Tekken: Dark Resurrection Review

By Luke Albiges Published 7 September, 2006

Namco declares Marshall Law on handheld gaming.

Version tested: PSP

Things haven't exactly been great for the poor old PSP lately. Aside from the insanely good LocoRoco, Sony's handheld has been starved of quality titles for much of the year, leaving it to look on helplessly while the DS rides the non-game wave into millions more households. But as the likes of Nintendogs have proved, it only takes one game to tip the balance of power and if Namco's fisticuffs extravaganza Dark Resurrection can't put the PlayStation Portable back on the map, it's unlikely that anything will.

So yeah, PSP Tekken is good. As in really good. The typically sleek Namco presentation couldn't be better suited to the PSP and the visuals really show what Sony's handheld can do in the right hands. Beautiful character models and flawless animation make for the best showcase for the PSP's potential so far. But as impressive as it may look, Dark Resurrection's core gameplay also manages to live up to the heady standard set by its production values. It may be 'just Tekken' but however you look at it, this is the best 'home version Tekken' out there.

You want characters? You got them. Dark Resurrection features the largest roster yet for a Tekken title - an incredible 34 characters are all ready to go from the outset and however you like to play, there'll be one to suit your style among them. Grapplers can plump for King, Armor King or Marduk, martial arts fans have Feng, Law and Lei (among others) and there's even potential to go a bit further afield with unique fighters like Ganryu or Roger. On top of having pretty much every character to have graced the series thus far (only Gon, the stupid Ogres and clone characters like Alex, Tiger and Forrest don't make it in, which shouldn't disappoint too many people), Dark Resurrection also brings in two new characters. Lili spins and flips about not unlike a hybrid of Dead Or Alive's Helena and Kasumi while Russian special agent Dragunov keeps things far simpler, mixing heavy hits with a supreme mix-up game. In fact, the only bad news on the character front is that Namco has apparently forgotten to remove broken boss Jinpachi, but even that isn't a major deal breaker as you'll only come across the overpowered freak in a couple of modes.

'Tekken: Dark Resurrection' Screenshot 0069

It's always good to see cheap-as-chips Eddy get an absolute taste. Punished!

And speaking of modes, suffice to say that Namco wasn't satisfied with just providing an expansive character roster. Everything from the arcade mode to Tekken Bowl is somehow crammed onto the UMD via every imaginable game mode - practice alone is so packed with separate options that even just honing your skills on a motionless opponent is both entertaining and rewarding. But while quick play modes and the bonus games (which are reminiscent of Soul Calibur III's Soul Arena missions) are very much welcome, the real star of the show is the Tekken Dojo mode. Playing out like Virtua Fighter 4's Quest mode, you simply pick your character and build them up through the ranks of each dojo via league battles and eventually ranked tournaments. There's a good amount of stat tracking as you take your chosen fighter from Beginner rank to Tekken Lord and you can even use the impressive array of 'ghost' options to download new opponents for each dojo or upload your own play style to a friend's PSP.

Best of all, though, this ingenious ghost system technically makes for an unlimited supply of varied opponents. By going into network mode, players can download a whole host of new ghost fighters or even share their own, meaning you can play virtual versions of your mates even when you're on the other side of the world. This goes some way towards making up for the fact that there's no true online play but then again, having seen the state of Dead Or Alive 4's online modes, these ghost options are far preferable to an online mode where every battle takes place in the land of lag. Still, with plenty of scope for local multiplayer and even a game sharing option to play from a single UMD, there's next to nothing to criticise here, no matter how deep you dig.

'Tekken: Dark Resurrection' Screenshot 3

All the customization options have been beefed up - if you don't like Yoshi's new face, change it for a different one. Class.

Control also deserves a mention, if only because of the fact that this is probably the first beat-'em-up to make the leap from console to handheld without the button set-up going from awkward to barely usable. Tekken's four-button control lends itself perfectly to the PSP and while cross-button stretches (for moves that use, say, X and Triangle simultaneously) can be tricky, assigning these combos to the shoulder buttons solves that particular problem. And beyond that, its absolutely plain sailing and fans of the series will be able to drop straight in and nail those tricky combos without any kind of struggle - something that can't be said for the likes of Darkstalkers and Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX.

