When the PlayStation launched in the U.S. in the mid-'90s, it did so with three fighting games. Despite having the arcade notoriety of Mortal Kombat 3 and the heavy marketing that Sony did for Battle Arena Toshinden, it was Tekken, a recent arcade release, which captured the hearts and minds of fighting gamers on Sony's new console. The basic pick-up-and play nature of the game, combined with an extensive character roster and depth in combat, led to big sales, a devoted fan base, and a new identity for Namco as a premier developer of 3D fighting games.
