''Drakengard'' series. He started his career at Namco in 1994, where he primarily composed for arcade games. Outside of video games, he has composed for a ...
,
Kohta Takahashi, Kazuhiro Nakamura, Keiki Kobayashi,
Nobuyoshi Sano
, better known as sanodg, is a Japanese video game composer, musician and record producer. He is best known for scoring tracks for the ''Ridge Racer'' and ''Tekken'' series, as well as ''Drakengard''.
Biography
Early life
In elementary schoo ...
, and Katsuro Tajima. The opening song for the PS2 version, "Sparking", features vocals by Tom Leonard and
Jeff Pescetto
Jeffrey Pescetto (born November 21, 1954) is an American musical artist who is most notable for collaborating with David Foster on the 1990 recreation of John Farnham's Australian single, "You're the Voice". Pescetto lent the vocals to Foster's ...
.
The music encompasses many genres, including
techno
Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...
,
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
and
nu metal
Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, with a metal umlaut) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop music, hip hop, funk, industrial music, industrial, and grunge. Nu ...
.
Victor Entertainment
is a subsidiary of JVCKenwood that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It is known as JVC Entertainment in countries where Sony Music Entertainment operates the RC ...
released the soundtrack.
Ports
The PlayStation 2 port was made in order to contain everything from the original arcade alongside new content. This originated from fan response who often requested Namco that.
Harada gave Kei Kudo the task of compressing the port version of the game properly. In October 2005, the game was re-released under the "Greatest Hits" label in Japan. The game was re-released as ''Tekken 5.1'', a free upgrade to the arcade version of ''Tekken 5''. It includes changes to the character life bars and character select screen, and some changes in character moves to improve game balance. For example, Steve Fox's infinite was removed, and a few other strong moves were toned down. The Devil Within was created as something only the port could carry.
Available in the version for the arcades, the
PSP and the PlayStation 3 (via the
PlayStation Network
PlayStation Network (PSN) is a digital media entertainment service provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Launched in November 2006, PSN was originally conceived for the PlayStation video game consoles, but soon extended to encompass smartp ...
), ''Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection'' is an update of ''Tekken 5''. It was officially announced at the 2005 JAMMA AM Show but news of it leaked slightly beforehand. The update ''Dark Resurrection'' would further add additional characters, more features, and customizations in addition to gameplay rebalancing. It was directed by Haruki Suzaki who aimed to turn Jinpachi into a playable character. The Japanese version took about two and a half months. The PlayStation 3 port proved difficult to port as a result of its different engine.
Reception
Critical response
''Tekken 5'' was met with mainly positive critical response, resulting in a score of 88 out of 100 at
Metacritic
Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
.
Several writers found its mechanics superior to its predecessor, ''Tekken 4'', due to the return of classic mechanics and the importance of each stage as well as faster combat.
The fact that ''Tekken 5'' removed the exclusive features from its prequel was also a subject of praise. The new mechanics to customize the characters were praised and compared with the ones from ''
Virtua Fighter 4
is a fighting video game developed and published by Sega for arcades. It is the fourth game installment in the ''Virtua Fighter'' series. It was first released in arcades on the NAOMI 2 board followed by a console port as well as ''Virtua Figh ...
''.
The new characters were also the subject of positive response due to the variety they provide.
[ Additionally, the PlayStation 2 port was heavily praised for the inclusion of the first three ''Tekken'' to play, which expanded the replay value.]
Negative comments focused on the 'Devil Within' mini game due to poorly executed mechanics, despite giving the player the possibility of using Devil Jin for the first time,[ with ''GameAxis Unwired'' calling it derivative of the Tekken Force mini-game from Tekken 3 while GameRevolution compared it to the poorly received spin-off '']Death By Degrees
''Tekken's Nina Williams in: Death by Degrees'', known in Japan as , is a 2005 action-adventure game, action-adventure video game developed and published by Namco for the PlayStation 2. It is a Spin-off (media), spin-off of Namco's ''Tekken'' ser ...
