This review is brought to you by… Becky. I’m not going to lie, I never played this game until recently due to never owning the disc. I played later sequels but never once winced at the idea of playing it. I thought to myself “why not” and decided to buy the disc (cheating me money) and get it running. What I got in return is a good sequel that improves everything that the original has brought and promise that it’ll be a series to stay for years to come. This is “Tekken 2” for the PlayStation. 

Story: 8

After the canon events of the first tekken game, Kazuya Mishima has defeated his father and threw him down to the same cliff he was thrown at the age of five. Now owning his father’s company, he started becoming more corrupt and commit illegal activities with his businesses. From extortion, smuggling exotic animals and links to mafia (from inserts of other player bios on the manual). Assuming his father is still alive, he hosts a second tournament to lure him out of hiding and finish off what he had started.

 Hehaichi returns to enter the tournament and regain what he has lost from losing to his son, with speculation that his son made a deal with the devil. Not only him but other fighters enter the tournament for different agendas and to claim “the best fighter in the world”. 

The story is a bit of a twist knowing the “hero” of the first game is really the villain for the second installment of the series. Each player has a story of their own from taking down Kazuya, money being the prize or revenge, this is a huge improvement from the first game’s series and branches out as something better as time goes on. A splendid 9 out of 10 

Graphics: 7 

The graphics are mostly unchanged from the first. Minor improvements, especially some of the stages looking beautiful while others seem… basically an endless square with a dark or black background with little or no details. I would say the frame rate hasn’t changed either but the fluidity of the game is a lot better and smoother than the first game. Players move more naturally and not much distortion. You still notice the frame rates but it shouldn’t be much of an issue. A 7 is a good rating for this area.

Sound: 9

The music doesn’t disappoint. Some classic music from the previous game returns with some new songs to give this soundtrack a complete feel for the ears. Each level is accompanied by a song that gives it a unique atmosphere for that stage. For the 8 hours playing the game I haven’t heard any negatives or ambient sound music like the previous game. This is a huge plus for me. A 9 is deserving. 

Depth: 8

Not only the gameplay has been revamped, but also the roster, the stages, even the modes they offer. The starting seven of the eight fighters return from the first game. Exempt from the list is Kazuya, becoming a hidden character. Replacing Kazuya to the starting roster is hehaichi mashima with two new characters joining the ranks, Jun and Lei. Among those ten playable characters, fifteen unlockable characters (2 are swaps) are available to unlock from winning arcade mode with each character. It sets the total roster up to twenty five characters. 

What makes it great about the roster is that unlockable characters, most aren’t just copying movesets of other characters. Most have their own move sets and combos and it’s such a great refresh comparing to the previous installment of the game. Learning about it through one of the unlockable characters it made me appreciate this game a lot more.

Stages have increased from the last game too and instead of being random, they’re set to specific characters in the game. Most if not all are endless plane so there is no walls or corners so players are fighting in an infinite area. 

Move sets command list were added in the pause menu and that’s a great option if learning how to use the character and learn which moves they have and how to execute it. The previous game lacked this. 

For game modes they added a few game modes that are staples to the game these days. Other than arcade and multiplayer vs mode, the game also includes survivor, time attack, team battle mode and practice mode so there is many hours you can invest to the game. Biggest improvement so far in the series. An 8 out of 10 is well.

Addictive: 9

The game is addicting. Learning each character’s move set and combos makes it appealing and satisfying when learning the game. The game modes help give the game replay ability and the characters each have a different style that keeps it fresh playing arcade mode or any other game modes. This game is also a bit more complex but doesn’t scare away newcomers. A 9 out of 10

Difficulty: 8

The game is a bit more complicated and difficult than the previous installment. The difficulty itself seems unchanged dealing with skill rather than luck on winning matches. What makes it difficult are the characters themselves. With each character having a play style of their own and combos, it becomes more complex to learn their move sets and combos. 

Opponents are the same as the previous game difficulty wise, not much “input reading” and cheap shots until the final boss. I’m not spoiling much but the last two fights of the game tend to be really cheap losing more than half your health if not careful. That’s the only nitpick I can find on the difficulty. An 8 out of 10 seems fair 


Like I said this is my first time playing this game, always unintentionally skipping it since I never owned a disc until recently. It’s a good game and an improvement over the first game. It just made the first game feel more like a tech demo and legitimatize that this game is gonna stay for a third installment, years to come by. It made me appreciate the story a bit more knowing how much they content introduced and game modes that become staples of the series. Overall the review rating and my ratings is this 

My rating: 8.5/10

Review rating: 8.1/10