Tekken 4: First impressions (1 Viewer)

[Allan Petersen]

Here are my quick first impressions of Tekken 4:
I must say I like this game immensely. While Tekken Tag Tournament fuelled my immediate Tekken craving when I bought the PS2, T4 builds on the series instead of mimicking T3 as TTT did.
The characters are well defined and beautifully detailed with lots of great touches like flowing hair and loose clothing reacting to movement. I’d consider the graphics of T4 to be noticeably better than VF4, a game that I’ve been playing a lot since I bought it. The new backgrounds are fun to look at and have plenty of destructible scenery. Some of them are quite small (Fight Club-style boxing ring) while others are expansive (malls and airports).
I couldn’t test the progressive mode but its there and the European version has a PAL60 option which is always a nice touch. Furthermore, there is a filtering option which can soften the image up a bit. I must say that I didn’t notice that much of a difference. The game looks damn nice and flows very smoothly.
The number of fighters has been reduced, but I only really noticed the omission of Jack – a character I never used anyway. Every character has been given a few new moves but veteran players won’t have any problems getting stuck in. The vast majority of old moves have been included. Sidestepping has been altered which takes some getting used to. Pushing down or up on the controller makes you sidestep while a double-tap causes you to sidestep faster. Crouching or jumping is done by pressing diagonally on the controller. This means that the timing of jumpkicks and the like might feel a bit odd to begin with.
Tekken Force makes a return for T4 and its fun to play. The bowling minigame in TTT was not my cup of tea, to be honest. The Force-game has been improved from T3 and while it still has a few annoyances (it’s basically a 3D side-scroller and enemies can be hard to spot sometimes) it’s been improved since T3.
A purchase I won’t regret any time soon.

 

[Sean Moon]

While the game is very good looking...it just doesnt hold a candle to DOA3 in the graphics department. Most games cannot.
The gameplay is still good in Tekken, but it hasnt evolved enough over the years to keep up with the competetion like DOA and Soul Calibur.
Good game...just ultimately disappointing

 

[Nick Sievers]

How does Tekken4 compare the Virtua Fighter 4 ? I own VF and have had a lot of fun with it, especially the Kumite mode. Is it pretty much the same game with different graphics?

 

[Allan Petersen]

it just doesnt hold a candle to DOA3 in the graphics department.

Here we go again...
Where in my original post did I ever mention the X-Box? So far Tekken has been exclusive to the PS2 and my comparisons are based on other games for that console. Graphically it looks very good compared to other PS2 beat-em-ups. Give the console pissing war a rest for a second, jeez.

 

[Allan Petersen]

Nick,

I had a lot of fun with the Kumite mode in VF4 as well. Unfortunately T4 doesn't have a similar feature.
It's always hard to recommend Tekken to Virtua Fighter fans and vice versa but I like both games. You might want to rent it first.

 

[Aaron Cooke]

Is Tekken 4 actually out in the stores yet? And if so, where did you get yours. I was at best buy yesterday and couldn't find it anywhere. I've been looking forward to getting this for a while now.

 

[Allan Petersen]

It's been out in Europe since the 18th of September. I couldn't find a definite date for North America, sorry.

 

[dave_brogli]

From what I tohught tekken 4 shipped yesterday and gets released today... Im going to sam goody to pick mine up later (crossing fingers that its there) Gamestop.com has it as released today!!!!

 

[Nick Sievers]

I seen it in the store and was about to rent it, but decided on a movie instead. I've never actually played Tekken, is it similar to VF or does it have weapons and fireballs etc?

 

[Allan Petersen]

Tekken has a certain degree of fantasy "feel" to it which might put you off if you're used to Virtua Fighter. One of the hidden characters is a Dural-like robot and there is a huge bear as well... The majority of the characters are human, though.

You won't find fireballs or guns but one of the characters does have a sword. I know some people who find the "hit" animations (colourful flashes and lightning) to be distracting.

I'd recommend renting it if you've never played Tekken before.

 

[Sean Moon]

Ummm...never did it say in the original post this was a PS2 vs Xbox debate. I never intended it to be as such. Nor does it say in the oringinal post that we are discussing only PS2 fighting games. I was merely comparing two fighting games that are on the market. If you want, let me replace DOA 3 with DOA2 Hardcore, as that is still a better game than Tekken 4 in my opinion, as it was making new ground in fighting games, as was Soul Calibur(sorry to make a DC vs PS2 thread now!). Most of the "innovations" in Tekken 4 are direct lifts from DOA 2 actually, like the enclosed environments and wall combos.
And to stay on the same system. VF4 was a much better game than Tekken as well.
As I stated in my previous post, Tekken 4 is a good game, but it has not evolved much at all past Tekken 2 in my opinion. It just seems stuck on the same track...not wanting to evolve and grow.

