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If you’ve played Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection on the PSP, you know what to expect—as long as you expect a bit less. Consider Dark Resurrection a port of the coin-op game, rather than the portable version. As the first big-ticket PlayStation Store title, Dark Resurrection delivers a lot for the $20 price tag, and if it weren’t for the recently released Virtua Fighter 5, you could easily call this the best new fighter for any system.

Downloadable Beatdown

Tekken has a rich history on the PlayStation. The original coin-op game arrived on the PS One as a revelation. Not only was it graphically on par with the arcade, the game play was far better, and it offered tons more than just one-on-one fighting. Since then, the series has only expanded on these features. Although Tekken has gotten a bit stale over the years, the PSP version managed to help revitalize it.

Now on the PS3, Dark Resurrection makes an impressive next generation debut, although the limitations of downloading do hurt it. One of the key attractions for fans of the series was the individual character storylines. Although story is a sketchy element in any fighter, Namco made their mark by giving each character stunningly rendered end sequences in the story mode.

Due to the size of such movie files, you won’t find a story mode at all in Dark Resurrection. Instead, you’ll have the option to use the points you accumulate to purchase the end movies for at least some of the characters. Aside from causing players to pine for a DVD version of the game, this also means having to endure annoyingly slow download times and putting up with the inability to use the PS3 while downloading.

Bare Bones and Knuckle Fighting

You also won’t find other recent additions to the series, like the side-scrolling Tekken Force game, or wacky mini-games like Tekken bowling. In fact, the only offerings here are the standard arcade mode, a ghost battle mode, and a versus mode. As you fight, you’ll earn points to customize your character’s wardrobe, and buy movies and illustrations. This is a fun holdover from the PSP version, but players will likely wish for more extras.

If you don’t mind the idea of a barebones Tekken, everything else is excellent. Namco Bandai bumped up Dark Resurrection to 1080p resolution, and it looks great despite an aging graphics engine. Characters are well detailed and stunningly animated, with a colorful, almost cartoonish look to them. The backdrops look gorgeous and spacious, although the game still lacks the less confined arenas of Virtua Fighter and Dead or Alive. Impressively powerful sound effects and an entertaining hard-edged theme song make for good audio.

The Tekken games have always skirted a fine line between technique fighter and button masher, and this version is no different. Even if you haven’t played a Tekken game since the original, the controls will instantly feel familiar. The two-kick/two-punch configuration allows for easy newbie playability and some truly satisfying chain combos.

Tekken It with Friends

Although the end boss is still incredibly cheap, and some of the AI characters use questionable tactics, playing solo is still a lot of fun. There are enough difficulty settings to suit most players, so anyone can feel like a kung fu hero. Multiplayer is the heart of most fighters, so it is decidedly tragic that Dark Resurrection lacks online playability. Instead, fighting fans will have to make do with standard one-on-one fighting in front of the same TV.

Granted, the inclusion of a whopping 35 characters makes the battles worth fighting. Almost all of the old favorites are here, like Anna, Law, and Heihachi, along with familiar bizarre inclusions like the panda, kangaroo, and polar bear. New fighters include Lili and Dragunov. 

Good to the Last Dropkick

With great graphics and playability, along with a slew of cool characters, Dark Resurrection is an exceptional fighter—if you just want a familiar old school coin-op experience. The lack of the story mode, online play, and mini-games is disappointing. Still, for the price, Dark Resurrection is definitely worth checking out.

Article by: Jason D'Aprile
Video produced by: Eric Acasio