The original arcade version of Tekken is getting a console release this week
The latest Arcade Archives 2 game brings Namco’s fighter to modern systems
The original arcade version of Tekken is coming to modern systems this week.
Namco’s fighting game will be the latest entry in the Arcade Archives 2 series by Hamster Corporation, the Japan-based studio which specialises in re-releases of retro arcade and console games.
Arcade Archives 2: Tekken will be released this Thursday, June 25 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Switch 2.
The original Tekken was released in arcades in December 1994, with a PlayStation port arriving a few months later.
The seminal one-on-one fighter was the first game to use Namco’s System 11 arcade board, which was based on prototype PlayStation hardware.
While the PlayStation version has been re-released by Sony on a number of occasions, the arcade version has only been re-released in the West once, as part of a bonus mode in Tekken 5 on PS2.
Hamster Corporation has been steadily releasing home versions of Namco’s System 22 titles, with seven already made available – Ridge Racer, Air Combat 22, Aqua Jet, Tokyo Wars, Rave Racer, Cyber Commando and Ace Driver.
This marks the first Namco System 11 title available on Arcade Archives, however, opening the door to potential future Namco game re-releases like Tekken 2, Soul Edge, Dunk Mania, Xevious 3D/G and Pocket Racer.
It also appears to be the first game that will exclusively be available as an Arcade Archives 2 title for current-gen systems, and will not feature in the Arcade Archives series (on Switch and PS4). This is presumably because of the processing needed to accurately emulate Namco System 11 titles without performance issues.
Each Arcade Archives game features Original Mode, High Score Mode (where you keep playing until you get Game Over) and Caravan Mode (where you have to get the highest score within a certain time).
Arcade Archives 2 versions also add Time Attack Mode (where you try to beat the full game as quickly as possible), VRR support for a “more accurate reproduction of the original arcade game’s experience”, and Network Mode for online multiplayer where possible (though this isn’t featured in Tekken, which only offers a local 2-player mode).