 

[Allan Petersen]

Sorry, but you WERE comparing the graphics of T4 to DOA3. The X-Box is capable of producing graphics superior to those of the PS2 and as such I find your comparison unfair.

As far as DOA being better than Tekken or Virtua Fighter, I'd say it's a matter of personal taste. I own DOA2 but it never really impressed me, except for the tag battles.

 

[Sean Moon]

I was comparing the graphics, I never said I wasnt, but not as a point for saying one system is superior to the other. PS2 is capable of creating graphics much better than a Dreamcast, yet to this day Soul Calibur is still one of the greatest looking games on the market. So is that not a fair comparison?

As for which game you prefer, it is a personal taste, and I am not criticizing anyones tastes. I love Super Smash Bros too, and many look down on that game.

I was just making comparisons between games withing the same genre, that is all.

 

[Aaron Cooke]

I just called Best Buy and they said it should be arriving on today's truck but the guy didn't know if it would make it onto the shelves today or not. So anyone looking to buy it today might want to call their local store first to make sure it's available.

 

[JoshF]

As I stated in my previous post, Tekken 4 is a good game, but it has not evolved much at all past Tekken 2 in my opinion. It just seems stuck on the same track...not wanting to evolve and grow.

Wow. And you think that DOA3 is a better fighting game. This is interesting, and, sure, it's your opinion, but I must say that I heartily disagree with you.

DOA2 and DOA3 are pretty shallow fighters. Button mashers. Just get close and whack whack whack! Sure, the animations look cool, and the boobies bounce, but it's not much of a deep fighter.

Tekken has always been my favorite fighting game. I've had the best battles with friends in the Tekken games.

As far as Tekken being stuck on the same track, I also totally disagree. Tekken 4 has added new environments, new characters, and new moves.

Soul Calibur is a totally different beast, and it's not my cup of tea. There are tons of SC fans, though, and they still believe it's the best fighter "evar", so that's cool. Maybe you're one of them. I have my own biases, I admit.

 

[dave_brogli]

As the great Rodney King said.... "cant we all just get along" lol...

 

[JoshF]

Dave: We *are* talking about fighting games, after all.

En garde!! KUMITE!

 

[felix_suwarno]

ign said vf4 is better. three editors, all chose vf4.

 

[Sean Moon]

All fighting games are button mashers. Tekken has the "dial a combo", meaning just tap the buttons in the right combination and kill the guy. Soul Calibur is a button masher, Street Fighter, DOA, VF, all of em. The trick to any fighting game is learning what mashing what button does what.
Tekken plays VERY different from DOA. The thig about Tekken is that it has not changed much since Tekken 2, which was my favorite version. Tekken 3 was excellent, but wasnt as big an improvement over 2 as 2 was over 1. That is what I meant by not evolving that much.

As for DOA being a button smasher(like all fighting games) the thing that I find so neat about DOA is the reversal system. Put anyone who has mastered the reversal system in DOA and they will shut a button smasher down in no time. Just ask my friends. They first started playing by smashing buttons and maybe landed ONE or two hit on me because I reverse about 80% or higher of the attacks sent my way. That is where the real meat of DOA comes in. Get two really good DOA players playing each other and you will see two very paranoid people playing, because they both understand the reversal system and are aware that whatever the other opponent throws at them, it can be countered. In the respect of reversal heavy and no combos over 5 hits(unless you juggle), DOA is actually a little more realistic in its fighting styles.
VF4 takes the crown for realistic fighting styles, but DOA is second on that.

The other thing I like about DOA is that the fights are incredibly fast and brutal, there is a good sense of weight and force in it. VF4 is a little too floaty on some respects for my tastes, and Tekken just doesnt feel like you are connecting with the other person a lot. Almost like you are grazing them.

Also, the enclosed evironments, wall combos, multi-tiered environments also add a lot to the strategy in DOA. That is why the wall idea was mimiced from DOA in Tekken 4, it adds depth. The new moves and environments are common of a sequel, so I dont see that as much progress. New ideas that are original need to be implemented, like the 8 way run in Soul Calibur, which was then mimiced in DOA 2 and DOA 3

Tekken just needs a boost I think. It was great back in the day, but it still just feels old. SC and DOA are revamping things

 

[JoshF]

Sean:

It's clear we have a difference of opinion on this, and that's cool. To me games have to be fun, and I've always had the most fun with Tekken.

ign said vf4 is better. three editors, all chose vf4.

That's great. I had VF4 when it came out. I sold it on Ebay. It didn't do it for me. I don't have the patience for that game.