Namco jumped the story forward nineteen years, replaced most of the cast and finally let fighters step out of the line they had been fighting along. The home version became one of the best-selling games on the PlayStation.
Follows: Tekken 2
What Changed
Introduced a sidestep, letting fighters move in and out of the screen to evade linear attacks
Lowered jump heights to realistic levels, making fights faster and more grounded
Jumped the story forward nineteen years and replaced most of the roster
Debuted Jin Kazama, Ling Xiaoyu and Bryan Fury
The home version added Tekken Force (a beat 'em up mode) and Tekken Ball
Key Facts
Released in arcades in March 1997 on Namco's System 12 hardware
PlayStation release: Japan 26 March 1998, North America 1 May 1998, Europe 12 September 1998
The arcade version sold 35,000 units worldwide
The PlayStation version sold 8.36 million copies in its initial release, fifth among all PlayStation games