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Tekken 3D: Prime Edition Preview for Nintendo 3DS

Tekken 3D: Prime Edition Preview for Nintendo 3DS

Oh, Tekken…You’ve Never Looked Better

Tekken has always been a series known for its over-the-top arcade style and insane list of moves. Though the Tekken games have always looked nice and featured a little bit of a story, when you ask fans of the series what they love about it, they’ll always talk up the battle system (and maybe the character design too). However, if you look at the most-touted features of Tekken 3D: Prime Edition, it won’t be the variety of modes or the revamped battle system that gets players’ attention. Apparently the visuals are the focus of this title this time, and they should be nothing short of spectacular.

We all know that Nintendo’s little 3DS is a processing powerhouse and can output some seriously amazing 3D visuals. But Tekken 3D is poised to be the first game ever to run at 60 frames per second on the handheld. And yes, that 60 fps metric has been confirmed to be accurate across all game modes and in 3D. This little tidbit alone makes Tekken 3D: Prime Edition worth a look when it releases, but is there anything else that we can look forward to from Tekken 3D?

Tekken 3D: Prime Edition Screenshot

Well, details beyond the game’s impressive visual specs are actually fairly scarce, which is a little bit concerning. We do know that Tekken 3D will feature over 40 playable characters, with most of the roster coming from Tekken 6. We also know that most of the stages in the game will be ripped from previous Tekken games—again, most will be familiar to Tekken 6 players—but there will be at least six levels that have been developed exclusively for the 3D version.

Absolutely nothing has been released about the battle system, but we do know a little bit about the different game modes. The ever-popular Tag Challenge mode is back, and there will be 26 distinct levels that players can fight their way through. Of course, standby modes like arcade are also back here too, but the real question I’m sure fans are asking is whether there will be any online modes in Tekken 3D.

Tekken 3D: Prime Edition Screenshot

One of the biggest selling points of Super Street Fighter IV on the 3DS was its robust online content and support for tournament-style matches. If Tekken 3D is even going to hope to compete with the gold standard of fighting games on the 3DS, it had better have some kind of online content for fans to check out. Just porting 80% of the content over from Tekken 6 and slapping some 3D effects is not going to cut it here, especially since the 3DS has proven itself a capable platform for serious online gaming.

One thing that will almost be identical to Street Fighter IV will be the StreetPass versus mode. Tekken 3D will have a passive card-based battle system where users can trade and battle over 70 fighter-based cards in the StreetPass arena. This is a pretty cool feature, but not likely one that fans are going to write home about—unless, of course, there are some nifty unlockables tied to it.

Tekken 3D: Prime Edition Screenshot

Tekken 3D will also have a little bit of extra content for the super fans, and will include the entire Tekken: Blood Vengeance movie (presented in 3D) on the game cartridge. This is the first time I have ever heard of a movie being put on a cartridge for a handheld game, so that fact alone is noteworthy. However, if you are thinking about picking this one up just so you can check out the movie, be warned: it isn’t all that good. Still, I’m sure it does have a few fans, and bundling the movie with the game ensures it doesn’t end its life at the bottom of a bargain DVD bin.

Unfortunately, we still have a lot of questions about Tekken 3D: Prime Edition, and it’s unlikely that we’ll know anything more before the game’s release. Still, at least we know the game is going to look amazing, and will be one of only a handful of Tekken games released on handheld platforms. Will Tekken 3D take over for Street Fighter IV as the reigning champion among handheld fighters? Perhaps, but like all good fights, this one is too close to call at this juncture.

Game Features:

  • Classic TEKKEN fighter with new modes for 3DS.
  • Utilizes all of the 3DS system features.
  • ALSO INCLUDES TEKKEN Blood Vengeance movie in 3D! First time a 3D movie has been included on a handheld.
  • Runs in full 3D at 60 fps!

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