Finally we have been given a second game in the Tag Tournament series. I must admit, I prefer the Tag games compared to the recent Tekken games we have received. Tekken 6 was mediocre at best, whilst Tekken 3 was the last decent Tekken game I played. Tekken Tag Tournament was fantastic and Tag 2 doesn’t disappoint.
Having the option of four players being able to play this time around is a brilliant decision by Harada and his team. Street Fighter was a huge influence for the Tekken games, as Harada admitted himself (which you get to find out if you bought the We Are Tekken Edition, a GAME exclusive over here in the UK). Tekken has always been a decent fighting game, yet the Tag Tournament games have only added one thing to the mix of the norm of Tekken, the match up. 2 vs 2 player games simply made the game 10x better as it was fluid, responsive and more engaging than ever before.
The arcade era is slowly starting to decay in Japan as there is more competition for fighting games compared to 15 years ago and yet he genre seems more popular than before and always represents the heart of gaming. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 brings back all the characters and even those that first joined the Tekken franchise such as Lars. Harada and co also brought back Jun Kazama, and made her the most evil character in the world, probably on par with Seth from Street Fighter IV…. She wasn’t the most popular character to begin with but, with fan demand, Harada brought her back for the first time in Tag 2.
My favourite fighter in Tekken is Heihachi Mishima. His pure dominance and bone crushing punches are what originally stood out for me back in the early days of Tekken and my youth. He’s a colossus on the stage that cannot be stopped.
You are able to customize all the fighters and even give them items to hold that can deal extra damage. The fluidity in the tags is fantastic, as it seems they have brought over simplified combos probably from Street Fighter X Tekken. The game feels a lot better than compared to Tekken 6, as they had to build the rendering engine all over again, which equal to why we had to wait for such a long time to get our hands on Tekken Tag Tournament 2.
A new way of learning the ropes of Tekken is the fight lab. A rather fun, but slightly annoying training program with a story behind it. You will be pleased to know that there is no campaign scenario like Tekken 6, thank god… Tekken Tag 2 Tournament 2 is purely about the fighting. The fight labs will teach you the basics and the advanced routines, which of course get harder once you get further through the fight labs.
The netcode in Tekken 6 was terrible, as you would be sitting there staring at a screen searching for somebody to get thrashed. Tag 2 netcode is fantastic, helped by the introduction of Tekken online network. Watch replays from past matches, so you can improve your game or watch other players. This time with Tag 2 you won’t be sitting there staring at the screen, as you will be finding players easier to fight against.
The modes on offer are; arcade (with the decision to play in team or solo play), likewise for online as well, Survival, time attack, ghost battle and more besides.
You will be earning lots of gold to purchase new items and clothing for you to customize if you like that sort of thing. I’d rather keep their original attire, but that’s me.
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is a fantastic game. There have been moments where I have gone completely berserk with my Street Fighter X Tekken game pad, yup, that works… Fighting games are always a genre I will support and as one of the best of the recent bunch, this game deserves your support!
9/10
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