Tekken: Dark Resurrection - Story and Mode Updates

Tekken: Dark Resurrection is the upcoming PlayStation Portable conversion of the latest arcade entry in Namco's venerable Tekken series. The game keeps in line with Namco's ambitious approach to converting its arcade hits to home consoles and adds a number of PSP exclusive elements to the mix, as well. We recently got some new info from Namco on the subject and thought it would be good to share.

The game's story mode will feature all-new CG movies for the three additions to the game's fighting roster: Lili, Dragunov, and Armor King. Tekken vets will recognize Armor King from previous games, but Lili and Dragunov are new additions from the arcade. Dark Resurrection on the PSP will mark the first time that the pair receives the glamorous CG treatment for their cinematics. Lili's story focuses on how her life has changed in the wake of an aborted kidnapping attempt four years prior to the events in the game. Beating the smack out of her would-be captors apparently got the young heiress hooked on the thrill of a good fight. Thanks to her family's resources, such as their vast wealth and a jet, young Lili travels the world looking to kick some tail under the guise of a traveler. As luck would have it, while in San Francisco she gets an invitation to participate in a fighting tournament run by Mishima Zaibatsu, a business rival of her father's. The promise of kicking some tail and helping daddy out draw the young pugilist into the Iron Fist tournament.

Dragunov's story is decidedly less cuddly. The surly member of an elite special-forces team, who goes by the catchy nickname of "The White Angel of Death," is dispatched to investigate a discovery at an archaeological site. A mysterious object is discovered in the permafrost beneath a subarctic forest, and the secrecy that surrounds its discovery piques the interest of the military, which then send Dragunov out to discover what the object is all about. Finally, info on Armor King's story is rather thin due to the masked wrestler's mysterious past, but we expect we'll soon find out more about the person who slaps on a jaguar mask and tights before wrestling.

Besides the story mode, Tekken: Dark Resurrection is set to contain a number of unlockable surprises, which include some new modes. One of these modes is a returning favorite seen in Tekken Tag Tournament for the PlayStation 2: Tekken Bowling. The bowling minigame lets you use all the characters in the roster, each with their own unique bowling styles and stats. Some characters even have special throws for an added bonus. In keeping with the social nature of the sport, Namco has offered up several different play modes to support from one to eight players. Single-player lets you bowl 10 frames in a standard solo outing. Strike mode challenges you to see how many strikes you can get with a limited number of balls. Each time you make a strike, you'll get one more ball--if you miss, you won't. This mode also features an Internet ranking system, so you can compare your high scores with players all over the world. Two-player lets you take on a friend in an alternating game on the same PSP. Tournament supports three to eight people on a single PSP in alternating matches, and it pits all players against each other in pairs, with the brackets narrowing as players win and lose. Tekken Bowling includes an ad hoc mode, as well, where you can play against a friend, who also has a PSP and copy of the game. The added perk to the various modes is that you can win fight money based on your scores, which you can use to purchase items.

Finally, one of the coolest PSP-exclusive aspects of Tekken: Dark Resurrection is the versus mode that lets you fight friends wirelessly, regardless of whether they own the game or not. Players that own the game can simply set up a match and wait for someone to accept the challenge. Players that don't have the game can duke it out with you by using the game-sharing feature. You'll simply have to download some data to that person's PSP for the match, which will then let the two of you go at it.

Look for more on Tekken: Dark Resurrection shortly, as the game is slated to ship this July for the PSP.