One of the earliest 3D polygon-based games of the genre, Tekken was Namco's answer to Virtua Fighter and was designed by Seiichi Ishii, who himself was also the game's designer when he worked at Sega previously. The game was developed on the purpose-built low-cost System 11 board, based on PlayStation hardware.

The Story Behind Tekken

In 1994, Namco acquired developers from longtime competitor Sega, which had recently created the first 3D fighting game with 1993's Virtua Fighter. Namco held a promotional tour to market the arcade game across North America in early 1995, holding video game competition tournaments in twelve cities. Additionally the background music was arranged, taking advantage of the CD audio capabilities, although the original arcade's chip-generated music can be selected in the console version.

Also known as Rave Wars, the prototype was demonstrated at the Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA) Expo in September 1994, before being renamed Tekken upon release. In 2005, Namco re-released Tekken as part of the NamCollection compilation for the PlayStation 2 to celebrate the company's 50th anniversary. However, this would have made the machine too expensive, so development of Tekken was moved to the System 11 after the meeting with Kutaragi.

How Tekken Plays

In addition, unlike most fighting games of the period, the locations are not linked to a specific character, being randomised during gameplay with no ability for players to select a stage in Vs mode. When Kazuya Mishima was only five years old, his father, Heihachi Mishima, carried him to the summit of a mountain and threw him off to test his strength and determine whether he was fit to inherit the Mishima Zaibatsu. Heihachi organizes and announces the King of Iron Fist Tournament to prove his power and worth.

The arcade prototype Rave War demonstrated at AMOA 1994 received a positive preview from Electronic Gaming Monthly, with a writer for the magazine comparing it favorably with Virtua Fighter 2 and stating "I found Rave War quite a bit more fun to play." There was a mixed reception, however, regarding Tekkens characters which were considered by some to be "weird" compared to those of Virtua Fighter 2, and its "a button for each limb" control system. Plotwise, the game revolves around a tournament set up by Heihachi Mishima, who attempts to prove his power to his revenge-seeking son and protagonist, Kazuya. Tekken was also a best-seller in the UK, where it was the top-selling game in October and December 1995.

Why Players Still Load It Up

Each has a special "sub-boss" associated with them, who will be fought in Stage 8, followed by the final boss, Heihachi Mishima. All sub-bosses and Heihachi were never made playable in the original arcade version. Kazuya enters the tournament, defeats many competitors, including Lee, and narrowly beats Paul after an intense battle.

Like GamePro, Next Generation considered the game's graphics to be its weakest point, specifically the lack of animation on the backgrounds. One of the earliest 3D polygon-based games of the genre, Tekken was Namco's answer to Virtua Fighter and was designed by Seiichi Ishii, who himself was also the game's designer when he worked at Sega previously. Unlockable character in home version, unplayable in arcade version Home version-exclusive, unlockable and palette swap

Tekken — Frequently Asked Questions