Competitive game aside, this is one of the best representations of martial arts in videogames.
Context and fidelity packaged in the own diegesis.
Diving into it through the ps2 bios
Asphalt and Mist.
Parkings and malls.
Beach, jails , skycrapers.
The new world of technology and globalization.
The setting is the frame of the beginning of the century in Fighting, in which traditional martial arts spread throughout the world and are reconfigured in sports and exercise. contexts coexist with new fighting systems designed for combat itself.
Jin Kazama abandoning his homeland, family and his karate style based on tradition and roots for the Kyokushinkai Karate, more pragmatic and brutal . Learning it in Brisbane (which is famous for the practice of Kyokushinkai), out of its cradle, suggests the expansion of martial arts to various levels that the arrival of a new millennium implies.
in tradition, continuing with the respectful, almost mystical reverential treatment that they once had, or in modernity, redesigned and remixed for the purpose of competition or lethal assault.
No matter the approach, there is room for everything,
In a world where fighting games are remembered for their impact on the medium or for their mechanical quality, Tekken 4 has value as a small Digital portrait of how martial arts have spread and understood throughout the world with the arrival of the new millennium. . Something that can be appreciated through a careful and (mostly) faithful mocap and the reduction of fantastical elements.
Also, fuck the E.V.O .
Context and fidelity packaged in the own diegesis.
Diving into it through the ps2 bios
Asphalt and Mist.
Parkings and malls.
Beach, jails , skycrapers.
The new world of technology and globalization.
The setting is the frame of the beginning of the century in Fighting, in which traditional martial arts spread throughout the world and are reconfigured in sports and exercise. contexts coexist with new fighting systems designed for combat itself.
Jin Kazama abandoning his homeland, family and his karate style based on tradition and roots for the Kyokushinkai Karate, more pragmatic and brutal . Learning it in Brisbane (which is famous for the practice of Kyokushinkai), out of its cradle, suggests the expansion of martial arts to various levels that the arrival of a new millennium implies.
in tradition, continuing with the respectful, almost mystical reverential treatment that they once had, or in modernity, redesigned and remixed for the purpose of competition or lethal assault.
No matter the approach, there is room for everything,
In a world where fighting games are remembered for their impact on the medium or for their mechanical quality, Tekken 4 has value as a small Digital portrait of how martial arts have spread and understood throughout the world with the arrival of the new millennium. . Something that can be appreciated through a careful and (mostly) faithful mocap and the reduction of fantastical elements.
Also, fuck the E.V.O .
Screw the haters- Tekken 4 rules.
A perfect companion piece to Ridge Racer V, the early PS2 vibes are at full force here. Fantasy takes a back seat to a more modern, military-tech themed aesthetic, with a focus on night time city environments drenched in a palette of cool blues and icy greys, marking the arrival of the new millennium in style. Kazuya donning shades. Jin sporting the effortlessly cool jacket-with-hood-up combo. Hwoarang now a tacti-cool spec ops agent. Brawling in minimalistic urban stages like Airport, Mall and Building to the impeccable techno sounds of 'Touch and Go' & 'Authentic Sky'. This 'on the cusp of the future', technologic inspired aesthetic is simply unimaginable by todays standards- a perfect time capsule from the Y2K era, where we yearned eagerly for what was waiting just around the corner. Peak. Soul. And for a title released in 2001, the graphics go hard- check out the rippling water effects in the Jungle stage as your fighters wade through the stream or the bustling npc's ringside in Underground, who can even be knocked over if your opponent is smashed into the crowd.
To top it off, no longer are you forced to fight a dumb giant demon as a final boss- no, not on Tekken 4's cool-ass watch. Instead you're thrown into a cage match with a very angry, very naked, sumo Heihachi.
Hell yeah dudes.
A perfect companion piece to Ridge Racer V, the early PS2 vibes are at full force here. Fantasy takes a back seat to a more modern, military-tech themed aesthetic, with a focus on night time city environments drenched in a palette of cool blues and icy greys, marking the arrival of the new millennium in style. Kazuya donning shades. Jin sporting the effortlessly cool jacket-with-hood-up combo. Hwoarang now a tacti-cool spec ops agent. Brawling in minimalistic urban stages like Airport, Mall and Building to the impeccable techno sounds of 'Touch and Go' & 'Authentic Sky'. This 'on the cusp of the future', technologic inspired aesthetic is simply unimaginable by todays standards- a perfect time capsule from the Y2K era, where we yearned eagerly for what was waiting just around the corner. Peak. Soul. And for a title released in 2001, the graphics go hard- check out the rippling water effects in the Jungle stage as your fighters wade through the stream or the bustling npc's ringside in Underground, who can even be knocked over if your opponent is smashed into the crowd.
