Forget the Storyline. Get to the Fight.

I started playing Tekken back when there was no number after the name, years ago in a University arcade. My brother introduced it to me when he came to visit, and I admit that I spent far too much time in front of that machine. It was a great social lubricant for young men, who would stand by with their quarters, ready to fight for the right to kick the guy there off of the game and face a new contender.

Now, many years later, I have Tekken 5 in my home, and I'm happy to say that it's better than ever. At core, the game is the same. Now, however, there are nicer backgrounds, and better music, and sounds. For my home disc, on the PlayStation 2, there are options like a storyline game, but I don't play those. I prefer the old arcade style, nice and simple.

It's what makes Tekken so addictive. The core of Tekken doesn't come with any of the pretense of a storyline, or an actual setting in which there is a fight for a reason. Sure the storyline option allows for such a thing, but I don't know any players who pay attention to that. You play Tekken to simulate a fight, plain and simple.

I'm not a violent guy. In fact, I'm a pacifist. However, I understand the thrill of a fight as much as anyone else. I take that part of my personality, and let it be released through Tekken 5 in my basement, not anywhere else.

The characters are well defined, with interesting fighting styles to explore that require different strategies. When those fighting strategies meet with different opponents, the player is forced to adapt. There are a few special maneuvers for those who like that sort of thing, but mostly it's kicks and punches, with different strengths and speeds. It's a well designed system that just plain makes sense.

If you really feel the need for a long-term sense of development in a video game, then you can play around with the outfits for the characters. Whenever you win a fight, you get a bit of money that, when accumulated, buys things like sunglasses, radical hair-dos, and bright fighting jackets. For me, though, that's just extra. I'd like to see more games like this - just to fight.