Still great in 06

User Rating: 9.4 | Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus XBOX
First off , Tao Feng has the best graphics i have seen yet , and for a game made in 2003 , that truely says this game is timeless in the visual department .well for the xbox,ps2 and gamecube generation of consoles at least. But what good is Excellent graphics in a fighting game if.....the FIGHTING is'nt as superb...well let me tell you about the fighting system.
I havent been into 3d fighting games since Tekken 1&2 were in my playstaton. I have yet to play Dead or Alive 3 or Ultimate , so keep that in mind .
Enjoying the latest Mortal kombat games recently gave me a taste for the fighting genre , as i was so into the MK legend and storylines , i decided to get into a new game with a new roster.
Tao feng had been on my wishlist since it came out And finaly i bought it , and i was no where close to dissapointed.
Like i said the graphics are superb , from the Fighter models , to the Levels you destroy them in.
The Females are Beautiful and have the JIggling as it is the standard these days.
The males are a great range of great designs , including a giant praying mantis guy (wulong), a old monk (Master sage),a guy who looks like he could of been in Tekken (fiery phoenix), Kano from MK:deadly alliances' distant cousin (Fatalist ) , a Forgettable Cop (devine fist) , The Moster Coverboy (exile) and a beautifuly modeled iron monk called......Iron monk.
the levels such as the Arcade , Rooftop , Rainy street , and Museums are all superb and make the bouts even more enjoyable with there design and Area span.
So the Looks are there....for sure.
The combat is smooth and fluid , and combos are beautiful and easy to pull off.Swinging off poles to get serious air and jumping off walls adds to the element of a great fighting engine.
So the gameplay.... is as good as the looks , witch is saying something.
You have the Normal modes for a fighting game such as Versus, Team battle , Survival and a tournament mode for Human players.
The training is a little hard to get through but it does help you get a feel for the controls and moves for your fighter.
A great mode is the Quest mode , witch has you sucked into the story line of the two sects battling in this future town called Metro china.
you can select a sect , select a fighter from the 6 members of the sect and go through battling every member of the opposing sect , to win back parts of artifact witch holds the secret to the end of the story.

The AI is superb , and the addition of Limb damage to the fighters from constant blocking gives a refreshing feel to the fighting as the CPU ( or Human players) cannot just block every single move you launch at them.

Overall Tao Feng ( without playing Dead or alive , soul calliber) is the Winning Fighter for my xbox . and considering my love for all thinks Mortal Kombat , that is saying somthing.

the only dissapointing thing is ....it is exactly 3 years since the release date tomorrow , and there is no word of a sequal.....witch is truely is a shame since we cant go online with our beloved tao feng limb damage and unique fighters... i can only hope somebody believes in this game as much as i do , and they have thje power to put this franchise online or onto the 360.... only time will tell.