To top it off, no longer are you forced to fight a dumb giant demon as a final boss- no, not on Tekken 4's cool-ass watch. Instead you're thrown into a cage match with a very angry, very naked, sumo Heihachi.
Hell yeah dudes.
Half of the cast is canonically peruvian.
What I find most interesting about Tekken 4 is its general vibes: it feels like a transition period between the PS1 games' early 3D design and the extravagant confidence of Tekken 5 and onwards. The graphics are obviously much more detailed than Tekken 3's, but it doesn't have the extra flair and pizzaz that Tekken 5 exudes, making it feel like almost surreal at times, in a way that only uncanny 3D CGI can conjure. Other than the character faces, its evident in the stage environments: the Airport stage (which is my favorite one here) has a overly clean and shiny look, and the distant early morning sunlight in the skybox gives it a dreamy quality to the entire frame. You can just feel it without being distracted from the actual fight. The game definitely tries to look pleasing to the eyes, not with overloading your senses, but rather through painting a strong vibe with loose brushstrokes.
You can also see it seep in the character designs. Compared to today's Tekken, T4 seems much simpler in comparison, and I appreciate it a lot. The characters don't have as many visual elements tied to themselves, but you can quickly tell the personalities that they embody. For instance, Lei's wildly loose open jacket is all you need to see to understand him. It's not to say that I don't like how extra Tekken goes with its design nowadays, I think most of the reveals of Tekken 8 has been quite pleasing, but it's nice to be reminded of this old era of less wacky Tekken.
It's also interesting to see how T4 experiments with the Tekken formula, although I don't think that it quite lands. I'm pretty sure I accidentally cheesed out my AI opponents a couple of times by just repeatedly smashing them to the wall, it's definitely nowhere as airtight as it should be, haha. Some of the stages also have slopes and different elevations, which is kinda novel but also a bit annoying in gameplay. I'm not quite sure about this but I think I missed a couple of my high attacks because I'm at a higher point than my opponents, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. Also, I don't usually notice or complain about hitboxes but I've had a couple of funky missed attack moments that confused me. Other than that, the fighting is still fun and mindtaxing.
Highlights from the character roster and story mode:
- Wei is probably my favorite of the character here, his drunken master style is cool as heck and I like his lighthearted klutz vibes. Hwoarang is a close second, but his story ending is definitely my favorite one, it's cheesy and kinda wholesome.
- This iteration of Nina might be my favorite design of hers, her professional killer vibes feels like the strongest here, and I like her subtle eyeshadow. Also liked her story ending cutscene a lot. Still don't quite like how she plays though, haha.
- The new characters are just... meh, for me. I don't quite like Christie as much as Eddy. Don't really care for Combot and Marduk. Steve is cool though.
- This is most evident in Hwoarang and Julia's ending for me: the English VO here reminds me a ton of The House of the Dead 2's infamous VO. Take that as you will.
Tekken 4 might be not good enough to take too seriously, but it's still fun as heck, and its art direction scratches a specific itch that the other Tekken games just doesn't do to the same extent.
You can also see it seep in the character designs. Compared to today's Tekken, T4 seems much simpler in comparison, and I appreciate it a lot. The characters don't have as many visual elements tied to themselves, but you can quickly tell the personalities that they embody. For instance, Lei's wildly loose open jacket is all you need to see to understand him. It's not to say that I don't like how extra Tekken goes with its design nowadays, I think most of the reveals of Tekken 8 has been quite pleasing, but it's nice to be reminded of this old era of less wacky Tekken.
It's also interesting to see how T4 experiments with the Tekken formula, although I don't think that it quite lands. I'm pretty sure I accidentally cheesed out my AI opponents a couple of times by just repeatedly smashing them to the wall, it's definitely nowhere as airtight as it should be, haha. Some of the stages also have slopes and different elevations, which is kinda novel but also a bit annoying in gameplay. I'm not quite sure about this but I think I missed a couple of my high attacks because I'm at a higher point than my opponents, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. Also, I don't usually notice or complain about hitboxes but I've had a couple of funky missed attack moments that confused me. Other than that, the fighting is still fun and mindtaxing.
