Gameplay
As with many fighting games, players choose a character from a lineup and engage in hand-to-hand combat with an opponent. Traditional fighting games are usually played with buttons which correspond to the strength of the attack, such as strong punch or weak kick. Tekken, however, dedicates a button to each limb of the fighter. The series uses separate buttons for right and left arms and legs, resulting in four buttons. Tekken uses no block button; starting with Tekken 2, characters automatically block while not moving forward or performing actions, a feature called "neutral guard." Standing or retreating characters will block high and middle attacks with no input from the player, while crouching characters will duck high attacks and block low ones. The gameplay system also includes throws, escapes, and ground fighting. Some characters are equipped with parries and reversals which act like traditional "press button to block" systems.
Tekken 3 introduced several gameplay possibilities that were retained in later games, including the ability to sidestep into the foreground or background. Tekken 3 and later games also reduced recovery time after being knocked down and gave characters rolls to recover instantly after hitting the ground, allowing the player to get back into the fight more quickly at the risk of being hit while rolling. Tekken 4 gave characters even greater mobility by adding true 3D movement inside geometrically complex arenas with uneven ground, obstacles, and walls. The 3D gameplay allows damaging side and back throws as a reward for outmaneuvering the opponent, as well as evasive attacks that develop directly from a sidestep.
Tekken 5 saw a combination of walled and infinite arenas, while discarding uneven ground. Tekken 6 retains much of the design from Tekken 5 but also includes "Rage" mode (when a character is near the end of his vitality bar, he earns a damage multiplier) and "Bound" hits (which when they connected with an airborne opponent, will place him in an unescapable grounded state, allowing combo extensions). Tekken 6 also has destructible floors that allow the fighters to fall through to new fighting areas when broken.
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