PREVIEWS:: Tekken 4 Written By: Bryan Dawson
There was quite a bit of speculation going into the 2001 Electronic Entertainment Exposition. Fighting game enthusiasts were in heavy debate over which fighting game Namco would debut. Now, after the dust has settled, we have the first details on Tekken 4 complete with new character renders and a teaser video.
The first point of interest was the seven character models displayed within the Tekken 4 teaser video. Several of the models were easily recognized. Hwoarang, Paul Phoenix, King, Ling Xiaoyu, and Law. The only question that arises with these characters is which Law was shown. He featured a goatee, making it appear as though he may be Marshall as opposed to Forest. To further support this claim, Hwoarang, Paul and Ling don\'t seem to have aged much since their Tekken 3 renders. This indicates the fourth tournament may take place shorter after the third. Therefore, the older looking Law would be Marshall.
Accompanying the five returning characters featured in the teaser, were two questionable renders. One appears to be Kazuya. The eyebrows are very similar to the other Mishima family members, and his face greatly resembles Heihachi\'s son. While he was thrown into a volcano after Tekken 2, a closer look at the render reveals a scar running across the middle of his face. Couple this with the fact that Kazuya is possessed by the Devil and he could survive being thrown into a volcano. Upon further examination, a face appears in Kazuya\'s left eye. From a distance it simply looks as if one of his eyes is red. However, zoom in and you\'ll see that not only is there a reflection of a face, but it appears to resemble Jun Kazama. Yet another clue that it is indeed Kazuya.
Taking a closer look at the final character render in the video clip reveals what could be a new character. Sporting no shirt and slicked back, blonde hair, some have speculated that this new character is in fact Jin Kazama with dyed hair. However, the general consensus remains firm that this is a new character to the series. We\'ll have to wait for further details from Namco before passing final judgment.
In addition to the seven character models and new logo, a Namco representative revealed that Tekken 4 began testing in Japanese arcades on Thursday, May 17. The arcade version of the game was running on Namco\'s System 246 hardware. An upgraded version of the PlayStation 2 console. This indicates that the game is almost certainly confirmed for a PS2 appearance, yet there are no current plans for a GameCube or Xbox port. The Namco representative also informed us that the next Iron Fist Tournament will make its way into arcades before year end. While nothing has been announced concerning the home version, if the game is already beta testing expect a final arcade version later this summer with a Japanese home port this Fall. A domestic port will probably follow before the end of year so as not to miss the holiday rush.
Japanese home port this Fall? Hummmm? 