With everything a fighting fan could ever need somehow shoehorned onto the smallest of discs, Dark Resurrection is without question the finest portable beat-'em-up ever released. Not only that, it also represents the pinnacle of the series overall, which is an incredible feat for a handheld title. The wealth of characters and play options combine with the sturdy and varied play mechanics to create a genuinely brilliant fighting game and one of the first must-have PSP titles in months. This is the kind of game that sells machines, putting it up there with classics like Super Mario 64, Ridge Racer and Halo. And rightly so. Namco has outdone itself both in terms of pushing the PSP hardware to the absolute limit and also in getting one of its flagship series back on track - seldom will you see a more polished, feature-packed or concise videogame, and to do all of this on a portable system is nothing short of stunning. Believe the hype and savour the PSP's finest hour thus far.

9 / 10

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About Luke Albiges

Read more articles from Luke by visiting the Luke Albiges archive page.

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Comments (46) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Psi #1 6 years ago

    arg first decent reason to buy one :(

  • Reco_Morgs #2 6 years ago

    Why should it make a difference, we have all played tekken to death?

  • JediMasterMalik #3 6 years ago

    Got it from the US, is fantastic.

  • lost_soul #4 6 years ago

    Sounds great, I'll have to pick up a copy.

    Now, how about a PSP port of Soul Calibur 3?

  • SeesThroughAll #5 6 years ago

    /wants it. Badly. :)

  • Hughes. #6 6 years ago

    /me blinks at score

    /me blinks at URL

    /me blinks at platform

    /me blinks at score

    This is a PSP title, right?

    This is Eurogamer, right?

    /me faints

  • Artemis_Matsas #7 6 years ago

    Woohoo!!! gonna order it NOW!!!

  • Darkedge #8 6 years ago

    my god I'm surprised. Shame the PSP is soo uncomfortable after awhile that this game i'll put your hands in agony

  • sailesh #9 6 years ago

    my brother has had it for a while - it is the best psp game i've played but from the 4 matches i played - from those initial impressions i still prefer tekken 5 cos it just works a lot better.

    maybe i should TAKE my bro's psp and actually have a good go though.

    i like tekken a lot, so i am surprised i'm not bowled over. Maybe tis my ds lite clouding my judgement. heh

  • SeesThroughAll #10 6 years ago

    Killer App Found

    I have to buy this

  • MrGrumpy.au #11 6 years ago

    "Now, how about a PSP port of Soul Calibur 3?"

    I'll second that as long as the debilitating save glitch is fixed from the PS2 version.

  • Hughes. #12 6 years ago

    That said, the first comment is yet another "first reason to buy a PSP" one, so at least some things never change.

    Gahh! I wasn't going to get this, but now I have 5 PSP games on pre-order!

  • Salaman #13 6 years ago

    Hmmm ... I don't like fighting games but these kind of reviews always make me want to run out and buy the game regardless.

    NGhghghghggh! Must. Resist.

  • York #14 6 years ago

    PSP game reviews are like buses.

  • Arwin #15 6 years ago

    ... and in Arcade, VS, Time Attack, Survival, Dojo, Tekken Bowl, Command Attack, etc. etc. etc. :D

    All kidding aside, I've got the Japanese version of the game since June and here's a list of things I really like about it:

    - loading times: what loading times?
    - characters: wow, they're all there and with the best selection of moves so far ... moves and combo lists range from 76 to 176! King has some awesome grapples, crazy ones also like grabbing someone mid-air.
    - command attack: this is the most brilliant and fun way to learn special attacks and juggles so far. I'm totally addicted to it, going for sub 50 second times for each character.
    - online rankings: even with the Japanese version you can see your own online rankings, also available on the Namco website, and you could from day one filter for European players, so that I could see for instance that I ranked 16 with my command attack.
    - game sharing: this is a great game for game sharing, with some decent caching options to boot, with the option to save the character data (move animations) on the memory stick of the other PSP. Though of course a rematch with the same characters is instantanious. The only time I see slight lag is typically when you knock someone out, but by that time it doesn't matter.
    - the practice modes: these are nigh-on perfect now. You can practice everything, get demos of every move, get command input feedback at the same time, practice defense, offense, whatever. It's superb.

