Tekken 2

The Good
If you were ever wondering what the greatest fighting for the PlayStation in existence is, then look no further! This is it. Everything you've ever wanted out of a fighting game is here. Tekken 2's main competitor at the time was Sega's Virtua Fighter 2, but Namco undoubtedly pulled it off better than Sega, providing much greater variation along with overall better graphics, gameplay and sound.

The wonderful thing about Tekken 2 is that it's a very approachable game for anyone. It's appealing to both weekend players who just likes to sit down, grab the controller and fight away, and to the hardcore fighting enthusiasts who likes to unlock secret characters, do crazy moves and such. At first, the gameplay may seem a bit slow and it's definitely not as lightning fast as other in the genre, however once you get a hang of it, it actually flows surprisingly well. All right, maybe I'm making it sound a bit easier than it really is, getting the timing for the moves right is especially tricky in the beginning, but it's something everyone can learn. The AI of the opponents in Tekken 2 is fairly well done, and it advances as you progress in the game (in Arcade Mode), the final levels can get pretty frustrating, even when you're fairly adept.

The characters you can choose from are a mixture of the useful suspects, such as Law (Bruce Lee type), Jun (school girlish type), Paul (hardboiled American), Lei (Jackie Chan type) and a host of various locked ones, that come at your disposal when you complete the game with one of the characters you can choose from in the beginning. Then there's of course the secret ones. This really adds a lot of replay value since you can complete the game with all the new characters once you unlock them. The characters all have distinct moves and a different feel to them; with a few exceptions, such as Devil/Angel which are essentially the same character, but with different looks. In total Tekken 2 has 23 characters, each with different level stages and music! Every single one of the characters also has an unique ending done in the same 3D style as the intro.

Sound and graphic wise, this is where its at for the PlayStation. The intro was jaw-dropping when the game came out, and even today, almost 9 years after, it still looks pretty damn impressive. The characters are, as mentioned earlier, each done with a different look and feel to them, and they look great, my personal favorite in terms of design being Nina. They even come in 2 different costumes each. The levels are also excellent and done in great variation. From desertscapes, to a calm forest, to New York City...all are done wonderfully. The music is simply put outstanding. This is the BEST music I have ever heard in a fighting game, and it ranks high in my personal list of game soundtracks of all time. Once again the keyword is, tada, variation...from breezy upbeat club to gorgeous ambient. The music bares an ethereal and timeless quality with its mixture of traditional styles and instrumentation with modern beats and electronics. I wouldn't be surprised if the intro music was some sort of hit in Japan when the game came out.

As for game modes there are plenty of different ones you can play. The traditional Arcade Mode where you face opponents until the final showdown with the Devil himself. There's Team Battle mode, Time Attack mode, Survival mode (a great test of skill, where you barely get any health refueled as you progress) as well as a very useful Practice mode (with several modes in itself) where you can get the moves down. Not to mention the Vs Mode where you can duel it out with your friends.

The Bad
The only negative thing I can think of are that the learning curve may be a bit steep, especially to people who has never played a fighting game before.

The Bottom Line
Incredible, cream of the crop fighting game and certainly one of the Top-5 games ever done for the PlayStation.