Tekken was already a big deal before Tekken 3 came along, but the third instalment rocketed Bandai Namco's series to truly awesome heights. It was both a revolutionary 3D fighting game and a commercial juggernaut, helping define an entire console generation.

But perhaps the most impressive thing about Tekken 3 is that, over three decades later, it's still a joy to play. Yes, having some degree of nostalgia for the original release obviously helps, but on a mechanical level, it remains shockingly solid.

Where Tekken 2 can feel more than a little wonky at times, its successor does an incredible job tightening everything up. Back in 1998, it felt like Tekken 3 had perfected the formula; it was ultra responsive yet satisfyingly flashy, and it more than earned all of those perfect review scores.

Today, the title has its fair share of questionable quirks. Some moves are borderline broken and the damage scaling is out of control by modern standards, but it's crazy how close the game comes to feeling like it's not that old.

This applies to the presentation as well. The character models and the stages still hold up, and the game's overall visual clarity makes some current fighters look like a bit of a mess by comparison.

And the music... Bangers from top to bottom. The soundtrack may not have the dramatic flair of Tekken 2, but there are loads of memorable arrangements here. Jin's theme is an all-timer, for example — a track so good that it was repurposed for Tekken 8 almost 30 years later.

As for game modes, Tekken 3's the complete package. Arcade's got your classic character ending movies, while Tekken Force offers something totally different with its side-scrolling beat-'em-up style. A great little distraction.

Beyond some dodgy character balancing, it's so hard to fault Tekken 3. The 1998 fighter is still a blast to just sit down and play, with or without friends — and that's testament to the game's tight and ultimately timeless design.