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TEKKEN: DARK RESURRECTION (PSP)
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Publisher: Namco Bandai.
Developer: 8ing. Released: September 2006 (Europe). Genre: 3D Fighter. Other versions: PS3. Posted 25th October 2022. By Shane Battams © 2022 |
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Tekken: Dark Resurrection represented what was perhaps the single greatest leap for handheld fighting games. While previous portables made attempts to emulate their big-brother consoles’ fighting games with wildly varying success rates, they usually had to take a streamlined approach to squeeze them down. But with Sony’s powerful PSP, no compromises had to be made, no sacrifices given and Namco’s superb fighting game is the end result. Crisp in detail, fluid in motion and stuffed with extra content, Dark Resurrection sees Tekken 5 upgraded in grand style and as a result, it is a quintessential purchase for the PSP.
Releasing over a year after the PlayStation 2’s Tekken 5, Dark Resurrection serves as an update to the already stunning fighter, bringing with it a plethora of tweaks. Roster balance is better, with moves chopped and added to level the playing field. Juggling plays a huge role in this edition, with continuous, well-timed offence while your opponent is in mid-air rewarding high damage. Three new characters join the roster; Emile is a rich kid who yearns to help her father’s woes by defeating the Mishima Zaibatsu, Armor King II is a younger version of a series favourite albeit with an altered move set, whilst Sergei Dragunov serves as a Spetsnaz soldier. They slot nicely into a strongly established roster, which already numbered more than 30. Dark Resurrection is one of those rare fighting games where using different characters and understanding their intricacies is intensely rewarding.
Releasing over a year after the PlayStation 2’s Tekken 5, Dark Resurrection serves as an update to the already stunning fighter, bringing with it a plethora of tweaks. Roster balance is better, with moves chopped and added to level the playing field. Juggling plays a huge role in this edition, with continuous, well-timed offence while your opponent is in mid-air rewarding high damage. Three new characters join the roster; Emile is a rich kid who yearns to help her father’s woes by defeating the Mishima Zaibatsu, Armor King II is a younger version of a series favourite albeit with an altered move set, whilst Sergei Dragunov serves as a Spetsnaz soldier. They slot nicely into a strongly established roster, which already numbered more than 30. Dark Resurrection is one of those rare fighting games where using different characters and understanding their intricacies is intensely rewarding.
Dark Resurrection delivers all the action and content of Tekken 5, plus some new modes and fighters of its own: it's a remarkable feat
Dark Resurrection is also filled with content. Tekken 5’s Story Mode is fully intact, allowing you to explore individual narratives around a diverse cast and some truly outrageous endings. Tekken Dojo, a new addition, lets you battle through several dojos as you increase your rank, fight downloadable ghost opponents and earn more gold. Tekken Bowling makes a welcome return, feeling right at home on the handheld. Command Attack returns from Tekken 4, lettingthe player test their abilities with some insane combos. Gold Rush allows the player to challenge AI with hits rewarding gold with each strike. Gold itself can be used to customise characters, allowing you to deck out the roster in some insane garb. There’s a handful of stages from Tekken 5 that have been refreshed too, sprucing up settings with new colours and thematic changes. You can also connect to other PSPs to fight locally with friends, and Dark Resurrection is a truly robust package.
One can’t really discuss this PSP update without mentioning its technical accomplishments, as Tekken: Dark Resurrection looks absolutely stunning. Fights run at a full 60fps and while scenes in-between run at half this, it’s not too noticeable. Characters look just as detailed, and animate just as fluidly, as their PS2 counterparts, and the impactful strikes the series has become known for are still here in full. Customising characters still proves a joy, thanks to how well the options gel with default models. The only qualm you could levy is that a few cosmetic changes, such as Jinpachi’s more fiery appearance, clash with FMVs taken from the original game, but it’s not a huge problem. The sound fares just as well too, with the selection of remixed tracks from Tekken 5 still holding up. The voiceovers mix a plethora of languages and remain solid for the most part. But the potent strikes, cracking bones and painful grabs are the true highlight.
One can’t really discuss this PSP update without mentioning its technical accomplishments, as Tekken: Dark Resurrection looks absolutely stunning. Fights run at a full 60fps and while scenes in-between run at half this, it’s not too noticeable. Characters look just as detailed, and animate just as fluidly, as their PS2 counterparts, and the impactful strikes the series has become known for are still here in full. Customising characters still proves a joy, thanks to how well the options gel with default models. The only qualm you could levy is that a few cosmetic changes, such as Jinpachi’s more fiery appearance, clash with FMVs taken from the original game, but it’s not a huge problem. The sound fares just as well too, with the selection of remixed tracks from Tekken 5 still holding up. The voiceovers mix a plethora of languages and remain solid for the most part. But the potent strikes, cracking bones and painful grabs are the true highlight.
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Dark Resurrection does suffer some minor flaws, though nothing remotely serious. The difficulty balance feels a touch off, with Medium representing a huge leap in challenge from Easy. Yet even the latter suffers from a cheap, frustrating pair of final bosses in the form of Devil Jin and Jinpachi, the latter of whom can deploy an unblockable beam which shaves off almost all the player’s health bar. The other gripe is less a criticism of the game and more a shortcoming of the system itself, with the D-Pad lacking the protrusion of competing controllers. This makes pulling off certain moves a touch tricky, with the analog nub not doing much better. However, responsive controls do go a long way to alleviating this problem and once you wrap your around it, it feels natural.
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For so long a shell of a genre in handheld form, Dark Resurrection rewrote the rulebook on what players could expect from portable fighters
Tekken: Dark Resurrection proves one of the greatest fighters of its generation and it’s even more impressive that so little was compromised in its move to a handheld, perhaps outdoing the already excellent PS2 original. The visuals are incredible, the gameplay is fluid and responsive, and the huge range of modes gives it great staying power. If you own a PSP and have even the vaguest interest in fighting games, this one is simply a must for your collection.
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VERDICT
"Tekken: Dark Resurrection proves one of the greatest fighters of its generation and is even more impressive when you consider how little was sacrificed in its transition to the handheld." OVERALL: 9/10 |
MORE FANTASTIC TEKKEN FIGHTERS REVIEWED
Tekken 3 (1998, PlayStation)
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Tekken Tag Tournament (2000, PS2)
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