They've come a long way since Tekken 1

This was the first fighting game I ever played. I actually didn't play Tekken 1 'till a long time after I had played Tekken 2. Namco has come a long way since their first release of Tekken 1. Every aspect of the game was improved.

Graphics The graphics have been greatly improved. They went from extremely blocky polygon shapes to very smooth with very little corners or blocks and such that really make a game seem unrealistic. Aside from the graphics used on the characters, the background graphics and the scenery have also improved a lot.

Music The music is also much better in Tekken 2. In Tekken 1 there wasn't much variation in the music and it wasn't very good from the standpoint that it sounded like a cheap midi file. But in Tekken 2, there are several different and distinct songs. This makes the game more enjoyable and it's easier to play longer and not get annoyed from hearing the same thing the whole time.

Characters & Storyline Starting out with only a handfull of fighters to choose from out of the numerous 23 total fighters, you need to fight your way to the top. You need to do this with each of your basic characters to get the hidden ones, and there are also some more hidden ones that are released once you do other things, but you need to figure out what to do on you own, I won't tell you.

The storyline is much better in this one. Each character is in the fighter for his or her own reason, and each character has some sort of past with a different character. This makes it interesting, and sometimes you might begin to like one of the characters, and then you'll end up hating his or hers enemies.

Moves The basic moves and controls haven't changes a bit, but there was a major increase in the number of special moves and combos. Actually, I don't think combos were available in the first Tekken. Combos allow for multiple hits and a higher percentage of damage to your opponent, but they also require a lot of maneuverability in your hands.

This game came a long way from it's predecessor, but it was surpassed by it's offspring, Tekken 3. If you were going to buy a fighting game, I recommend Tekken 3 over Tekken 2, but never-the-less, Tekken 2 is a great game it's just a little old.