Bandai-Namco/1-4 players/Xbox 360, PS3 (version reviewed) and coming soon on WiiU
The King of the Iron Fist Tournament has returned, with the sequel to the PS2 beat-em up, Tekken Tag Tournament. From the outset, TTT2 looks fantastic, with a gloriously rendered, if somewhat daft opening sequence. The fighters and stages look great, particularly the Christmas and water colour garden stages, although they can end up as a distraction at times (but maybe that’s just MTV damaged mind) with how good they look, and picking up on different things going on in the background. The game boasts an impressive character roster, with many fighters taken from each of the previous games, leaving the player seemingly spoilt for choice. All the old favourites are there, from Jin, Paul, Hiehachi, the Williams sisters and yes, Roger.
There are several modes to choose from in Tekken Tag Tournament 2’s single player. As well as the usual Arcade Mode, there’s Fight Lab, a comprehensive training mode designed for for both newcomers and fans alike, it puts the players through several different tests and tasks, in order to improve the players skill, using the fantastically named training character, Combot. There are a few battle modes, from Team Battle, which is where you choose from 8 different fighters to pit against 8 CPU fighters, Ghost Battle, where the player is tested against an endless assault of AI opponents as well as bog standard Vs Battle where you square up to a second player. Other single player modes include the usual beat-em up main stays of Time Attack (last as long as possible against a succession of fighters), Survival Mode (get through as many fights as possible without being K.O.’d) and Practice, which is pretty much what it says on tin.
The problem with Tekken Tag Tournament 2, as with most fighters these days, is that playing solo can be a shallow experience. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very enjoyable game, with plenty of features, but scratch away the surface, and there really is little else for anyone other than the die hard beat-em up or Tekken fan. Multiplayer is really where the fun begins. There’s something much more satisfying about having your arse handed to you by some faceless stranger from somewhere else in the world. Probably because you’re getting beaten by someone better than you as opposed to the occasionally spam-tastic AI. Having said that, you can get drawn against the odd button basher. A neat feature of the online mode is the matchmaking screen. Instead of staring at a loading screen, you get the chance to practice with everyone’s favourite stick-man, Mokujin.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DhKMUYfNgg[/youtube]
One of the great features of multiplayer incorporates the titular Tag mode. Tag mode, like a lot of fighters these days, basically, allows you to have an extra fighter on your side, so if one character has taken a pummelling, you can switch to your other fight at the tap of R1/RB. However, it only takes one of your characters to get K.O.’d for the round to end. Team Tag mode allows up to 4 players to jump in on the action, with each player taking control of their own individual character, adding some longevity to proceedings. As well as all the fighting, there’s a neat little mode called Tekken Tunes. This allows you to flick through the sound track, and assign music to the stages and characters of your liking, which is a fun addition, especially if you’re fond of the particularly Japanese gaming soundtracks, such as the J-pop and techno you tend to get with games of Eastern origin.
While Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is good fun, and looks fantastic, unless you’re a long time fan or beat-em up enthusiast, it doesn’t really bring anything new to the table. It’s excellent pick up and play gaming, with the added bonus of some great multiplayer, but on the whole is a limited experience.
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