Highlights from the character roster and story mode:
- Wei is probably my favorite of the character here, his drunken master style is cool as heck and I like his lighthearted klutz vibes. Hwoarang is a close second, but his story ending is definitely my favorite one, it's cheesy and kinda wholesome.
- This iteration of Nina might be my favorite design of hers, her professional killer vibes feels like the strongest here, and I like her subtle eyeshadow. Also liked her story ending cutscene a lot. Still don't quite like how she plays though, haha.
- The new characters are just... meh, for me. I don't quite like Christie as much as Eddy. Don't really care for Combot and Marduk. Steve is cool though.
- This is most evident in Hwoarang and Julia's ending for me: the English VO here reminds me a ton of The House of the Dead 2's infamous VO. Take that as you will.
Tekken 4 might be not good enough to take too seriously, but it's still fun as heck, and its art direction scratches a specific itch that the other Tekken games just doesn't do to the same extent.
i spent two hours practicing perfect electrics when all i had to do was mash jab against a wall
a really interesting proposal for what a fighting game can be. a practice in atmosphere and display of experimentation that feels lovely to be in and see where it takes you. making divergences from the set formula of the arcade mode, characters changing fighting styles for plot motivated reasons and a lack of care for competitive viability. something i wish more fighting game studios did at least once, not something i think needs to entirely replace fighting games that aim their sights at competitive audiences but a breath of fresh air that can co-exist with competitive games, fighting games that just Are.
History continues to vindicate Tekken 4. It was risky, it was bold, it was big-time mechanically borked.
It didn't matter how unbalanced everything was; everybody looked great. No fighting character before or since has had a fit as rad as King's 2P outfit.
Fights moved out from abstract arcade arenas and into recognizable places, with walls and uneven floors and destructible obstacles. Everything was more tangible; no more giant robots or ancient gods of fighting--the final showdown was us in a cage match, beating the stock options out of an evil megacorp's old-ass CEO.
Can generational trauma be unlearned, like forgetting a cursed family karate style? Is it worth avenging a fallen mentor, if you have to abandon your principals to do it? Is it possible for pepper beef to be too spicy?
Like its aesthetics and soundtrack and gameplay, Tekken 4's story tried stuff, man. And even though most of it didn't stick and was immediately walked back by Tekken 5, it still pushed the entire series into interesting new directions.
It didn't matter how unbalanced everything was; everybody looked great. No fighting character before or since has had a fit as rad as King's 2P outfit.
Fights moved out from abstract arcade arenas and into recognizable places, with walls and uneven floors and destructible obstacles. Everything was more tangible; no more giant robots or ancient gods of fighting--the final showdown was us in a cage match, beating the stock options out of an evil megacorp's old-ass CEO.
Can generational trauma be unlearned, like forgetting a cursed family karate style? Is it worth avenging a fallen mentor, if you have to abandon your principals to do it? Is it possible for pepper beef to be too spicy?
Like its aesthetics and soundtrack and gameplay, Tekken 4's story tried stuff, man. And even though most of it didn't stick and was immediately walked back by Tekken 5, it still pushed the entire series into interesting new directions.
papa harada slips up a bit, circa 2001
With people rightfully slamming the game for its egregious balance and mechanical issues and also rightfully praising the game for its strengths in aesthetics and ambition, Tekken 4 has slowly claimed its status as a black sheep and a cult classic over the years, seating itself as an example of the industry's peak development and experimentation in 3D.
For fighting games, this meant an awareness of a real z-axis, real dimensional depth that allowed for greater movement and possibilities in developing a space. While Tekken and other 3D fighting games (Virtua Fighter, DOA, etc) of its ilk had understood this to a technical and mechanical degree, what did that meant for aesthetic and narrative design?
Tekken 4 feels like a strange glimpse at a hypothetical timeline where Tekken had finally achieved a cohesion in aesthetic design work that breathed a coherent worldview, tone, and sensibility that feels fully formed. Obviously this isn't a novel concept to fighting games to begin with, where aesthetics are judge, jury, and executioner, but how many of them can achieve this level of primal emotionalism and immediacy in its tone and atmosphere, not much less of its characters?
