February 25^th, 2005 (1:04pm) - Namco has announced that Tekken 5 has shipped to North American retail outlets. Tekken 5 promises to deliver the most exciting gameplay experience ever seen in the Tekkenfranchise. Developed exclusively for the PlayStation 2 by Namco Ltd. in Japan, Tekken 5 is rated T for Teen and carries an MSRP at retail of $49.99.

“Tekken 5 encourages franchise fans and newcomers alike to experience the next generation of fighting genre game play,” said Yoshi Niki, Business Unit Director with Namco Hometek Inc. “Tekken 5’s unparalleled combination of customizable characters, interactive environments and brand new fighting engine is a must-have for gamers this year.”

Tekken 5 brings back the popular cast of characters from the previous Tekken games, along with three new characters – Asuka Kazama, Raven and Feng Wei, for a total of 20 default characters to start and more to unlock as players progress in the game. The players are able to use their fight money to customize these characters with various accessories such as hats, glasses and an assortment of different costumes. The new characters are equipped with their own fighting styles such as Feng Wei’s Chinese Kempo, and the returning characters’ signature attacks have been updated with new moves and combos. In addition, Tekken 5 offers players a bonus action adventure game called “Tekken: Devil Within,” which unfolds a side story to the game’s action-packed fighting sequences. Tekken 5 also includes the arcade modes of Tekken 1 through 3, which marks the first time Tekken fans.

Namco has also partnered with Hori (U.S.A.), Inc., a Japan-based peripherals manufacturer, to offer a limited edition premium bundle set to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the fighting franchise. The bundle retails for $99.99 and includes a copy of the game, a Hori customized peripheral and a special six-disc collectors DVD case for storage of all games in the Tekken franchise.