Tekken: Dark Resurrection

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The King of Iron Fist Tournament is kicking its way into your hands

You knew it had to happen sooner or later. After all but conquering the 3D fighting genre on the PSone and PlayStation 2, Tekken will hit Sony's handheld in August. And it looks like it's going to hit hard.

A port of the Japan-only arcade expansion Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection, the PSPTekken: Dark Resurrection looks to pack in all of the original's action, if not its graphics. But while the jaggy visuals look considerably rougher than its smooth PS2 and arcade counterparts, Dark Resurrection isn't likely to skimp on gameplay.

The game boasts no fewer than 35 fighters, including two new faces - Lili, a blonde, baby-faced girl who dresses like a pop star and is aimed at beginners; and Sergei Dragunov, a creepy-looking Russian grappler whose military friends call him The White God of Death. The rest of the cast is the usual assortment of martial artists, street brawlers and weirdos that Tekken fans have come to love, including log-man Mokujin and Roger Jr., the boxing kangaroo.Dark Resurrection also sees the return of jaguar-headed Armor King, who's reportedly developed an all-new move set since his last appearance in Tekken Tag Tournament.

All of the characters can be customized with unlockable accessories, and a wireless multiplayer mode (Ad Hoc only, as of press time) will let you show off your tricked-out fighter while kicking a friend's ass. Dark Resurrection also promises 19 stages - complete with destructible scenery - to fight in, along with assorted minigames.

Mikel Reparaz
Mikel Reparaz
After graduating from college in 2000 with a BA in journalism, I worked for five years as a copy editor, page designer and videogame-review columnist at a couple of mid-sized newspapers you've never heard of. My column eventually got me a freelancing gig with GMR magazine, which folded a few months later. I was hired on full-time by GamesRadar in late 2005, and have since been paid actual money to write silly articles about lovable blobs.