The Final Word game review

Tekken 2 -- Namco

23 of the greatest fighters on Earth have come together to prove their skills. Tekken 2, for the Sony PlayStation, features three new fighting modes, 23 new stages, more moves, multiple combos, plus new attack and throw reversals. All of the excitement of the arcade plus never before seen cinemas awaits you today.

Ferrari Man
Namco's Tekken was one of the best two-player fighting games on any system -- although it fell short in the one player mode. Tekken 2 vastly improves the two-player fighting with a massive choice of characters as well as a faster play speed. The additional characters and speed make the game incredible for two-player action. However, the one-player AI was not as good as I had hoped for, and I found it very simple.

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Namco has outdone themselves this time. A console game that is every bit as good as its arcade counterpart. Tekken 2 screams quality, which is something we could use in more games. The graphics are excellent and there is no hint of polygon dropping until you start using the super deformed characters. The shadows and lighting effects are awesome. The movement of the characters is very smooth and fluid. Of course the cinemas are awesome. Music and sound effects are generally an area where most fighting games tend to fall short. however, Tekken 2's music and sound effects are as good as its graphics. Of course the most important thing in a 3-D fighting game is the gameplay and control within the 3-D environment. Needless to say the control of Tekken 2 is very well done. The wide variety of moves and characters add to all the fun. Some of the characters while blocking can grab your outstretched arm or leg and cause some serious damage. Every time I play I find new moves to use. Tekken 2 allows you to choose from all the old characters plus two new ones initially. As you beat the game with different characters you earn new special characters, up to 23 total. This time around even the special characters have cool though short ending cinemas. There is even a special option to fight as a wire frame character who has the camera situated behind him. It reminded me of a martial arts Punch-Out, believe me it adds a whole new dimension to the game and actually revitalizes it. Tekken 2 as a one-player game is without a doubt the best fighting game on any console. A very impressive game by Namco, keep up the excellent work.

>>>>> 43.5/50 <<<<<		Ferrari Man	????
Graphics		4.5	4.5
Sound		4.0	5.0
Gameplay/Control		4.0	4.5
Longevity/Playability		3.5	4.5
Overall		4.0	5.0
Total		20.0	23.5

(11/96)