On a merely impressionistic level, Tekken 4's foreboding gloom, laden with cold tones and rather muted, garish lighting and palette, facsimiles of now real mundane places turning into grand fighting stages with deliberate changes in elevation and interior and exterior design that feels lived-in and tangible in its usage of 3D space, a droning techno and drum and bass electronica soundtrack matching its 2000s zeitgeist, mechanical changes meant that now on a basic and primal level, Tekken's fights felt like brawls rather than a structured match, an insistence on pokes and free movement and repositioning meant kill or be killed. Some say this meant Tekken had only pivoted to being "realistic", but perhaps it's better to see it as an evolution to a heightened, stylized reality, where the acknowledgement of a wider world finally becomes the grand stage for Tekken's theatrics on power and balance.
One could mince that for all these achievements, it still means nothing on the notion of actual gameplay, where Tekken 4 is nothing but a noble failure of broken infinites, uneven balance in elevation in terrain, uneven consistency in collisions in walls and obstacles (the pillars!), the list goes on.
Obviously fighting games should be appreciated on a purely mechanical and systematic level, where competitive play really matters. But where does one go if that all fails? Are they doomed to a 9 to 5 loop of combo grinding, frame data, numpad notations, match up learning, and tier lists, mumbling underneath about "yomi" and "unsafe on block"? Maybe that's just how it is. Can you blame them?
For fighting games, this meant an awareness of a real z-axis, real dimensional depth that allowed for greater movement and possibilities in developing a space. While Tekken and other 3D fighting games (Virtua Fighter, DOA, etc) of its ilk had understood this to a technical and mechanical degree, what did that meant for aesthetic and narrative design?
Tekken 4 feels like a strange glimpse at a hypothetical timeline where Tekken had finally achieved a cohesion in aesthetic design work that breathed a coherent worldview, tone, and sensibility that feels fully formed. Obviously this isn't a novel concept to fighting games to begin with, where aesthetics are judge, jury, and executioner, but how many of them can achieve this level of primal emotionalism and immediacy in its tone and atmosphere, not much less of its characters?
On a merely impressionistic level, Tekken 4's foreboding gloom, laden with cold tones and rather muted, garish lighting and palette, facsimiles of now real mundane places turning into grand fighting stages with deliberate changes in elevation and interior and exterior design that feels lived-in and tangible in its usage of 3D space, a droning techno and drum and bass electronica soundtrack matching its 2000s zeitgeist, mechanical changes meant that now on a basic and primal level, Tekken's fights felt like brawls rather than a structured match, an insistence on pokes and free movement and repositioning meant kill or be killed. Some say this meant Tekken had only pivoted to being "realistic", but perhaps it's better to see it as an evolution to a heightened, stylized reality, where the acknowledgement of a wider world finally becomes the grand stage for Tekken's theatrics on power and balance.
One could mince that for all these achievements, it still means nothing on the notion of actual gameplay, where Tekken 4 is nothing but a noble failure of broken infinites, uneven balance in elevation in terrain, uneven consistency in collisions in walls and obstacles (the pillars!), the list goes on.
Obviously fighting games should be appreciated on a purely mechanical and systematic level, where competitive play really matters. But where does one go if that all fails? Are they doomed to a 9 to 5 loop of combo grinding, frame data, numpad notations, match up learning, and tier lists, mumbling underneath about "yomi" and "unsafe on block"? Maybe that's just how it is. Can you blame them?
Hated by the competitive scene and some other dumb people, Tekken 4 is everything i loved in Tekken 1-3 but on a new generation of consoles. The gameplay is what you would expect of Tekken but with some slopes and breakables on stages that in my experience only made me have more fun with the game. The replayability is also off the charts with a amazing story that i will talk about soon and some new modes including Tekken Force, that is now in full 3D. If you just want some singleplayer or casual Vs. with friends, Tekken 4 is one of the best games on the series.
This game's where the story mode peaked too, Tekken 4 not only follow the steps of old Tekken but goes even further with the best writing on the series, intro's with cool as hell artworks and a way more grounded story before the damage Tekken 6 would tragically do on Tekken lore (I miss the old Jin, man). Unlike what Tekken became in the future, Tekken 4 respects the old characters legacy and what they mean for the fans while still not letting them completely take the spotlight of the new characters like Christie, Steve and Marduk. There's something i don't enjoy much though, i like human/humanoid bosses but the Heihachi fight is kinda mid. At least it's not Azazel tho, i would rather fight Heihachi diaper mode a hundred times instead of having to fight Azazel.
