After an extended absence, the fighting series returns on the 3DS.
Given that it’s been a solid decade since the Tekken franchise last graced a piece of Nintendo hardware (it was last seen in Tekken Advance for the Game Boy Advance in 2001), it would be a bit disappointing for the latest installment, the 3DS-bound Tekken 3D: Prime Edition, to not justify and at least attempt to take advantage of its return.

The latest in the perennial fighting series advertises full support for the system’s 3D capabilities, reportedly maintaining a solid 60 frames per second even when running in 3D, as well as its Wi-Fi (ostensibly for online battles) and StreetPass functionality (for exchanging the game’s 765 collectable Tekken cards). To complement the more standard control scheme, four buttons inhabit the touch screen that can be mapped to standard attacks, throws, combos, and special attacks.
Prime Edition includes 40 of the series’ characters, along with an additional eight original stages crafted specifically for the game. The game card also comes loaded with Tekken: Blood Vengeance, a full-length GC animated feature film directed by Youichi Mouri, who handled the opening cinematics for Tekken 5 and Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion.

We’ll soon see how the franchise adapts to its second outing on a Nintendo machine, as well as how it holds up against the small crop of fighting games (e.g.,Super Street Fighter IV and Dead or Alive 3D) already available.