Common Sense Note
Parents should be aware that while there is subtle message about honor and fighting for what you believe in, players are asked to use there fists to solve every last problem in this game.
Parents might want to talk to their kids about some of the gender issues raised by the game. What do you think of the scantily clad J. Lo character? Do images like this promote equality -- or stereotypes? Also, what do you think about men being able to fight women? Is this a positive or negative element of of the game? Do you think the female characters make this game appeal more to girls?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Matthew Pavao
Back from a two year hiatus, the Tekken series returns to the scene with the ultimate head-to-head battle game on the market today.
Light on story, the beauty of this newest version is the amount of choices it offers. In the most basic of its modes, the story mode, players pick from 17 characters (almost all holdovers from past Tekken games) and battle their way through 10 different random competitors. The battles become more difficult as players advance. The only difference between this mode and time challenge, survivor mode, and team battle is in how players are rated or advance. In survivor mode, for example, all wounds are permanent, instead of your health being reset every new battle. Team battle allows you to pick a team of one to 8 people that will try to battle though all the other characters (each character fights until he/she has lost).
In Devil Within mode, players follow Jin, a warrior trying to find his long lost mother who has been kidnapped and is being held in a complexed chemical lab, this mode of TEKKEN 5 takes on the look of many of the adventure games out on the market. While this mode is not as entertaining as the heads up battles -- the game is hard to maneuver through and the fighting is too easy -- it may appeal to players looking for more of a story.
Perhaps the most unique aspect of the game is its inclusion of the arcade versions of Tekken 1-3. This feature not only allows series novices to get an understanding of the characters and stories that are woven throughput all the games, but it also allows players to get used to some of the controls while they're still pretty basic, and not the difficult moves that Tekken 5 requires. Which brings us to the game's only real drwaback: How difficult it is to perform the many moves required. With a number of specialty moves to learn, mastering the controls can be cumbersome, confusing and tiresome.
In the end, though, colorful fighting environments, realistic gameplay, and superior graphics, makes it all worth it. From he speed at which one player can attack another, to the overall creativity of the moves at a players disposal, Tekken 5 has taken battle games to a whole new level. If your kids are looking for the best way to spend a Friday night hanging out at home with a friend, doing some serious trash talking, then this may be the perfect game.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentPretty mild. One character seems to be a scantily clad Jennifer Lopez knock off. |
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ViolenceWhile the game is built around fighting, no one is ever killed, and battles end with losing opponents shaking their head and walking away. |
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Social BehaviorThe game has a subtle message about honor, and in fighting for what you believe in, but it is buried and hard to find. While both sexes and many different ethnic groups are represented, there roles often seem stereotypical. Even though the women fight just as hard as the men, there appearance and demeanor is hardly that of a warrior. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoSome discreet tobacco use. |
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