Top 11 Stages Pt.2

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for (or maybe it's just me), the Top 5 Tekken Stages of All-Time!  Or at least until the next game comes out...

5. Wolve's Den from Tekken 6:DR

This stage is just cool; pure, unadulterated cool.  Let's rundown the coolness list: Night? Check.  Moon partially covered with clouds?  Check.  Wolves running around?  Check.  Freaky-awesome tree?  Check.  BG music featuring guitars and howling?  Heck yeah...check.  As an added bonus (if the Tekkenpedia hasn't failed me) Wolves's Den is a remake of Forest from Tekken 3, also an awesome stage that nearly made this list.  This as well as the 4-1 are going to have coolness be a major factor in their ranking.

4. Serene Forest from Tekken 2

I mentioned earlier that Forest didn't quite make the list, and this is the reason why.  In reality, both are superb stages, and either one would have been a great candidate for the #4 slot.  The tiebreaker was the music.  Forest's BG music was okay, but a bit generic.  Serene Forest's music, however, starts with the this creepy-cool male soloist guy and Japanese sounding music, which sounds freakin' awesome (the "freakin'" multiplying the awesome by two).  Also, Serene Forest is a bit dimmer, giving it a mysterious quality.  
Oh yeah, Forest was lacking, what's the word, a certain...serenity, maybe?

3. Unknown from Tekken Tag Tournament

The great thing about this stage is that, matching it's name, we know nothing about it.  All we see is that we're in some ambiguous church with some cool looking statues and a floor that makes me think of Tekken 2 for some reason (?).  We have no idea what this has to do with the boss, whom we also know nothing about.  This stage has mystery going for it, as well as music that sounds like Tekken music's slowly deteriorating clone.  And for that, it has reached #3.

2. Church Sanctuary from Tekken 2/Winter Palace from Tekken 6:DR

Fun Fact #1: I love me some cathedral's.  Fun Fact #2: I am indecisive.  That's why I cheated and put two stages at #2.  Frankly, it was nostalgia vs. beauty, and in that, everyone wins.
Church Sanctuary has a very old-school church feel, which is perfect for the old-school King.  This level is probably what instilled my appreciation for cathedral's in the first place, and is the second most memorable stage for me from my childhood.
Winter Palace is gorgeous, just gorgeous.  I'd go to church every Sunday gladly if I could go here.  And the music has to be heard to be believed, especially the string part.  That's literally all I can say about that, it's really just that amazing.

"But Kami, you eccentric genius you, you've ranted about how super-special-awesome these stages are, what could possibly rank number one?"  Whelp, here you go...

1.Mirror Darkness from Tekken 2

Unkown was cool, but this, THIS is how you do a boss level: simple (unlike Inferno from T5:DR), but not too generic (like Azazel's Chamber from T6).  Where Mirror Darkness really stands out is it's use of repeating the screen to give a mirrored affect.  When you're a little kid watching you're dad play, that's the definition of mysterious-cool.  Also, the lead-up was to the boss was clever.  The sub-boss is Kazuya fought in Eternal Darkness.  Eternal Darkness is completely dark, with an actually pretty sweet tiled floor.  When Kaz transforms into a more fascinating form but more simply colored, so does the stage.  All that plus the epic-yet-melancholy theme is what makes this the #1 Tekken Stage ever.

There you have it, my very first Top 11 list.  Hey, if this is the only one for Tekken stages, does that make mine the definitive ranking?  If you have your own ideas, please debate peacefully in the comment section.  School's starting back up, so my posts might get briefer (some of you might like that though...)  Until then...

Kami "IT'S A GAMMA BOMB!!!!" Kamiya