The art direction in this game is also the best of all Tekken, it just gives me a 00's nostalgia i can't ignore along with badass designs for the characters. I admit it's kinda edgy sometimes but it looks so cool, Paul's design is peak. Those stages, the soundtrack, all of this game is pure style. You cannot go wrong with playing some Tekken 4 nowadays, it's guaranteed fun if you enjoyed the previous entries.
This game's where the story mode peaked too, Tekken 4 not only follow the steps of old Tekken but goes even further with the best writing on the series, intro's with cool as hell artworks and a way more grounded story before the damage Tekken 6 would tragically do on Tekken lore (I miss the old Jin, man). Unlike what Tekken became in the future, Tekken 4 respects the old characters legacy and what they mean for the fans while still not letting them completely take the spotlight of the new characters like Christie, Steve and Marduk. There's something i don't enjoy much though, i like human/humanoid bosses but the Heihachi fight is kinda mid. At least it's not Azazel tho, i would rather fight Heihachi diaper mode a hundred times instead of having to fight Azazel.
The art direction in this game is also the best of all Tekken, it just gives me a 00's nostalgia i can't ignore along with badass designs for the characters. I admit it's kinda edgy sometimes but it looks so cool, Paul's design is peak. Those stages, the soundtrack, all of this game is pure style. You cannot go wrong with playing some Tekken 4 nowadays, it's guaranteed fun if you enjoyed the previous entries.
Pior tekken force vsfddd
modo historia legal btw
gostei que kazuya volta com diabo no corpo (literalmente)
modo historia legal btw
gostei que kazuya volta com diabo no corpo (literalmente)
idgaf if this game sucks or whatever its cool as fuck
This games aesthetics are perfect, something every subsequent tekken has gotten worse at.
I'm starting by playing Tekken Force, because I loved that mode so much in Tekken 3. Tekken 6 was my introduction to the franchise back when it came out, so the Scenario Campaign of that game is very near and dear to my heart, so it's been super cool checking out its spiritual origin in Tekken 3 and 4.
4's Tekken Force mode is like an awkward middle child between 3's version and what would eventually become Scenario Campaign in 6. However, the movement is a lot worse here. Instead of just locking onto whichever enemy is closest to you, you have to manually switch targets, and your movement revolves around them. This wasn't bad in Tekken 3, but it's REALLY bad here. I like that in Scenario Campaign, you were able to run around with the stick and then you had traditional Tekken movement on the D-pad, it was a good compromise. I shouldn't knock one game just because a sequel did something better, but man I can't help but compare because Scenario Campaign is just that much better.
I like the way the stages are laid out, and how there are special enemies that reward bonus points if you beat them fast enough, some special enemies unlock alternate pathways if you beat one enemy before a different enemy. But combined with the awful wall mechanics introduced in this game, it makes playing this mode a nightmare. I already know from watching videos about the game before that this wall shit is an issue in the balance of the actual PVP, so I really hate that this central and important game mechanic is ruining one of my favorite parts of Tekken 3 here. I just get slammed into a wall and jabbed at by like 5 guys at once, even on Easy.
If I can give this game anything positive so far it's that the opening cutscene is really cool and I'm glad Kazuya's back. I love Jin more, but Kazuya's an OG character, you can't not have him. Having Kazuya on your roster isn't necessarily a positive though, because every game except 3 has Kaz on it. That's like praising a peanut-butter sandwich for having jelly on it because you got served PB&Fluff at the cafeteria too many times before.
IDK, this game's weird. I'll give more thoughts as I play more of it, but man, this is easily the worst Tekken game despite it feeling more fluid and responsive than the first 2 games, and having a nice breadth of content. The central mechanics at play just don't feel right and that massively influences the quality of my time playing.
Edit: Playing through more of the Story Modes now. This game has a really engaging plotline, despite me not liking some characters on the roster like Christie. King II pays bail for the murderer of Armor King to be released from prison and sends him a plane ticket and a newspaper clipping to tell him to square up at the tournament. That's the rawest shit ever. I get nobody plays fighting games for the plot, but I see it as a really cool bonus that interests me in trying more characters to learn more about their movesets and personality.