    Of course all the start and end movies are there, and you can also watch the music separately (some very decent tracks in there).

    The only possible downside I could find is that it can b e a bit harder to pull off some moves on the PSP's dpad, especially if you have an older model PSP. You do have an option to get one of these overlay things for your d-pad after which the problem is solved completely - but I'm managing quite well without it so far. You just have to learn to be more precise with pressing the diagonals.

    Also pay attention that by default the analog stick also works for controlling your character - you may not notice this initially and then accidentally touch it and don't understand what went wrong. You can switch this off of course.

    Like the reviewer said, this is really the best version of Tekken out there on any platform. Awesome achievement.

    By the way, Hughes, Loco Roco and Daxter also got a 9 on Eurogamer.

  • myiagros #16 6 years ago

    a truely great game, if you have a psp BUY IT!!

    also the review didn't seem to mention the online leaderboards for all the modes.

  • Arwin #17 6 years ago

    (Oh, and Burnout Legends also got a 9 ... that makes at least 3 other PSP games with a 9 then ;) )

  • Arwin #18 6 years ago

    (Oh and GTA, and, oh, Lumines, Ridge Racers, Wipeout ... )

  • Hughes. #19 6 years ago

    @Arwin

    Bah! You and your facts!

  • SeesThroughAll #20 6 years ago

    (Oh and GTA, and, oh, Lumines, Ridge Racers, Wipeout ... )

    List of PSP games reviewed in EG with a 9/10 score:

    Burnout: Legends
    Daxter
    Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
    Loco Roco
    Lumines
    Out Run 2006: Coast 2 Coast
    Ridge Racer
    Tekken Dark Ressurection
    Virtua Tennis World Tour
    Wipeout Pure

    Not a huge amount, but there's certainly enough variety of quality titles in there to justify the PSP as a gaming device.
    Edited by 1 at 07/09/06 @ 13:52

  • rhinoxious #21 6 years ago

    There's a few games i wouldn't mind playing on PSP, but most of them are things I've done to death on previous consoles, this isn't going to change that view.

    /returns to playing to Phoenix Wright.

  • boo #22 6 years ago

    Is Nina Williams in it?
    Is she wearing stockings, a la Tekken2?

    A... friend... wants to know.

  • Stoatboy #23 6 years ago

    @SeesThroughAll

    Unless I've miscounted that's one more 9/10 than the DS has.

  • mwmoney #24 6 years ago

    I make it 3 more.

  • nickthegun #25 6 years ago

    Had the US version for a month-ish now from a trip to NY and, fwiw, here are my thoughts -

    - I dont think it was mentioned in the review, but the loading times are easily as fast as the PS2 version. Jukes (Raw Vs Smackdown) need to be beaten over the head with a rubber cock with 'see tekken load times' written down the side of it.

    - For a predominantly multiplayer game, it certainly gives the single player a lot to do. Certainly worth buying if anyone was wondering about the value of a single player only tekken.

    - Its a system seller alright. Its the game you will put on when you are showing people what your PSP can do. The cut scenes are brilliant and the in game graphics are a match for most PS2 games.

    - This one has a weirdly comic streak running through it. 3 words; Heihachi in speedos

    - The game itself is a very safe 9. But, unfortunately, the PSP itself knocks off at least one mark for the shitty, shitty D-Pad. Im am very good at tekken, but I found myself avoiding using any combo with a diagonal. Have ordered a thumb-pad from Ebay, so hopefully that will cure it.

    - I have played it so much, I have a misshapen claw for a hand.

    - The game sharing works superbly, with very little lag.

    - The game is surprisingly light on the batteries. A charge seems to last a good while.

    - The new characters are actually very good, rather than being crappy rehashes of existing ones.

    - Someone asked earlier, there is NO tag element. One character vs.

    - There are still action cuts when heavy blows are landed.

