Tekken 5

GameSpy

The huge, diverse cast and excellent fighting engine guarantee lots of fun fights for a long time into the future, and its pick-up-and-playability make it the best game to pull out for more casual company.

Game Chronicles

Namco has achieved perfection on all fronts’ gameplay, graphics, sound, and longevity.

AceGamez

If you're looking for a superb fighting game for the PS2 with awesome characters, arenas, a good story and outstanding, addictive gameplay then look no further, as Namco have outdone themselves here; welcome the King of Iron Fist Tournament back to glory!

Worth Playing

The stages are downright breath-taking.

GameZone

Tekken 5's visuals are simply incredible. It's hard to look at a PS2 game these days without rolling your eyes. You can try to roll your eyes at this game, but first you'll have to put them back in their sockets.

Next Level Gaming

Comes as close to being the perfect fighter as any game has in the past. It is easily the best game of the series.

Armchair Empire

Graphically, Tekken 5 is one of the smoothest games I have ever played. Almost every movement looks believable and the stages, the lighting, the character models, it all looks amazing.

Game Power Australia

This is the best Tekken game you’ll play this side of the PS3, easily surpassing "Tekken 4" and "Tekken Tag Tournament" to claim the title. It’s fast, it’s furious, it’s a pleasure to play and a joy to watch.

IC-Games

Even though the Playstation 2 may be drawing on its last breath, Namco have managed to squeeze every last ounce of gaming power out of the hardware. Tekken 5 is oozing playability and gameplay and is certainly a fitting continuation of the saga.

BonusStage

A brilliantly crafted fighter that any fighting game fan must go out and buy right away, no questions asked.

WHAM! Gaming

Best looking, best sounding, best playing fighting game on the PlayStation 2. Excusing the fact there’s no online functionality, if fighting is your genre of choice this is your game of choice.

eToychest

It’s clear that Tekken 5 is a great game, but the lack of online play is a significant disappointment. There is quite a bit of replay value in the offline package, but the ability to take the aggression online would have made for an astronomical value and elevated the series beyond the contention of its peers.

IGN

Better balancing, a ton of gameplay modes, smarter AI, and high-quality presentational elements are tough things to beat -- but Tekken 5 has all of them.

GamingTrend

The graphics, sound and gameplay combine to form the best Tekken game yet.

GameSpot

While some of the extra modes aren't as strong as they could have been, the core fighting is nearly perfect, whether you're playing against other humans or computer-controlled opposition.

Gamer's Hell

Tekken 5's soundtrack is not groundbreaking by any means, but the music tends to fit the atmosphere just right.

PSX Extreme

Restores any luster to the series that may have been lost with the mediocre reception of "Tekken 4." Its full complement of fighters, sweet visuals, various modes of play, and hidden goodies will keep players coming back for months.

VGPub

If Tekken 5 would have had tag battles, I have no doubt this one would have gone down as the most perfect Tekken to date.

DailyGame

Almost the complete fighting package. I say “almost” because it offers no online gameplay, and is limited to the PlayStation 2. This is one of those games that would’ve been amazing online.

Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)

A return to form for one of PlayStation's elder statesmen - glorious visuals and tight fighting make this essential. It'll be Tekken over your life in no time. [PSM]

TotalGames.net

Every aspect of Tekken 5's production is of the highest quality save one area - the game's Devil Within mode - the latest take in the Tekken Force series. Visually bland and repetitive in a way only the very worst scrolling beat-'em-ups can be. It's a crime then that completing it is the only way unlock Devil Jin. [JPN Import]

Pelit (Finland)

An excellent beat 'em up. It is not the most original, but who cares when everything works this well. [Aug. 05]

Pelaaja (Finland)

Tekken 5 really has almost no faults, it’s simply the best game in the series. Perhaps the only real flaw is that it won’t convert the fans of other fighting games, if you can think of that as a flaw. [June 2005, p.50]

Eurogamer

Namco has gone all out to present the ultimate Tekken experience for long-term fans while enticing potential newcomers with its sassiest ever line-up of characters.

Total Video Games

It looks amazing, its sounds amazing, and it succeeds in providing a wide variety of modes that will please average gamers and thrill Tekken fans.

Boomtown

While there are deeper thrills to be found within "Virtua Fighter," Tekken 5 offers one of the most accessible and exciting entries into the genre.

Sydney Morning Herald

Battles are marvellously theatrical, with punches, kicks and throws so powerful the ground ruptures when pugilists fall.

GameBiz

It’s one of the better fighting games that we’ve experienced, and that includes such greats as Dead or Alive Ultimate, Mortal Kombat Deception, Soul Calibur II, and so on.

Gamestyle

While it’s not the best fighter ever, Tekken 5 is truly something special. It has the style, sound and longevity you want from a fighting game.

Weekly Famitsu

9 / 9 / 9 / 9  - platinum [Vol 851]

PSM Magazine

The best game in the series - even if it's not totally original. [May 2005, p.70]

Game Over Online

With a couple of dozen characters to master, tons of action, great music, amazingly good graphics (why the hell didn't Soul Calibur II look this good on the PS2?), three extra Tekken games, and the character customization mode, Tekken 5 gives you a lot of value for your money.

GameCritics

A totally lush and vibrant experience.There's a palpable sense of energy in the game, and it shines so brightly it's impossible not to see.