4's Tekken Force mode is like an awkward middle child between 3's version and what would eventually become Scenario Campaign in 6. However, the movement is a lot worse here. Instead of just locking onto whichever enemy is closest to you, you have to manually switch targets, and your movement revolves around them. This wasn't bad in Tekken 3, but it's REALLY bad here. I like that in Scenario Campaign, you were able to run around with the stick and then you had traditional Tekken movement on the D-pad, it was a good compromise. I shouldn't knock one game just because a sequel did something better, but man I can't help but compare because Scenario Campaign is just that much better.
I like the way the stages are laid out, and how there are special enemies that reward bonus points if you beat them fast enough, some special enemies unlock alternate pathways if you beat one enemy before a different enemy. But combined with the awful wall mechanics introduced in this game, it makes playing this mode a nightmare. I already know from watching videos about the game before that this wall shit is an issue in the balance of the actual PVP, so I really hate that this central and important game mechanic is ruining one of my favorite parts of Tekken 3 here. I just get slammed into a wall and jabbed at by like 5 guys at once, even on Easy.
If I can give this game anything positive so far it's that the opening cutscene is really cool and I'm glad Kazuya's back. I love Jin more, but Kazuya's an OG character, you can't not have him. Having Kazuya on your roster isn't necessarily a positive though, because every game except 3 has Kaz on it. That's like praising a peanut-butter sandwich for having jelly on it because you got served PB&Fluff at the cafeteria too many times before.
IDK, this game's weird. I'll give more thoughts as I play more of it, but man, this is easily the worst Tekken game despite it feeling more fluid and responsive than the first 2 games, and having a nice breadth of content. The central mechanics at play just don't feel right and that massively influences the quality of my time playing.
Edit: Playing through more of the Story Modes now. This game has a really engaging plotline, despite me not liking some characters on the roster like Christie. King II pays bail for the murderer of Armor King to be released from prison and sends him a plane ticket and a newspaper clipping to tell him to square up at the tournament. That's the rawest shit ever. I get nobody plays fighting games for the plot, but I see it as a really cool bonus that interests me in trying more characters to learn more about their movesets and personality.
I have nostalgia for both 3 and 5, and I played 4 later on, and maybe because of that I don't like it that much. It introduces stage walls, and that's about it.
To me it seems like the plot is going backwards here. We are back to Kazuya vs Heihachi, but Jin is involved now. Eddie Gordo is replaced by a generic girl for no reason. Why does King have long hair, ew.
To me it seems like the plot is going backwards here. We are back to Kazuya vs Heihachi, but Jin is involved now. Eddie Gordo is replaced by a generic girl for no reason. Why does King have long hair, ew.
“I’m a fiend for mojitos”
-Det. James “Sonny” Crockett, Miami Vice
The 2000s aesthetic is in full swing here. Tekken 4 is widely considered the first videogame ever to be set in a city¹, but what isn’t commonly known is that it’s also the first game to feature techno music².
Tekken 4’s punch-outs take place in far more grounded settings than its predecessors or successors, such as shopping malls and parking garages. Each one is a stage from Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3³ and you can almost feel the hot breeze of a warm summer night, especially if your PlayStation 2 is overheating.
Despite its impeccable vibes, a competitive scene never arose for Tekken 4 due to it being mostly about positive energy and enjoyment⁴. Professional fighting game players rarely discuss anything other than the presence of a senile, diaper clad Heihachi Mishima as the final boss.
Tekken Force Mode returns from Tekken 3.⁵
Playing this in tandem with its 2002 sister fighting game Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, it’s plain to see which is the better fighting game experience.⁶ The gameplay itself isn’t as balanced as prior or future entries, apparently, but everything else about this game is sleek and fluid. As an aesthetic exercise at the very least, Tekken 4 is wholly unique in its franchise if not its genre.
Tekken 8 would do well to swap out some of its particle-effect-heavy, apocalyptic stages⁷ for a pristine turn-of-the-century airport or a balmy metropolitan rooftop. Kazuya should rock some shades. Man, this game is like Tekken Summer Vacation. Let’s party.
__________
[1] I made this up
[2] Completely fabricated
[3] Pranked!
[4] Conner Wilson, On Tryhards, Penguin, 2024, p. 68
[5] Tekken 4, Namco, 2002
[6] Conman, Tekken 4, Backloggd, 2023, p. 1
[7] This just has to be the case right
-Det. James “Sonny” Crockett, Miami Vice
The 2000s aesthetic is in full swing here. Tekken 4 is widely considered the first videogame ever to be set in a city¹, but what isn’t commonly known is that it’s also the first game to feature techno music².
