Tekken 3

[Throughout this project, I will be handing over to the viewpoints of others for guest posts. For this one I’m delighted to welcome for the first time Shoot the Rookie, who has a website of the same name and is on twitter as @Pix1001. I met her via her excellent contribution to the Super Mario Multiverse project earlier this year on Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.]

Tekken 3 can be seen as the start of the modern era of the Tekken series that paved the way for all subsequent editions. The 1998 release built on the relative success and popularity of its predecessor Tekken 2, to propel the series forward in a way that hasn’t happened since.

The popularity of the series seems to have waned somewhat in recent years, with the most recent edition, Tekken 7, selling around 3 million copies less than Tekken 3, but the fact that Tekken 3 topped the UK video game chart when it was released for PlayStation back in 1998 should not surprise anyone. In fact, Tekken 3 was such a huge hit that it is ranked as the fifth highest selling game on the PS1, with international sales of over 8 million units. Although it was released over 20 years ago, a cursory glance at video game Twitter will confirm that the game is still popular amongst gamers today and that many now see it as a classic that has defined people’s experience of the fighting game genre.

But what is it that makes Tekken 3 such an important part of the history of the Tekken series? It is unlikely to be just one aspect that makes the game stand out, so let’s take a look at a few possibilities. Firstly it introduced players to a new generation of Tekken characters, many of whom are now icons of the series. These young, exciting characters built on the existing Tekken story – many being linked with other characters – whilst also bringing their own personalities to the stage. These include characters such as Hwoarang, Ling Xiaoyu, Julia Chang and of course Jin Kazama, who is now one of the most recognisable faces from the whole series.

Not only did Tekken 3 introduce new faces, but also new fighting styles. Although the Capoeira contingent in Tekken games are sometimes written off as being cheap, if you learn to use them properly they really pack a punch (literally) and are hard to beat. Tekken 3 introduced this with the character Eddy Gordo, and thus provided players with a totally new challenge when it came to learning how to use the characters and added further depth to the series’ wide array of martial arts styles.

Whilst Tekken 2 put in the basic building blocks for today’s Tekken in terms of gameplay, graphics and music, Tekken 3 built on them to great effect. For example, it added a proper 3D side-step to the move set, which really changes your options and strategy when fighting. The character models are also that wee bit sharper than Tekken 2, which still looked pretty blocky. Tekken 3 also boasts one of the best soundtracks of any game, with unique pieces for each character including electro, rock and funk elements that you can really get hooked on.

The Tekken series has gifted us a number of excellent mini-games over the years, but not many are as memorable as Tekken 3’s Force mode, in which you fight your way through a side scrolling trial whilst a commentator occasionally utters the word ‘Chicken’ when you pick up the roast-chicken shaped health items that litter the levels. Not only was there Force mode though, there was also a second mini-game called Tekken Ball mode which was similar to beach volleyball. I have to admit that Ball mode didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me, but it’s sheer ridiculousness and humour makes it stick in the mind.

These are just some of the things which have made Tekken 3 a defining game. Other games in the series might excel in individual areas, but it is Tekken 3 that mixes all these elements perfectly. It combines fast and strategic action with brilliant characters and the overall game design has a quality that has rarely been matched. It thoroughly deserves its place in gaming history and hasn’t yet been beaten by any other entry in the Tekken series. Here’s hoping the current Tekken team take note of what made this game so awesome and use that to inform their future releases!