How Tekken 2 Is Truly A Step-Up From The First Game

Some games really just got more popular during the second round, right? I think that's one of the many things Tekken has in common with Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. All those games took better launch with the second game than the first. The first Tekken game was pretty much just an introduction. It was just an experimental game. If it succeeds then we're going forward. If not, we're not moving forward. It felt that way. The first Tekken game succeeded and sold a lot of copies. Then just like Mortal Kombat - they decided that just one year after the first game would mean another game.

The second game now started with newer, more interesting characters and a new plot. The first game had Kazuya beat his own father Heihachi. However, the Faustian pact he made as a child corrupted his soul. This causes a new level of conflict as Heihachi must try to look like a hero after his own son's true nature (if ever) got revealed. Jun enters into the conflict that would birth the main protagonist of future Tekken games namely Jin Kazama. The game would serve as some kind of transition for the Jin Kazama era. We also have the premiere appearance of Devil (who was just a palette swap in the predecessor), Angel, Baek Doo San, Bruce Irvin, Jack-2, Jun Kazama, Lei Wulong, and Roger. Lei Wulong is obviously a homage to Jackie Chan, right?

So how did Tekken 2 start to have a way better step-up from its predecessor? It showed why Virtua Fighter 2 is anemic. It had new characters that truly made an impact. It also had given the unlockable bosses something the first game never had - animated endings! There were added more moves and combos per character. Input mechanisms have been greatly improved. The first game always had the problem of, "F*** the inputs!" The second game did improve on it though you'll find later Tekken games to have much smoother input. The addition of Devil as the final boss was also another challenge. It was a bit more balanced than Heihachi though. Strangely, this performance nearly mirrors how Mortal Kombat II is considered to be a step-up from its predecessor too. Quite a shock really how Shang Tsung and Heihachi got nerfed the second time around, got demoted to extra, and years later Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa will play both characters.

Pretty much, the game itself really helped define Tekken before the franchise finally got the near-perfect game in Tekken 5. Though I do still feel like Mortal Kombat II this game tends to get overrated by the older fanbase.