'Tekken': Unleash The Fighter in You

Thirty-four fighters, each with unique moves, duke it out in the PSP version of "Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection." (Namco Bandai)

This exclusive PSP game is a portable version of Namco's hit arcade game "Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection." It's hands down the best fighting game available for the system and the best game I've played on PSP. If Sony ever needed a killer application outside of "Grand Theft Auto" to sell its portable, this is it. The 3-D visuals in this game are almost as good as the PlayStation 2 "Tekken 5" game.

This game has two new characters not seen on PS2: rich girl Lili and special forces expert Gradunov. In addition to an assortment of male and female martial arts experts, the game's eccentric cast includes a giant panda, a sumo wrestler, an alien samurai and a cyborg. There are 34 fighters available from the start, which is refreshing since most fighting games force you to unlock most combatants. The character animation is fluid, and the load times aren't bad. This game packs a lot of content into one portable package. As is traditional with mano a mano fighting tournaments, there is an assortment of game modes (quick match, story, time attack) to satisfy just about anyone's pugilistic tastes. Newbies will want to learn the dozens of unique moves each character possesses in the practice mode, which relays the button combinations on-screen. Gold rush mode allows players to earn money to buy character accouterments, and there's even a bowling mini-game with disco music. One of the most challenging modes is the Tekken dojo, which allows players to fight against "ghost" characters that have unique artificial intelligence. Players can create their own ghosts and trade them via the Internet.

The only fault with this nearly perfect game is the controls. The PSP's D-pad doesn't always register diagonal movement, which is a hardware issue, not the game's fault. It's a minor hindrance, but it doesn't take away from the fun factor of this deep fighter.

-- John Gaudiosi

Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection Teen; PSP ($40) Namco Bandai