Tekken 2 (PSX) - Jack-2 Arcade Playthrough [28/06/23]

Tekken 2 - My first Sony PlayStation game, and arguably a watershed moment in how I felt about polygonal 1 vs. 1 fighters.

Plenty of video editorials out there will tell you what sort of impact Namco's arcade classic had on PlayStation, it's lasting legacy echoing well beyond the millennium, creating a template for how these kind of games should be handled on home release. It is truly bizarre to consider in retrospect. Despite their depth in combat, the likes of Virtua Fighter, Street Fighter Alpha and Tobal remained fated to underground infamy, and yet, Tekken 2 became mainstream popular with comparatively slow, clunky and downright broken mechanics by contrast. Namco's fighter succeeded because it was so unabashedly confident in its presentation. This game has a kick ass intro, with a rave inducing sountrack, and a high quality UI. Simply put, these elements went a long way to building a lasting reputation, one that still puts many modern titles to shame. Tekken 2 had plenty to offer in longevity as well: Lots of unlockable cinematics, characters, and secrets, that kept you wanting to come back for more and more.

Today, we live in a world where it feels as though every facet of a new fighting game experience can be nickled and dimed. Microtransactions are delivered in season passes, costumes, boosters, infact they are seemingly forced onto any dumb piece of content that could be commodified now. Tekken 2 gave PlayStation owners a complete feeling experience that was available immediately out of the box, the only condition being that you poured as much love into the game as the developers did into crafting it. Oh how I pine for those days again.

MINOR NOTE: I am still experimenting with scanlines and HDR video modes through my RetroTink 5X Pro. This video does not seem to have uploaded in HLG but I am working to get content available in 10-bit colour at somepoint in the future. Keep watch on this space.

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A LEGAL NOTICE:
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Any copyrighted footage I use is covered under fair use laws, or more specifically those listed under Section 30(1) of the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1989 and under section 107 of US Copyright Act 1976. This video exists purely for the purpose of research and criticism. I do not make a profit from any uploaded content, nor do I intend to. Thank you for watching.