Takken 3: Fighting Game

Takken 3  is a fighting game, the third entry in the Takken series. The original arcade game initially had a limited Japanese release in November 1996, followed by a wide international release in March 1997, before being ported for the PlayStation in 1998. The original arcade version of the game was released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2 as part of Takken 5‘s Arcade History mode. The game was re-released in 2018 as part of Sony’s PlayStation Classic.

Takken 3 features a largely new cast of characters, including the debut of several now-staple characters such as Jin Kazama, Ling Xiaoyu, Bryan Fury, Eddy Gordo, and Hwoarang, with a total of twenty-three characters. The home version includes a new beat ’em up mode called Tekken Force, and the bonus Takken Ball mode.

The game was a major hit for both arcades and consoles, selling 35,000 arcade units and more than 8 million PlayStation copies worldwide, making Takken 3 the fifth best-selling PlayStation game. Takken 3 has since been cited as one of the greatest video games of all time. It was followed by Takken Tag Tournament, a non-canon installment in 1999 in arcades and in 2000 for the PlayStation 2. The direct sequel, Takken 4 was released in arcades and on the PlayStation 2 in 2001 and 2002, respectively.

Gameplay

Takken 3 maintains the same core fighting system and concept as its predecessors.^[5] Three-dimensional movement is insignificant in previous Takken games (aside from some characters having unique sidesteps and dodging maneuvers), but Takken 3 adds emphasis on the third axis by allowing characters to sidestep in or out of the background.^[6] Fighters now jump more reasonable heights than in the previous games, making them less overwhelming and putting more use to sidestep dodges, as jumping can no longer dodge every ground attack. New improvements include quicker recoveries from knockdowns, more escapes from tackles and stuns, more moves with juggling enabled, and newly created combo throws.

Takken 3 introduces a beat ’em up minigame called “Takken Force”, which pits the player in various stages against enemies in a side-scrolling fashion. The concept was expanded on in a minigame for Takken 4, and succeeded by the Devil Within campaign mode in Takken 5. Another minigame is known as “Takken Ball”, similar to beach volleyball, where the player must hit the ball with a powerful attack to pulverize the opponent, or cause them penalty damage by letting the ball fall into the opponent’s territory.

Characters

See also: List of Tekken characters § Introduced in Tekken 3

The arcade version features a total of 21 characters. Because the game takes place 20 years after Tekken 2, only six characters from the previous installment return, with the rest being new. Unlike the previous two games, the character select screen displays all characters at once, instead of hiding some offscreen and requiring players to scroll past the screen to select them.

The console version adds two new characters, Dr. Bosconovitch and Gon, and also makes Anna Williams, a palette swap of Nina Williams in the arcade version, into a distinct character with her own moveset, voice clip, and ending. There is also an unplayable enemy, Crow, faced only during the Tekken Force minigame. The console version only features 10 characters available by default, with the rest being unlocked by fulfilling various conditions.

Plot

Fifteen years after the King of the Iron Fist Tournament 2, Heihachi Mishima has established the Tekken Force: a paramilitary organization dedicated to the protection of the Mishima Zaibatsu. Using the company’s influence, Heihachi is responsible for many events that have ultimately led to world peace. One day, a squadron of Tekken Force soldiers search an ancient temple located in Mexico under the premise of an excavation project. Soon after arriving there, Heihachi learns that they were obliterated by a mysterious and malevolent creature known as Ogre. Heihachi, having captured a brief glimpse of Ogre before its immediate disappearance, seeks to capture Ogre in the hopes of harnessing its immense fighting power for his own personal gain. Soon after, various known martial artists end up dead, attacked, or missing from all over the world, with Ogre behind all of it.

Jun Kazama has been living a quiet life in Yakushima with her young son, Jin Kazama, fathered after the events of the previous tournament by Heihachi’s son, Kazuya Mishima. However, their peaceful life is disrupted when Jun begins to sense Ogre’s encroaching presence and knowing that she is now a target, instructs Jin to seek Heihachi if anything happens. Sometime after Jin’s fifteenth birthday, Ogre attacks. Against Jun’s wishes, Jin valiantly tries to fight Ogre off, but he knocks him unconscious. When Jin awakens, he finds that the ground surrounding his house has been burnt and his mother is missing and most likely dead. Driven by revenge, Jin is confronted by the Devil, which brands Jin’s left arm and possesses him. Jin goes to his grandfather, Heihachi, explaining his situation and begging him for training to become strong enough to face Ogre. Heihachi accepts and takes Jin under his wing, as well as sending him to Mishima High School where Jin meets a classmate named Ling Xiaoyu and her pet Panda.

Four years later, Jin masters the Mishima karate style. On Jin’s nineteenth birthday, Heihachi announces the King of Iron Fist Tournament 3, and Jin himself prepares for his upcoming battle, having no idea that his grandfather is secretly using him, Xiaoyu, and the rest of the competitors as bait in order to lure Ogre out into the open.

Paul Phoenix makes it to the final round of the tournament, after defeating the opposing fighters including Kuma, Jin Kazama and Heihachi Mishima in the previous rounds. He enters a large temple, defeats Ogre, and walks away from the tournament; thinking he is victorious. However, unbeknownst to Paul, Ogre morphs into his second, monstrous form known as “True Ogre” after absorbing Heihachi’s power and the tournament continues after his departure. Jin who was reinstated in the tournament and replaces Paul Phoenix in the final round confronts True Ogre and manages to defeat him as Ogre completely dissolves, avenging his mother’s death and winning the Tournament as a result. Moments later, Jin is suddenly gunned down by a squadron of Tekken Force led by an awakened Heihachi, who no longer needing him, personally fires a final shot into his grandson’s head. Jin, however, revived by the Devil within him, reawakens and dispatches the soldiers, smashing Heihachi through the wall of the temple as he survives the fall. Jin then sprouts black, feathery wings and flies off into the night as Heihachi looks on from the ground.

Bobby Jansson

Having completed my education in English, I’ve cultivated a successful career as a content writer. My tenure includes valued collaborations with distinguished professional organizations, reflecting my commitment to producing high-quality content.
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