Tekken 4’s punch-outs take place in far more grounded settings than its predecessors or successors, such as shopping malls and parking garages. Each one is a stage from Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3³ and you can almost feel the hot breeze of a warm summer night, especially if your PlayStation 2 is overheating.
Despite its impeccable vibes, a competitive scene never arose for Tekken 4 due to it being mostly about positive energy and enjoyment⁴. Professional fighting game players rarely discuss anything other than the presence of a senile, diaper clad Heihachi Mishima as the final boss.
Tekken Force Mode returns from Tekken 3.⁵
Playing this in tandem with its 2002 sister fighting game Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, it’s plain to see which is the better fighting game experience.⁶ The gameplay itself isn’t as balanced as prior or future entries, apparently, but everything else about this game is sleek and fluid. As an aesthetic exercise at the very least, Tekken 4 is wholly unique in its franchise if not its genre.
Tekken 8 would do well to swap out some of its particle-effect-heavy, apocalyptic stages⁷ for a pristine turn-of-the-century airport or a balmy metropolitan rooftop. Kazuya should rock some shades. Man, this game is like Tekken Summer Vacation. Let’s party.
__________
[1] I made this up
[2] Completely fabricated
[3] Pranked!
[4] Conner Wilson, On Tryhards, Penguin, 2024, p. 68
[5] Tekken 4, Namco, 2002
[6] Conman, Tekken 4, Backloggd, 2023, p. 1
[7] This just has to be the case right
Tekken 4 is a masterclass in atmosphere and aesthetic. The game's y2k aesthetic becomes apparent as soon as you boot up the game and the intro starts playing with it having one of the iconic moments for the whole series (Kazuya's return to the series after his apparent death in the second game) enhanced by the techno music which accompanies it.
Tekken 4's techno soundtrack helps immerse the player into its more digital aesthetic and 'Fetus' playing in the prologue for each character's story mode paired with the sketchy art and the cold and monotonous speech of the narrator telling the story of the characters does its job to hype the player up for the forthcoming battles.
Speaking of battles the one thing I want to gush about the most are the stages in which the battles take place. Never ever have I seen stages which cater to my taste so much as this game. The stages are much more modern in comparison to what I had come to expect with the battles taking place in airports, malls, top of a skyscraper and other such places. Each stage is distinct and unique and has at least something interesting going on be it mechanically or aesthetically or even both in some cases. Stages like the forest have uneven terrain making it difficult for some moves, parking and skyscraper got objects like poles or statues (respectively) in it which you can use to hide behind or can even destroy by hitting your opponent against it which makes the experience much more realistic. Even stages which don't have a lot going on in gameplay category make up for it in visuals with my favorites being the underground lab surrounded by white fumes at the bottom giving it a more mysterious look and the Underground one in which the crowd surrounds you and they cheer for the fighters when there's a hard hitting move done by either one. Talking about the theme's of these stages would be redundant since I've already praised the ost a lot but skyscraper's theme, 'Authentic Sky' and Airports theme, 'Touch And Go' are my favorites.
I would also like to mention the story mode of each of its character is impeccable and the darker and grittier tone it has makes it much more memorable and its unfortunate to see how much the non Mishima characters are side lined narratively in the successive entries of the series when taking it into account how good this game was because of everyone being given their due.
All in all, Tekken 4 while not as fun to play as 5 for me is still my favorite of the franchise yet (along with 5 ofc) because of its bold and distinct visual identity and various design choices perfectly syncing up with each other to make one of the most atmospheric and immersive fighting games I've played and everyone who's a fan of y2k aesthetic and fighting games should give this one a chance
Tekken 4's techno soundtrack helps immerse the player into its more digital aesthetic and 'Fetus' playing in the prologue for each character's story mode paired with the sketchy art and the cold and monotonous speech of the narrator telling the story of the characters does its job to hype the player up for the forthcoming battles.
