While the entire Tekken series has been extremely successful (come on, were now on Tekken 6 for the main iterations and that doesnt include the spin-offs and Tag Tournament games), Tekken 3 is widely considered the best of them all and is arguably the greatest fighting game ever. While keeping the basic gameplay of the prior two games, the third entry into the series implemented some new elements which have now become essential. It was the first game in the franchise to feature the side step move, allowing us to avoid attacks and use footwork to trick our opponents whilst also opening up many new combo possibilities. As well as these gameplay enhancements, Tekken 3 made a huge leap forward graphically. The visuals were also much more impressive than on the previous two instalments and the crisp animation gave the entire experience a more fluid feel. The game skipped forward in time to introduce 15 new characters, most of which are now staples of the franchise like Jin Kazama, Hwoarang and Eddy Gordo (who destroys his opponents with his capoeira dancing combat-style). Along with all these improvements, we were given new game modes too. First there was Tekken Ball which was basically volleyball where you were tasked with kicking and superman punching the ball to your opponent. The next game mode was Tekken Force which somewhat paid homage to the side-scrollers of yesteryear but opened the brawling up into the 3D realm. According to the its producer, Katsuhiro Harada, the game sold 8.3 million copies on the PlayStation alone making it the second best-selling fighting game of all time. Which are your favourite beat 'em ups? Let us know in the comments!
Hailing from South East London, Sam Heard is an aspiring writer and recent graduate from the University of Warwick. Sam's favourite things include energy drinks, late nights spent watching the UFC with his girlfriend and annihilating his friends at FIFA.
