Once upon a time Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan sparred in Enter The Dragon. Okay, sparred isn’t exactly the right word as Bruce played the hero of the film and Jackie was one of many hired goons he beat up. Despite his brief dalliance with the legendary martial artist, it remains one of Jackie Chan’s favourite memories and it’s stayed with many other people too, presenting a tantalising ‘what if’ that may have been expanded upon if Bruce hadn’t met such a tragic, early end.

Thankfully those wonderful developers at Namco made this daydream a digital reality when it unleashed Tekken 2 in 1995. Namco had already put the fight to end all fights into motion with the introduction of the Bruce Lee inspired Marshall Law in the original Tekken – a tough no-nonsense fighter with a love of flamboyant moves and trousers that didn’t come with matching tops. The grudge match finally came to fruition with the arrival of Tekken 2. One of the eight fighters that Namco introduced this time round was a famed street cop called Lei Wulong, who bore more than a striking resemblance to a certain Jackie Chan.

Needless to say, most of my battles against friends always revolved around playing with the two fighters. I never really got on with Lei Wulong’s fighting style, so would typically play as Marshall Law, mentally expanding upon that fight I’d witnessed so many years before. While later Tekken games would expand on this scrap with the introduction of more realistic moves and superior aesthetics, the superb PlayStation conversion will always remain my favourite.

Tags: arcade, bruce lee, fighting, jackie chan, martial law, namco, tekken 2