Speaking of battles the one thing I want to gush about the most are the stages in which the battles take place. Never ever have I seen stages which cater to my taste so much as this game. The stages are much more modern in comparison to what I had come to expect with the battles taking place in airports, malls, top of a skyscraper and other such places. Each stage is distinct and unique and has at least something interesting going on be it mechanically or aesthetically or even both in some cases. Stages like the forest have uneven terrain making it difficult for some moves, parking and skyscraper got objects like poles or statues (respectively) in it which you can use to hide behind or can even destroy by hitting your opponent against it which makes the experience much more realistic. Even stages which don't have a lot going on in gameplay category make up for it in visuals with my favorites being the underground lab surrounded by white fumes at the bottom giving it a more mysterious look and the Underground one in which the crowd surrounds you and they cheer for the fighters when there's a hard hitting move done by either one. Talking about the theme's of these stages would be redundant since I've already praised the ost a lot but skyscraper's theme, 'Authentic Sky' and Airports theme, 'Touch And Go' are my favorites.
I would also like to mention the story mode of each of its character is impeccable and the darker and grittier tone it has makes it much more memorable and its unfortunate to see how much the non Mishima characters are side lined narratively in the successive entries of the series when taking it into account how good this game was because of everyone being given their due.
All in all, Tekken 4 while not as fun to play as 5 for me is still my favorite of the franchise yet (along with 5 ofc) because of its bold and distinct visual identity and various design choices perfectly syncing up with each other to make one of the most atmospheric and immersive fighting games I've played and everyone who's a fan of y2k aesthetic and fighting games should give this one a chance
what the street fighter community is experiencing with ken right now is akin to what i guess the tekken community experienced with paul 21 years ago (he is unemployed)
fuck mortal kombat
really miss when fighters had unlockable characters. jin with the jacket and the hood up is an all time look
I used to think Tekken games were good because the fighters each had like thirty moves that were relatively easy to pull off, or maybe because the soundtracks were really good, or maybe the exotic worldwide locales they fought in, or maybe the sweeping story that marries sci-fi with Japanese mythology with international intrigue, but on each count I was wrong.
No, the main reason to play any Tekken game is because everyone, every single fighter, looks really really fuckin cool. Every single Tekken sequel is just another drip check
No, the main reason to play any Tekken game is because everyone, every single fighter, looks really really fuckin cool. Every single Tekken sequel is just another drip check
foda
cenário do brasil é o melhor
cenário do brasil é o melhor
Fucking love the aesthetic of this game.
God, I wish major fighting games took huge risks in their gameplay like Namco did for Tekken 4. While 3 introduced me to this world and whacky characters, many of the finer details were left to the player’s imagination. Here, the characters are fully realized with the series best and most complete story mode. Gameplay is slower, with movement that feels more like the Tekken’s cousin series, Soulcalibur, than any other game before or after this, but it only makes the use of the environment more strategical than ever. For nostalgia’s sake, the design of this game blew me away as a kid. This was the biggest leap between two entries of a series I can possibly imagine. Good shit in general.
Hard to think that this "flopped" and made harada quit for a year cause this is easily my favourite one. Childhood biases helps and all but holy crap we've got stages now and character models actually look like real people. The urban feel and the cool colours and atmospheric music maintain this as the most memorable in the franchise. Even if it was most divisive in the fanbase and the least competitive. I adore this one so much and it's dark tone and redesigns for it's characters still stay in my mind to this day. Also this has the best Tekken force and Jin design hands down. I fuck with you Tekken 4
A very nice PS2-early games that should accompany everyone's library (instead of only DBZ ones, just sayin')
I got a twelve pack of that gorilla. That shit you can only find walking along the hashish transport paths in Azerbaijan. I'm smoking on Butanese garden grown dark evil pack. They watered this with the blood of 36 dragons.
hehe funny wall infinite :)
best story, soundtrack and presentation, weird experimental gameplay I fuck with a lot, lots of fun
best story, soundtrack and presentation, weird experimental gameplay I fuck with a lot, lots of fun
As a child, I missed out on this and tekken 6 as the only games of tekken that I didn’t play. And after years I open up to this game, faced the game at very hard and beat it first try with every character in the game. Tears flowed down my eyes when I realised I wasn’t the same old child buttmashing to reach my way to victory. It almost felt like getting good at it was a way I lost the child in me but at the same time that’s what really spoke to me as to how much games of this era meant to me.
Just an outstanding game overall, complimented with some of my most favourite tekken osts.
Thank you, Hirada.
Just an outstanding game overall, complimented with some of my most favourite tekken osts.
Thank you, Hirada.
This is an okay game. Has some unbalanced shit going on tho. Tekken Force in this can go pretty one sided if ya pick the wrong character.