With only a week and a half to go until Halloween, I think it's fair to say that we're officially in the middle of spooky season. But don't tell Sony, because they apparently didn't get the memo. After giving us both Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evi 3: Nemesis back in August, Sony has chosen Tekken 3 as their old school offering in October. Don't get me wrong, Tekken 3 is a fantastic fighting game, but you would think that those releases would have been flipped. Either way, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Next Generation, Computer & Video Games and more classic magazines to see what the critics said about Tekken 3 back when it first came out. Get ready to become the new King of the Iron Fist in this very punchy episode of PlayStation Plus Review Crew.


When Tekken 2 was released in 1996, it had the unfortunate job of going up against Virtua Fighter 2 on the Saturn, one of the most critically-acclaimed fighting games of all time. Shocking just about everybody, the Namco sequel not only managed to go punch-for-punch with one of Sega's finest, but they were also able to grow a large and loyal fanbase that genuinely loved the series. Fast-forward two years and the console race was in a very different place. By the time 1998 rolled around, Sega had dropped out of the 32-bit battle and Tekken found itself as the new king of 3D fighting games on home consoles. And let me tell you, Namco took full advantage, delivering a bigger, more polished game that felt like a giant leap forward for the series. What's more, Tekken 3 completely overhauled the roster, with a vast majority of the characters in the game being new to the series. And that's not even including the two new console-exclusive fighters. Tekken 3 was not just another sequel, it was positioned as one of the most important PlayStation releases of 1998, right up there with Metal Gear Solid and Resident Evil 2. Let's see if the critics were swept up in all of the Tekken 3 hype.

We're going to kick things off with Electronic Gaming Monthly, which gave the hotly-anticipated sequel a score of 9.75 out of 10. Now, with a score like that, you might expect EGM to be towards the top of the review scale, but no, they are smack dab in the middle. Fake ninja Sushi-X loved the game, giving it a 9: “What can I say? Tekken 3 is phenomenal; the best, most exhilarating 3D fighter there is. But I'll always take classic 2D gameplay over the Tekken series' button-tapping mayhem. Nevertheless, Tekken fans have absolutely nothing to complain about here.” The other three EGM critics liked the game even more, with all of them giving it a perfect 10: “There have been some classics in the past year, but Tekken 3 just oozes quality from every beautifully-crafted pore. The graphics are exquisite, the character design better than ever, the moves graceful while fearsome and the control system near-perfect. Add the wonderful secret bits and you have a thoroughly rewarding experience. Worth buying just to see Eddy perform – the most graceful thing in PS history.”

If you came here expecting to see a wide range of scores, you might end up being disappointed. Tekken 3 was one of the best-reviewed games of the year, with Entertainment Weekly giving it an A and Game Fan going with an average of 92%. That's the same score we saw from Ultra Game Players, who went with a 9.2 out of 10. The lowest mark actually comes from Edge, who gave Tekken 3 a 9 out of 10. “With Metal Gear Solid on its way, Gran Turismo imminent in Europe, and now Tekken 3, 1998 looks set to be a golden year for the PlayStation. With Tekken 3, Namco has left its competitors an imposing target to beat; the new play modes, advances in AI and character design made in development are far more significant than those in the second iteration of the series. Edge's only – slight – reservation is that those who have played Tekken 2 to the point of exhausting all enthusiasm for the game may not find this new version initially appealing. Those prodigal sons should persevere, as even a short sequence of bouts will bring the reward of instant addiction. Make no mistake, the master has returned.”

While Edge couldn't quite get themselves to give the game a perfect score, almost every other magazine did. It's no exaggeration to say that half of the English-language magazines that reviewed Tekken 3 in 1998 gave it their top score. You saw a 5 out of 5 from both PlayStation Magazine and the Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. GamePro also gave the sequel a 5 out of 5, as did Computer & Video Games, who argued that Namco has “done wonders with Tekken 3 – they weren't content with ‘just' giving us a practically perfect arcade conversion, they went on to add loads of excellent new features on top! The graphics have been cut down very slightly, though you're only likely to notice the backgrounds not being as 3D as they are in the arcade version. The important thing is that it plays just like the arcade game, if slightly slower. The new PlayStation-only features are great to have, though I can't believe anyone will want to play Tekken Force mode again after collecting Dr. B. Whether you're a casual gamer after some impressive fighting action or a hardcore arcade nutter wanting something to test your skills to the max, Tekken 3 is certainly your best option on the PlayStation. The only disappointment is the 17% speed loss in the UK version. Button-bashers won't care, but fighting fans will certainly notice the slowdown.”

Another magazine that gave Tekken 3 a perfect score was Next Generation, who couldn't stop gushing over the depth and visuals. “Graphically splendid, Tekken's presentation is quite simply the best yet on a console game. Long, wonderfully rendered intro and closing movies make for enjoyable watching. The in-game graphics are just as impressive – again, this looks just like the arcade game. Add to this package some good (if mixed) musical themes and you have the absolute category leader. There is no better fighting game, on this system or any other. It's clearly superior to the previous games in the series and a stunning value for Tekken aficionados.”

It's an understatement to say that Tekken 3 was well-liked. With an overall average of 97%, Namco's sequel is right up there with the very best Mario and Zelda games. It's also a massive step up from Tekken 2, which averaged an 86% back in 1996. You may like one of the other sequels better, but when it comes to the critics, Tekken 3 was the high-point for the series. It's one of the best fighting games ever made.