Review: Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (Xbox 360)
By Wayne Webb
Tekken has been around for almost 20 years now, originally arising from the arcades in Japan and migrating to the consoles back in the PS One days. With six original versions and numerous spin offs, Tekken is a mainstay of button mashing/combo fighting games.
By Wayne Webb
Tekken has been around for almost 20 years now, originally arising from the arcades in Japan and migrating to the consoles back in the PS One days. With six original versions and numerous spin offs, Tekken is a mainstay of button mashing/combo fighting games.
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 sets itself up with the obligatory honour and fighting-style domination storyline and has the exact same gameplay elements of previous Tekken games, with the added twist of fighting in pairs and easily tagging in and out with two options for bouts.
Nothing much has changed other than it has been squarely brought up to date with sparkling graphics and design that reflect the consoles that have no trouble handling the type of game that is largely unchanged for the last 18 years. Characters have come and gone and all of them are in this latest edition. The story mode cinematic end pieces from completing Arcade mode with a selected player are long, detailed quite nice to look at, but very Japanese in their cultural sensibilities.
There are online and offline modes, a training system and arcade modes aplenty. There are hundreds of moves across the almost 60 characters (once they’re all completed) to learn. While speedy, but random, presses will get you pretty far most of the time, you have to step up to beat the Level 9 Final Stage opponents. You can’t button mash forever, so you must know your player’s signature and devastating moves that work out your opponent’s weaknesses. If you want to fight your way through each one of the characters end stories, then you’d better settle in for a long slog and get to know the common fighting moves of every one you play against as you’ll have a chance to fight with them soon enough.
The real thrill of fighting games likes Tekken, Street fighter and other Arcade games that are now on consoles comes from the multiplayer elements. I prefer besting people face to face and/or having my own defeat in front of me compared to online. For most semi social players, going up against real humans with weaknesses, randomness and luck on their side makes for a more satisfying game. Tekken Tag Tournament 2, like its honorable predecessors, starts off being a fighting game you have played before, but soon becomes an obsession of completion and domination in the arena.
Pros: New HD backgrounds, characters, plenty of modes, new story elements, loads of replay value and fun with friends.
Cons: It hasn’t really changed much.
4.5 Shacks Out Of 5
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