    - The game forces you to run v2.6 firmware

    - For the earlier poster, i havent seen nina in stockings, but you can buy a nurses outfit for her and schoolgirl outfits for most of the others.........so ive heard.....

    Any other questions, I would be happy to answer.
    Edited by 1 at 07/09/06 @ 14:46

  • toy_brain #26 6 years ago

    Yup, excellent game.
    Got the US version a while ago and its absolutely perfect for on-the-go play.
    You can have a couple quick matches agains the CPU, or really dig into the Dojo mode and waste several hours without noticing.
    And best of all, everything you do earns you points to use towards unlocking stuff - so you are never playing for no reason and always working towards something.

    My only complaint is that its still technically a PS2 port.
    If it had been a totally original game, or mabye a full sequel (but thats coming out on PS3 so...) that would have been sublime.

  • Perry #27 6 years ago

    Whilst the PSP bashing on this website was always extremely harsh, the last 6 months has been pants for good games.

    Good to see this is changing.

    I had a go on the DS, I just didn't like it. I can't understand the fuss, but there you go. Horses for courses.....

  • nickthegun #28 6 years ago

    Toy_Brain - Although it doesnt always show, apparently the PSP version was written almost from the ground up, using little or no code from the PS2 version, so, technically, i dont think it counts as a port. Plus, there is enough exclusive content in this to, i would think, make it a worthwhile purchase, even if you owned T5 on the PS2.

    Anyway, since I havent owned a PS2 for 4 years, i am delighted to get a home version of tekken on the go again, port or not.

    But then, i dont want to get in to the whole 'Handheld Ports' nest of gay vipers.

  • Nobuo #29 6 years ago

    After that glowing review... I was almost surprised not to see a 10/10.

  • zErOb_cOOl #30 6 years ago

    Since Soul Calibur was released, everybody seems Soul Calibur crazy. I got SC on the day of release for the Dreamcast, was wowed by the graphics, loved some characters, hated others (like any beat-em-up), subsequently completed the game with all of them, but then I took a step back. I actually though SC was missing something over Tekken 3 on the PS1.

    It's not that I don't know how to play SC, but it really is a button-basher's paradise. Tekken is as well, to an extent, but after that there is a very deep move set to explore for every character in Tekken, and extremely varied fighting styles, so that even without weapons you get very interesting match-ups. Ducking and dodging is also better/more satisfying in Tekken, as well as moves which you can execute to purposely dodge a predicted high kick, for example. It is much more of a thinking person's fighting game.

    Tekken 5 on the PS2 must also utilise the hardware to the max, as the graphics are amazing. I whipped Tekken 5 out again last week, after not playing it for a good few months, and loved it. My housemate, who couldn't have been less enthusiastic about playing it, also got straight into it, and loved it! We must have played it for hours and hours last week. I think this speaks volumes about the game, and it sounds like it's younger brother is the same story here on the PSP.

  • HelloWorld #31 6 years ago

    Whilst it's really impressive that they've managed to get what is essentially a PS2 game running on a tiny handheld wotsit, my problem is exactly that- i already have this this game on PS2.
    I know fighting games generally don't change much, but the difference between this and Tekken 5 is a lot smaller than the difference between Tekkens 4 and 5.

  • El_MUERkO #32 6 years ago

    Tekken and GTA: VCS should keep PSP owners happy for crimbo, now if they'd only bring out Syphon Filter!

  • SeesThroughAll #33 6 years ago

    now if they'd only bring out Syphon Filter!

    It's out since last week, mate! And a fine game it is too!

  • Hughes. #34 6 years ago

    Really? My Syphon Filter pre-order has slipped 3 weeks. I did see a copy yesterday, but it was a US import, so the online stuff wouldn't have worked.

  • SeesThroughAll #35 6 years ago

    Well, I found it last week for sale, in Belgium at least... and it was no import...
    Edited by 1 at 07/09/06 @ 16:03

  • Hughes. #36 6 years ago

    Ee! You lucky bleeder!

    /envy

  • Feanor #37 6 years ago

    I agree about VF, but Tekken is just as in depth as Soul Calibur.