''. The final boss Jinpachi Mishima has often been criticized for how overpowered he can be to the point of often being rated as one of the worst bosses in gaming.
The presentation was the subject of positive response. The visuals were praised both for the improvement to the fights as well as the new CGI endings over real time cutscenes coupled with interludes and narration in the story mode, as well as improvements to bodies' textures to the point GameZone and GameSpot found it as a more faithful sequel to ''Tekken 3'' than ''4''.[ The idea of having the characters speaking their native languages over English was well received.] ''VideoGamer.com'' enjoyed the large amount of content player can unlock in the gallery mode too.
''Tekken 5'' was also awarded "Best Fighting Game of 2005" by GameSpot, and "Best PlayStation 2 Fighting Game" by IGN. During the 9th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards
The ''9th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards'' was the 9th edition of the Interactive Achievement Awards, an annual awards event that honored the best games in the video game industry during 2005. The awards were arranged by the Academy of Int ...
, ''Tekken 5'' received a nomination for " Fighting Game of the Year", which was ultimately awarded to fellow Namco fighting game ''Soulcalibur III
is a 2005 fighting game developed and published by Namco as a sequel to ''Soulcalibur II'' (2002) and the fourth installment in the ''Soulcalibur'' series. It was originally released for the PlayStation 2 and was followed by an improved arcade ...
''.
Legacy
''Tekken 5'' was ranked by ''Complex
Complex commonly refers to:
* Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe
** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' as the sixth best PlayStation 2 game. SNK
is a Japanese video gaming and interactive entertainment company. It was founded in 1978 as
by Eikichi Kawasaki and began by developing arcade games. SNK is known for its Neo Geo arcade system on which the company established many franchises ...
staff member Falcoon
, better known by his pen name is a Japanese artist. He works for SNK. He has been involved in several iterations of ''The King of Fighters'' franchise.
Career
After graduating from Kyoto Seika University, Falcoon started as a fan-artist doing ...
said ''Tekken 5'' was one of his favorite games in 2005 although he did not consider himself an expert in the game. Game designer Tomonobu Itagaki
(born April 1, 1967) is a Japanese video game designer best known for creating the ''Dead or Alive'' series and also reviving the '' Ninja Gaiden'' franchise in 2004. In 2009, he was chosen by IGN as one of the top 100 game creators of all time. ...
heavily panned the console port of the game for lacking innovative features after several installments from the franchise. Similarly, ''The Rough Guide to Videogames'' felt the story was convoluted and that the Devil Within was poorly done. ''PC Mag'' listed Paul Phoenix's and Lee Chaolan's endings as two of the "craziest" moments in the franchise.
Producer Harada acknowledged that the game was still riddled with problems, such as characters that were too strong (for example, Steve Fox), and a gameplay that was broken in terms of fairness. This led to the patched update '' Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection''. The fighters were also forced to remain stationary prior to the round beginning.
The game's critical praise was matched with commercial success. As of July 2009, it has sold around 6 million copies. In retrospective, Harada believes ''Tekken 5'', and ''Tekken 6'', managed to attract a new large group of fans, something ''Tekken 4'' did not do relatively as much despite its positive reviews. However, Harada was not without criticism, and stated that Tekken 5 did revert the innovation in Tekken 4 by returning to classic conservative gameplay to please the older fans, which in hindsight he should not have resorted to in excess of the innovation that could have been. A sequel, ''Tekken 6'', was released in 2007. The first CGI scene from the game also influenced the developers to create a film titled '' Tekken: Blood Vengeance'' (2011) which uses this type of animation.
Notes
References
External links
* (Arcade)
* (PS2)
Old official website
(archived)
''Tekken 5''
at MobyGames
MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video game
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controlle ...
''Tekken 5''
at The Killer List of Videogames
Museum of the Game, which includes the Killer List of Videogames (KLOV), is a website featuring an online encyclopedia devoted to cataloging arcade games past and present. It is the video game department of the International Arcade Museum, and h ...
{{Tekken series
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