PS2

Tekken 4

FightingHack and slash/Beat 'em up

Time to beat: about 2 hours

Overview

Tekken 4 (鉄拳4) is a 2001 fighting game developed and published by Namco for arcades. Initially released for Namco's System 246 hardware, it was then ported to the PlayStation 2 home console in 2002. As the fourth main installment in the Tekken series following Tekken 3 (1997), and the fifth overall following the non-canon title Tekken Tag Tournament (1999), the game harbored many gameplay revisions, such as the series-unique ability for the player to move about before the round begins and the introduction of walled stages.

There are up to twenty-two playable characters, five of which are newcomers and one alter-ego palette swap. Placing distinction on the plot in the console version, the tone of Tekken 4 was noticeably darker than other installments in the series. The game notably features the canonical return of Kazuya Mishima, whose story reveals that he was revived following his death 20 years prior and has entered the King of Iron Fist Tournament 4 to take back the Mishima Zaibatsu from his father Heihachi Mishima and seek out his son Jin Kazama.

Tekken 4 received generally favorable reviews. The reception from established veteran arcade players compared to casual console players in the gaming community was initially mixed, with such competitive players pointing out to its traditional gameplay replaced by realism through uneven floors and walls in actual vicinities, as well as more lateral 3D movement replacing aerial combat and juggling. There is also more aggression and poking, akin to boxing or fencing. However, there has been a revival in its reception becoming more positive for its innovative art design and sound. Meanwhile, critics and publications including IGN have rated it as one of the best games in the series. A sequel, Tekken 5, was released in 2004.