  • Arwin #38 6 years ago

    ", but it's got nothing on Virtua Fighter or even Soul Calibur."

    Ehm ... sure.

    Anyway, Tekken 4 was probably the worst in the series, so you might like to reconsider.

    Personally, I agree - Tekken is really the deepest one. For me its the intuitive controls that do it. All the moves make a lot of sense, in that each limb has a button (left hand = square, right hand is triangle, left leg is cross, right hand is circle), and the moves are almost always sensible combinations of these and directional buttons. For instance, a quick forward double palm strike with Nina would be double-tap forward, and square + triangle (for both hands). A left-right is simply quick press on the left hand button, then on the right hand button. A high kick is up together with the leg you want to use for the high-kick. Imho it just can't be beat, really, for this type of fighter, until maybe we get some great new way of controlling fighters with the PS3 motion controller.

    This makes so much sense and is so intuitive, that I can no longer really accept any other system. I also love how almost all the moves are taken from existing styles, and can be recognised by practitions of the related sport.



  • toy_brain #39 6 years ago

    "Toy_Brain - Although it doesnt always show, apparently the PSP version was written almost from the ground up, using little or no code from the PS2 version, so, technically, i dont think it counts as a port. Plus, there is enough exclusive content in this to, i would think, make it a worthwhile purchase, even if you owned T5 on the PS2. "

    Oh I agree with you.
    I had Tekken 5 on PS2 and still think this is a worthy purchase - there is just so much more to it. The extra characters (neither of which feel at all 'tacked on'), extra stages, the modifications to all other characters, the expanded costume customisation, the extra modes....
    It very nearly feels like a full sequel....... nearly..... but not quite.

  • AcidSnake #40 6 years ago

    I never owned a Tekken game...
    But when I played at a friends house I used to win by just pressing all the buttons whenever he came near...
    Whereas if someone pulls that stuff with soul calibur I can kill them in no time...

    Dunno, Tekken always seemed flat when compared to SC...
    That said it could be that my friends are all crap at Tekken...
    Or just not very good button mashers when we play SC

  • Arwin #41 6 years ago

    @insane: your second question was already answered, and I didn't even take your first question seriously. Apparently I was mistaken there - so here we go: no, you still get some flashes when you make better than average hits.

    Your game options are:

    Difficulty Level
    Rounds
    Round Time
    Start Position
    Command List Direction
    Guard Damage
    Character Select Cursor
    Quick Select
    (Default)

    Sound options:
    BGM Volume
    SE Volume
    Stage Effects Volume
    Subtitle

    Key Configuration (as mentioned - completely configurable with options to assign combinations to the shoulder buttons, and to use either analog or d-pad as default - when the d-pad is default, you can for instance in practice mode then scroll through the movelist with the analog to see how to do them without going into the menu, and get a demo without going into the menu by pressing select+triangle)

  • secombe #42 6 years ago

    Nothing to moan about no matter how dig you deep?

    Surely the loading times must be dreadful, or has even this been sorted?

  • toy_brain #43 6 years ago

    "Surely the loading times must be dreadful, or has even this been sorted? "

    Loading times are extremely fast as has already been mentioned.
    Definately no longer than any modern PS2 Namco fighter - about 3 seconds between stages, which is pretty much the best you could ask for.

  • tentonipete #44 6 years ago

    will this destroy my psp buttons?

  • Artemis_Matsas #45 6 years ago

    It's proper Tekken on a HANDHELD!
    I can't see myself lugging around my PS2 +TV + car battery in order to play it on the road! Geesh...

  • SomaticSense #46 5 years ago

    I loved the first 3 Tekkens on PS1, hated the 4th one, and then went and imported the US version of this about a month ago. Problem is, it was one of the faulty copies that doesn't load anything past the menu screen (you just get a neverending black screen).

    Is it to late to return the US version (got it from Liksang) and get a refund? Or do I have to go and buy the UK version?

  • DFawkes #47 4 years ago

    I'm not buying an game where you can't customise your character to have 2 golden revolvers on his belt, or a huge sword on his back. What? You Can?

    /Runs off and buys

    I love customising my character in Tenchu Z, so I think I'll get this.