Can't wait to play Tekken in HD on your shiny, new PS3? Now you don't have to!

Tekken fans in North America won’t have to wait for Tekken 6 to see their beloved franchise in 1080p. Namco-Bandai recently released Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection to PS3 owners in Japan and Hong Kong and is widely expected to follow suit with a North American release soon. Dark Resurrection, based on the arcade update to Tekken 5, received strong reviews when it was released for Sony’s PSP system approximately six months ago. It is the first complete PS3 game to be distributed online through Sony’s Playstation store and costs about $15-17 in Asia.



The Asian release was largely unchanged from DR’s previous iterations, although Namco-Bandai is rumored to be working on new modes or features for the North American version. Extensive character customization options are still available, with over twice as many items available as the original PS2 Tekken 5. While the practice mode present on the PSP is absent, arcade, vs, and ghost modes are all still available. However, there’s no online vs play and, as of the time this was written, there were no additional ghost AI’s available to download. While changes will undoubtedly be made to the US release, it is unlikely they will add online play at this late stage, a noticeable omission.



For the die-hard Tekken fans too impatient to wait for Namco’s expected US release of this title, there is a complex process through which it is possible to play this game on your PS3 today. It involves starting a new account at Sony’s online store using an address in Japan or Hong Kong, and only adding money in small increments. For small transactions, Sony does not check to verify that the given address matches the address on your credit card account. Don’t attempt to do this on your own without checking out the details online, however, and DO SO AT YOUR OWN RISK!



While Dark Resurrection will likely be more than enough to satiate hardcore Tekken fans who can’t wait for Tekken 6, for the rest of us it may provide little more than a momentary distraction. This is, after all, the fourth version of the same game, a game that’s been out for over two years, no less. While DR looks fantastic running at 1080p, even better than in arcades, the lack of online play is a glaring omission that would have added significant longevity. Industry pundits have speculated that Namco-Bandai is timing the North American release to coincide with Sega’s release of an all-new Virtua Fighter in February.

While Dark Resurrection looks fantastic on the PS3, its recycled content means it is unlikely to make much of a dent in Sega’s sales figures.