Tekken: Dark Resurrection golden

A portable version of Tekken appeared on the Game Boy Advance in 2002, but the 3D fighting franchise was constrained to a mere two dimensions. Now the series is ready to return to the handheld ring with all three axes intact, as Namco has announced that Tekken: Dark Resurrection for the PSP has finished development.

The PSP version of Tekken, set to enter US stores on July 25, introduces two new characters to the franchise, Lili and Dragunov. One gameplay feature of Dark Resurrection that publisher Namco is touting is its "ghost" mode, which analyzes a player's fighting style and creates a computer-controlled character that, Namco claims, mimics how he or she fights. Ghost-character data can then be download by other, nearby players using the local Wi-Fi support of the PSP.

Dark Resurrection features local wireless multiplayer, using either one or two copies of the game. No online multiplayer fighting is included, although the game does offer limited Web access, with the ability to connect to the Internet to view other players' rankings on a leaderboard.

Tekken's appearance on the PSP continues the series' long-running attachment to Sony's hardware. The original Tekken on the PlayStation came out shortly after the launch of the console, and for more than a decade the series' main entries have appeared--other than in the arcades--exclusively on Sony systems.

For more information on Tekken: Dark Resurrection, view GameSpot's recent impressions of the import version of the game, which is already available in Japan.