Tekken 3: A Tale of overwhelming power!

Intro:
Many say that Tekken 3, the 3rd installment in the epic Tekken series, hadn't added much, but with the 3rd Tekken comes an added edge to the 3 dimensional graphics. By this I mean, there's added texture to the whole body parts. There's enough texture to be able to see each individual finger on a character's hand.

Story:
Power is overwhelming all. Heihachi and Kazuya (two characters featured in the game) have come together, for one last time, to decide who is the of Mishima Financial Empire. Heihachi then sets his goals even higher, on world peace. Soon it gains the false support of all the world leaders. At this time, a baby is born.

15 years later, a secret excavation by Heihachi's "Tekken Forces" in Central American unleashes the power of an unknown source. In the last conversation with Heiachi, the "God of Fight," was mention. Heihachi heads in the direction of the excavation, after the last communication.
He arrives at the scene, only to find to corpses sprawled across the sands.

Soon, vast master's of the martial arts, and the world are reported missing. With no information on their whereabouts.

Meanwhile, Jin Kazama (mentioned earlier as the new born baby) is now a young man of fifteen years of age. He and his mother, Jun, live peacefully in the mountains, far from civilization. Jun has pre cautious feelings of an overwhelming power, seeking their souls. Jun knows it's time to tell Jin, he's no longer a child.

Jun explains the story of his father, grandfather and the legend of Tekken. Fearful of what lay ahead she tells Jin to go to Heihachi if anything happens to her.

Her feelings prove right on a cold, stormy night. The "God of Fight," comes to the mountains, bringing a cold and chilling wind. The "God" is no match for Jin, his last words before losing consciousness was from his mother, yelling "Run. run far away!"

Jin awakens in the early morning, only to see the surroundings of his house, burnt to the ground. He quickly searches for his mother, but she's nowhere in site. Jin follows his mom's sayings, and journey's to Heihachi Mishima. Upon arriving, Jin explains the disastrous power of the "God of Fight." With that knowledge, Heihachi believes that this "God of Fight," thrives on the power of strong souls, Tekkens. Jin asks Heihachi to teach him to defeat the "God of Fight."

As an excuse to lure the "God of Fight", Jin plans to organize "The King of Iron Fist Tournament 3". Such a gathering of strong souls would be too much for his arch enemy to resist!

After 4 years under Heihachi's training, Jin is ready for the challenge. The tournament begins...

(Thanks to http://tekken3.8m.com/ for help on the story)

Gameplay: 9/10
Tekken 3's in depth gameplay revolves around 5 game modes...

Practice Mode: Practice mode is for the unexperienced new fighter. You're able to to choose your opponent, and your character. You can also press start, and turn on the basic combo tutorial. It's very helpful in learning combos.

Arcade: Arcade mode is generally player one against the computer. If you beat every opponent that the computer throws at you, you are the ruling champion. Unless, your friend comes along...

VS Mode: When in Arcade mode, player 2 can press start at any time. This will send you and your friend into an all about brawl.

Team Battle: Team Battle is very similar to Arcade mode, except for the fact that you can set how many players are on your team. Your team battles the other computer's team, unless your friend comes along, and feels like challenging you. So team battle can be 1-player Team Battle or VS Team Battle.

Survival Mode: You compete against the computer, to see how many you can defeat, without having your health bar reach zero. Each battle counts as one round. When you pass a few rounds, your character is awarded a little extra health. There is no option for 2-player in Survival Mode though.

Overall:
Overall the gameplay in Tekken 3 is not drastically different then the other 2 in this epic series. It's the same old, matrix fighting brawl for power.

Tekken 3 is also very smooth when it comes to gameplay. It's story patches in very well with all of the modes. A great story, towards a great game.

Graphics: 10/10
The graphics in Tekken 3 was the main item tweaked from the change of Tekken 2. Your now able to make out a character's individual fingers. Not that, that matters when your fighting a boss, but it tells you how technical the graphics are.

