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How Tekken 4 Game Revolutionized the Series with New Gameplay Features



Tekken 4 (鉄拳4) is a fighting video game developed and published by Namco as the fourth main and fifth installment in the Tekken series, following the release of the non-canon crossover titled Tekken Tag Tournament in 1999. It was released as an arcade game in 2001, and on the PlayStation 2 in 2002.




Tekken 4 Game



Placing distinction on the plot in the console version, the tone of Tekken 4 was noticeably darker than other installments of the series.[2] The game also 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-three characters to choose from, including six newcomers. The game's story reveals that Kazuya has been revived following his death 20 years prior and enters the King of Iron Fist Tournament 4 to take back the Mishima Zaibatsu. Its sequel, Tekken 5, was released in 2004.


Tekken 4 introduced significant new gameplay changes from the previous games in the series.[3] For the first time, it allowed players to maneuver around an arena interacting with walls and other obstacles for extra damage. These "environmental hazards" in turn allowed players to juggle opponents for consecutive combos and allowed the designers to implement a "switch maneuver", which let players escape from cornering and throw the tide in their favor. The game engine had been tweaked to be more focused on the environment, causing the characters to move more slowly and fluidly than in Tekken Tag Tournament. Finally, the game introduced a brand new graphics system, that featured increased lighting, dynamic physics, and smoother surfaces.


The console version of Tekken 4 includes a beat 'em up minigame available from the outset, called Tekken Force. Similar to the previous minigame found in Tekken 3, it presents the player with an over-the-shoulder perspective as they fight wave upon wave of Heihachi's Tekken Force through four stages, eventually facing Heihachi himself. The player can pick up health and power-ups while fighting waves of enemies. In the minigame it is discovered that the Tekken Force possesses different ranks in the organization, evident in different amounts of stamina, strength, and skill. A new Story mode in the home version unlocks cutscenes when played, in contrast to previous installments in which such cutscenes were unlocked from playing the Arcade mode. Tekken 4 received generally favorable reviews. Community reception was generally negative, with competitive players pointing out its balancing and gameplay issues. However in recent years, Tekken 4 has been widely praised for its innovation, atmosphere and attention to detail.


Tekken 4 has received an averaged score of 81% at GameRankings[4] and 79/100 at Metacritic.[5] Edge gave it a mediocre review, highlighting the game's experimental and pretty nature, and that overall it is a more solid and thoughtful proposition than its predecessor, but concluded that the game feels "over-familiar and curiously uninspired."[3] On the other hand, GameSpot's Greg Kasavin referred to it to "one of the better fighting games in years" and "an extremely solid, long-lasting, accessible, and fun-to-play fighting game that comes from one of the world's best developers of the genre."[8] GameSpot named Tekken 4 the best PlayStation 2 game of September 2002,[13] and nominated it for the publication's "Best Fighting Game of 2002" award.[14]IGN's Jeremy Dunham noted the walls and confined spaces as "probably Namco's wisest decision," and called the game "a solid fighter in every sense of the word."[10][15]


Yep, we got a look at a near-final version of the American game. At the core, not much has changed since Tekken 3 (let's all try to forget about Tekken Tag Tournament for a while, shall we?). But the huge graphical jump, quality-over-quantity roster and smart gameplay revisions make Tekken 4 a strong update to an aging series.


The game has two new additions to its original cast: The first is Christie Montero, a student of Eddy Gordo's Capoeira style who plays a lot like her teacher. Second is Craig Marduk, an ex-Vale Tudo champion with a strong grappling and ground-attack game. These included, we found a total of 19 fighters--that's nine untockables in addition to the 10 who are available right off the bat. And Namco tells us the final version may have a couple more hidden characters.


Every fighter has two costumes (or in Kuma's case, a Panda alter-ego) that contribute a great deal to the vibrant style of the game. Watch Lei's open shirt or Christie's long hair animate and you'll see what we mean--everything looks just as good as it does in the arcade version of Tekken 4. It doesn't have the fluidity and depth of Virtua Fighter 4--it's a bit clunkier on the control. But its crisp visuals and interactive arenas are the best on the PS2 thus far.