GameShark

With a rock-solid and responsive fighting system, along with great audio/visual presentation to match and lots of modes to play with, Tekken 5 is the early contender for fighting game of the year.

Stuff

Unfortunately, you can't play Tekken 5 online—say it isn't so!—but the easy-on-the-eyes Nina Williams can still kick our fat, pale asses any old day of the week. We love you Nina!

GamePro

An excellent game, better than it has any right to be. But the premium bonus content (including arcade-perfect ports of the first three Tekken titles, plus a spiritual successor to Tekken Force) catapult the entire package to "must-have" status.

Cheat Code Central

From the graphics to the gameplay mechanics everything runs smoothly and precisely like a Swiss-made clock. The controls are tight, the animation is fluid and the gameplay is extremely varied for a fighting game. It's a winner.

PSX Nation

Outstanding visuals (the best yet on PS2), killer sound, kick-ass characters (new one’s as well as returning one’s), finely-tweaked gameplay (which still lags behind VF4 in depth but not replayability) and a truckload of extras (including the first three Tekken arcade games) make this the be-all, end-all installment of Tekken to date.

Yahoo! Games

Nothing is prettier, nothing plays as deeply, and nothing is so chock-full of value with additional material. The new characters rock, the levels are compelling, and Namco even included a classic to play while it loads.

1UP

From a purely technical standpoint, the frame-rate is rock solid, and the lighting effects are lavish as well, and while not as polished, overall, as the technical achievements of "Dead or Alive Ultimate," come a close second. Matching the visual largesse is a comprehensive features list that does for PS2 what "Dead or Alive Ultimate" did for Xbox.

GamerFeed

Fans of the arcade version of Tekken 5 will be happy to see a near flawless port of the game, complete with all of the customization aspects of the arcade game. In addition, you'll find your standard fighting game modes of play, plus an in-depth practice mode, and all three original Tekken arcade titles. Hands down, this is one of the best fighting games available for the PS2.

Game Informer

The series may feel a little dated, but once you start your training and chain together a massive 10-hit combo that sends your opponent reeling, it's still a tough game to put down. [Apr 2005, p.125]

netjak

If you're into 3D fighting, Tekken 5 is the the one game in the genre that you should consider a must buy.

Jolt Online Gaming UK

Great Tekken gameplay, nice new graphics, but certainly nothing we haven’t seen before.

PALGN

Not even minor balancing issues and a super cheap final boss can spoil this; Tekken 5 is quite easily the best of the series.

The New York Times

Actions are beautifully animated, and it is thrilling when you manage to throw your opponents straight up in the air and keep them there with a series of well-placed kicks.

Game Revolution

It’s not, however, a lot of new game. Tekken 5 is a hefty package, but doesn’t offer much in terms of original gameplay or modes. It’s a celebration of all things Tekken rather than a brave new step for the series.

Electronic Gaming Monthly

It's hard to hate a game that looks this pretty. [May 2005, p.130]

Official U.S. Playstation Magazine

Tekken 5 is great because it not only refines the wall-attack system and other skills like counters, but it also remains totally accessible to even the most novice fighting-game fans.

Play Magazine

Another amazingly deep fighting game that should leave fans floored. [Apr 2005, p.53]

TotalPlayStation

Little touches like the ground or glass cracking underfoot when fighters go down hard are nice, but they don't stay throughout the fights and when huge chunks of stone go flying up and then disappear, it almost makes one wonder why they were included at all.

Inside Gamer Online

Somehow manages to be as deep and addictive as it is rushed and flawed... What it fails at borders on inexcusable; it doesn't launch the Tekken series up to the same level of greatness as the "Virtua Fighter" series.

NTSC-uk

In fact the only mode notable by its absence is online play and it’s a shame Tekken 5 didn’t take the opportunity to introduce an online function for players to battle across the Internet. [JPN Import]

3DAvenue

It is very pick up and play which is cool for friends but it really can only be recommended to fighting fans.

VideoGamesLife

With the changes made to the gameplay, there’s no doubting Namco has turned the series around to deliver one of the strongest beat 'em up performances we’ve seen since "Dead or Alive Ultimate."

G4 TV

The quick, aggressive, and brutal matches of Tekken might not be everyone’s ideal fight, but the game does have depth and a decent sense of balance, not to mention a lot of great-looking moves and great character variety.

Edge Magazine

While a misplaced desire for innovation once pushed it off course, the series has found its way home. Though it may never learn consistency, it’s remembered how to keep even the most jaded gamer beguiled. [May 2005, p.80]

games(TM)

The game's return to the fundamentals of blocking, countering and simple evasion as opposed to the unnecessary abuse of 3D movement and stilted enclosed environments of the last two games helps reintroduce the skill element for those willing to learn. [Apr 2005, p.86]

Thunderbolt

This latest installment of the series not only strengthens the franchise as a whole, but also offers so much to both longtime fans and fighting game fanatics alike.

Official Playstation 2 Magazine UK

The original Playstation fighter beats its way back to top form. [Jan 2007, p.106]

My Gamer

If things like open-ended environments, fatalities, counters, reversals, and fluid back-and-forth combat are more your thing, then your main fighting fix likely lies elsewhere.

Detroit Free Press

It would have been nice to tangle with foes in cyberspace. This was a lost opportunity to create grand tournaments. This hiccup is negligible, however, because the game is so deep.