Framerate
The framerate in Tekken 3 is the best I've ever seen. I seriously think Tekken 3 is the smoothest game on the market. Even though it has so many events happening at the same time, it deserves one of the best ratings for framerate.

Texture
The textures in Tekken 3 are very realistic. As I stated before, your able to make out each individual finger on each characters hand. It's so detailed, down to the very last spec of the fine leather coat your character's wearing.

Sound: 8/10
Like most fighting games, Tekken 3's sound is only in the sound effects. There's not really any background hearable, for an extended period of time.

The sound effects in Tekken 3 are exceptional though. There are many realistic cry's of pain and kick, an' punches heard. It just adds to Tekken 3's greatness.

Controls: 9/10
The controls in Tekken 3 are very simple and easy to figure out. It also can get very hard when your trying to figure out combos. The controls can be just another button smasher, but there's adaptability in Tekken, skills of combos and strategic styles. Here's the basic breakdown...

Offense/Attacks:
Triangle: Punch
Square: Punch (2)
Circle: Kick
X: Kick (2)

Note: To left punch or right punch, use the directional buttons as you tap the button.

Actions:
Move: Use the directional pad or the analog knobs.
Running: Press left/right once, then hold in quickly.
Jumping: The up arrow on the directional pad.
Crouching: The down arrow on the directional pad.

Defenses/Blocks:
Retreat Quickly: Double tap the left/right directional button.
Standing Guard: Pressing the left arrow and holding it, will allow your character to block upper and mid range attacks.
Crouching Guard: Pressing the directional arrows left and down at the same time will result in a crouching guard, allowing your character to block against most upper range attacks and throws.

The Matrix Like Combos:
The combo's in Tekken 3 are very complex, but can also be a real clincher in a battle. Combo's is the hardest move to counter or defend. It's easier to block a kick then a upper cut + round house kick.

An example Combo:
An example of a combo, is Brian Fury's Fury Rush. To conduct a fury rush, you must press tap down tap foward +left punch,left punch,left punch,left punch,Left kick.

Note: When conducting a combo, comma's mean as fast as possible, and +'s mean to tap them in a row. Sorry if this sounds confusing. IT was the only way I could think to explain it.

Agression Charge: (Left Punch, Right Punch, Left Kick, Right Kick)
The Agression Charge is a new addition to Tekken 3. Once the move is used, your character will charge up for a moment, and their fists will begin to "sparkle". Agression Charges usually last about five seconds.

During a charge, your character's attacks will all be counted as counterattacks, so moves that do special things when they hit on counterattack are most effective! Also, if your character's attacks are blocked, they will still take off a small amount of damage. Use the charge to your advantage. The best strategy is to do moves that normally take off alot of damage but are frequently blocked.

The agression charge is a great charge to use to before you use a combo.

Remember: Each Character has their own combos. I advise you go into practice mode, and practice a certain players combos.

Price 10/10
Tekken 3 runs from around $15 - $20. The price has dropped some since Tekken 4 has come out. Overall this is a great price for the enhanced graphics and added features.

Problems 10/10
I really haven't had any kind of problem with Tekken 3. It's never frozen, stalled, or lagged at all. Everything has been just peachy keen. :)

Overall Recommendation A solid 46/50
Overall, I definitely recommend Tekken 3 to anyone that owns a playstation. Some people worry about getting Tekken 3 because they feel nothing has changed. I feel Tekken 3 has enhanced in graphics and gameplay, and has matured in the epic fighting series. 5 of 5 Stars!

Tekken 3 Hotline
1-900-737-2262 will give you all the Tekken 3 hints and tips you want! Watch out for the $.95 per minute charge for recorded tips, and the $1.15 per minute charge for live tips. Have fun!

Thanks for hearing me out. I hope this review helped you. Thanks in advance for the rating. -Skater6446