Tekken 4 is all about the two-player game, obviously, but an updated version of Tekken 3's Tekken Force minigame gives you something new to do when you're light on competition. It's a singleplayer, Bouncer-style beat-'em-up that lets you use any of the tournament fighters you have unlocked to inflict pain on jumpsuited grunts and bosses in a race against time. Pick up time and health bonuses (represented, for some reason, as little chickens and eggs) along the way to keep your energy and clock counter up. Yeah, you've also got your obligatory Time Attack, Survival and Practice modes, but those come standard with any 3D fighter nowadays.


As fans of Namco's games will attest to, not an arcade-to-home port comes out that isn't enhanced by the inclusion of an extra mode or two, and Tekken 4 is certainly no exception. Fighting-game veterans familiar with the progression of the series will recall the Tekken Force mode included in the PlayStation version of Tekken 3. Tekken Force let you pick any of 7ys characters and sent you on a side-scrolling Final Fight-style beat-'em- up adventure. Movement into and out of the 3D plane was featured but extremely limited.


Tekken 4 (鉄拳4, Tekken Fō?, lit. Iron Fist 4) is the fourth main installment in the Tekken video game franchise, and was the second game in the Tekken series (first in the main series) released for the PlayStation 2. Developed and published by Namco, it was released as an arcade game in 2001 and on the PlayStation 2 in 2002, with the tagline A New Century of Fighting. The game introduced significantly altered gameplay and mechanics compared to its predecessors; these experimental changes divided opinion amongst fans and critics. It was, however, praised for highly realistic graphics and visuals for its time, as well as its cinematic endings. Tekken 4 is notably the first canon game where the three major series protagonists, Heihachi Mishima, Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama, appear together.


Tekken 4 introduced significant new gameplay changes from the previous games in the series. For the first time, it allowed players to maneuver around an arena interacting with walls and other obstacles for extra damage. These "environmental hazards" in turn allowed players to juggle opponents for consecutive combos and allowed the designers to implement a "switch maneuver", which let players escape from cornering and throw the tide in their favor. Also, the game engine had been tweaked to be more focused on the environment, causing the characters to move more slowly and fluidly than in Tekken Tag Tournament and Tekken 3. Finally, the game introduced a brand new graphics system, that featured increased lighting, dynamic physics, and smoother surfaces. The music in Tekken 4 is also different from Tekken 3, toning down the energy for a calmer and a more diverse soundtrack.


Tekken 4 heavily toned down combos as a result; arguably having them at the weakest in the series. The Sidestep was also nerfed to cover much less distance in comparison to previous games, but the game also introduced the mechanic of side walking to allow continuous movement to the sides. Notably, sidestepping and side walking were moved to the command of u or b. Jumping could only be done forward unlike all other installments, while it was no longer possible to move backwards while crouching; something that would actually remain in succeeding games.


In high-level tournament play, it became apparent that the engine changes caused the game to heavily favor quick jabs and punches, upsetting some fans due to the decline in usefulness of more complex moves and strategies. This also came at a time when jabs were not at a universal speed, with characters like Steve Fox having an easy advantage due to his jab being faster than most of the others. Jin Kazama especially was very overpowered, and if one were to look at the tournament records, he was used by nearly every top player. In terms of technicals, the PlayStation 2 version of Tekken 4 was also the first in the series to be playable in higher quality progressive scan display mode (including the PAL version), noticeably a feature absent from its successor Tekken 5. The PAL version is also playable at 60 Hz.


Tekken 4 includes a beat em' up mini-game available from the outset called Tekken Force. Similar to the previous minigame found in Tekken 3, it presents the player with an over-the-shoulder perspective as they fight wave upon wave of Heihachi Mishima's Tekken Force soldiers through four stages, eventually facing Heihachi himself. The player can pick up health and power-ups while they fight waves of enemies. In the mini-game, it is discovered that the Tekken Force soldiers possesses different ranks in the organization, evident in different amounts of stamina, strength, and skill.


While relatively popular in its day, it is often considered by fans to be the worst main-series Tekken game, due to the omission of many popular characters and the introduction of major balance issues and bugs that impaired competitive play. It is also considered the most experimental Tekken game, featuring several game-changing new mechanics that never returned in later iterations. 2ff7e9595c


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