Tekkenomics Vault: PS2 Fighting Game Face-Off #1

• Originally written: August 18, 2004
• Revised: June 1, 2006
• My Comments: This is probably the most fun I’ve had writing an article for the Tekkenomics website. I played a bunch of different 3D fighting games on the PS2 and came up with the idea of comparing each of those games using several features that you might find in a 3D fighting game. This is article #1 of a series of 3.

Later,
Wild Man X

Fighting Game Face-Off #1

In this article, I compare the PS2 version of Tekken 4 with other PS2 3D fighters
(Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution, Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, and Soul Calibur 2)
in categories relating to gameplay and game modes.

Fighting Game Face-Off #1	Tekken 4	Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution	Mortal Kobmat: Deadly Alliance	Soul Calibur 2
Boxart
Publisher	Namco	Sega	Midway	Namco
U.S. Release Date	9/23/2002	8/13/2003	11/16/2002	8/27/2003
Console	PS2	PS2	PS2	PS2
Format	DVD-5	DVD-5	DVD-5	DVD-5
Playable Fighters	Start off with 10 fighters, but can unlock 9 for a total of 19 (not including palette swaps)	Start off with 15 fighter and end with 16 (1 unlockable fighter)	Start off with 12 fighters and end with 21 fighters (9 unlockable fighters)	Start off with 15 fighters and end with 23 fighters (8 unlockable fighters)
Selectable Stages	12 total enclosed stages that vary in size from small (underground) to very large (airport)	13 total enclosed and unenclosed stages that are all about the same size	17 total enclosed stages that are all about the same size	15 total enclosed and unenclosed stages that vary in size (not including different stage variations)
Costumes	At least two costumes for every fighter (including palette swaps)	Two costumes per fighter with the ability to customize the costumes with unlockable items	Each fighter has a 1P and 2P costume that differ only in color, and one unlockable alternate costume	At least two costumes for every fighter, with some costumes being unlockable
Customization	None	Ability to customize the costumes with unlockable items	None	None
Ending Movies	CGI ending movie for every fighter	None	Ending movie for all fighters using pictures	Ending movie for all but 3 fighters, using pictures
Storyline	Yes	No known storyline	Yes, unique for each fighter	Yes, unique for each fighter
Buttons	Left and right punches and kicks	One punch, one kick, one block	High and Low punch and kick, block, change fighting style, grab	Vertical attack, horizontal attack, kick, guard
Match Replay	Ability to save match replays and can view from beginning to end	Ability to save match replays and can view from beginning to end, while being able to pause the replay	None	None
Personal Combo Saves	Ability to save personal combos, and has a few sample combos	None	None	None
Fatalities	None	None	One for every fighter	None
Profile / Stat Tracking	None	Separate profiles for each fighter to keep track of all unlockable items, stats, and cash earned	One major profile for each human player to keep track of all unlockables and cash	One profile per memory card for Weapon Master mode
Mini-Game	Tekken Force (Beat-em-up using Tekken fighters)	None	“Test Your Might” and “Test Your Sight” (comes randomly between battles)	None
Weapons / Projectiles	Yoshimitsu’s sword	None	One unique weapon for every fighter, and many projectiles	One main weapon for every fighter with unlockable weapons for every fighter (11 total for each fighter)
Ring Out	Not possible	Possible on some stages	None	Possible on almost every stage
Conquest Mode	None	“Fight your way through the arcades to become top VF player”	“Travel on a long journey, earning currency as you face hundreds of challenges”	“Travel the lands collecting weapons”
Team Battle Mode	Up to 8 fighters	None	None	Up to 3 fighters with one player, Up to 8 for 2 players
Tag Battle Mode	None	None	None	None
Theater Mode	View unlocked movies, replays, and listen to Back Ground Music (BGM)	View match replays and pre-saved matches included on the game disc	View character biographies, costumes, ending movies, arenas, concept art, extras photos unlocked. Also view “Making of MK”, “MK History”, and “Music Video”	Art gallery, Exhibition theater, Character Profiles, View unlocked movies
Other Unlockables	None	84 wallpaper designs to customize menu screen	Many unlockables, production art, photos, videos, and many other things	Character Profiles, Weapon demonstrations, Extra fighting modes, Art and weapon galleries, Battle Theatre
Online Mode	None	None	None	None
Extra Modes	None	10th Anniversary version of the game that lets you play in the old style graphics	None	Fight with acquired weapons

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