By Eddy
I want to start by saying that I love the PSP. Having a family and a JOB means that I don’t have the time to play video games, your time gets sucked away for a myriad of reason. There is sickness, stuff that needs to be done around the house, the DVR filling up with too many shows, family visits and most important for me is spending time with Divina and my son. That is why I appreciate the portability and power of the PSP, when I travel, or if I am in bed and D is reading I can play games and still be in at least the same room as everyone else. Don’t get me wrong the consoles are great and the games on them are spectacular, but in terms of giving me what I need and letting me do the other thing in my life I have to give it up to the PSP.
It is in this mindset that I am thankful to developers for making games like Tekken 6 for the PSP (the sequel to Tekken 5 in arcades and Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection on the PSP). Yes, I know that the graphics in general don’t quite stack up to the big consoles and there might be one or two game modes and features missing on the PSP version, but at least the core game play is still there in all its complex greatness. Let me also say that many of these games on the PSP stack up comparably to the PS2 especially on a smaller screen. That is why I wish some day they will start providing PS2 games on the PSP, or at least slightly tuned down versions of the games for me to play (ahhem!…God of War). . Hopefully developers will continue to put out console level games like Tekken 6 on the PSP as it is exactly what consumers like me really need and want.
Note: before I get into the details, let me say that I am not a Tournament level player. Meaning I haven’t played Tekken enough to know every since move or nuance of the characters of which there are many, this is not a strategy guide by any means. With that said, it seems like Tekken 6 was tailor made for the PSP. With simple four button controls that move each arm and leg individually, even a novice can put it all together and figure a number of devastating moves for each player of which there is quite a few.
I would recommend (like most recent fighting games) that you find one player and stick with them. There so many different combos and strategies associated with each character (40 character in total) that trying to figure them all out would take an insane amount of time. This version of Tekken 6 leaves nothing behind in terms of game play mechanics, everything you could have done on the consoles is possible on the PSP.
The only thing really left out of the PSP is the Campaign story mode which basically has you as a character walking around old school arcade style fighting bad guys, let me say that if you are buying Tekken 6 it isn’t about the Campaign story mode. A mode that is included is the Ghost fighting mode, which has you fight different level opponents which earns you cash to purchase the ability to customize your characters, this little bonus definitely adds to the replay value of the game. Another added dimension that has remained the same for the PSP version is the rage system, which is new for all Tekken 6’s across all consoles. The rage system give your player extra damage power per strike when your life bar reaches a certain level. Think of it more as a cornered animal instinct, the more corner the harder the animal fights. Well in this case, the closer to defeat you are, the more powerful your punches become.
In addition, the games adds two new character on top of the huge roster of fighter and additional characters from the arcade version of Tekken 6. Like I said before, if you are looking for an arcade or PS3 level visual experience you are definitely missing the boat. Instead, if you are looking for one of the best fighting games for the PSP, with enough complexity and options to keep you coming back for more, the Tekken 6 for the PSP is a must have.Full Disclosure: I received a copy of game to review
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