Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is beautiful
I remember my first experiences with Tekken Tag Tournament on my launch PS2 and thought the concept of tagging in a Tekken game interesting but not different enough that I was deterred from the series(Tekken 4 is a whole other story on that path). As any devoted Tekken fan should know, don’t bother playing for plot because the story simply doesn’t make sense - especially if you want to try to think chronologically. Is anyone else shocked that Heihachi is young? The last time I saw him without grey hair was in Tekken 1. Anyway, this game brings in some new elements - such as having a second player serve as your tag buddy… this can allow up to four people at once to play in a single match. There is a customization mode which is a bit annoying and less straight-forward than its Tekken 6 counterpart. I’m guessing once Namco-Bandai releases the FREE downloadable content this section will make more sense. I really don’t want to wait because I need my Ling in her Tekken 3 colors(blue, gold, black). Tekken Tag Tournament 2 also contains the largest Tekken roaster to date…
There is a new feature that reminds me a bit of the Street Fighter Challenges: Combot Training. Now, we haven’t seen Combot since Tekken 4. Well, s/he/it is back - as Violet Laboratories new fighting device. As you proceed through the levels there are some interesting anime-esque cut scenes that are worth watching at least once for a giggle. There are some Trophies(or Achievements) to be had for playing through this mode - plus it gives any gamer a chance to brush up on even the most basic skills. I’ve recently switched to a HRAP3 and there is a learning curve going from pad-warrior to fight stick. I’ve just decided that Lei Wulong’s thousand(okay I’m being hyperbolic here) stances are a bit easier to deal with on a stick.
Online mode: you need an online pass which will come with your game on the last sheet of the instruction booklet. I actually panicked a bit when I couldn’t find an extra sheet of paper with a code. You’ll be prompted to enter this code when you go online with the game for the first time. I’m a bit disappointed that a developer boasting about free DLC would force people to use online passes. I haven’t played online in ranked matches yet since I’d like to get a ton of practice in - but I have played in some unranked matches with a great amount of lag delaying the game. One thing I do enjoy about the online mode is the training feature that basically takes the place of a “searching for players” screen. You’ll be in a room similar to a Star Trek holodeck with your chosen character(s) until a challenger arrives. This is much better than staring at a “searching” screen or listening to annoyingly digitized music. What I do dislike is the handicap potential of the matches. Sometimes I’ll just want to play as one character and I always end up against a team.
Two of my pet-peeves: If you are using a fight stick, you MUST change the default controller settings and enable the left stick (L3) with your regular controller before you can use your stick. This was an inconvenience that did not exist in previous games in the series. I can’t say if this applies to the Xbox 360 version but it might.
I also cannot stand the character introductions. Since when am I playing Wrestelmania on N64? What happened to simple gesture and…. FIGHT? Why does my character have to stroll out in front of some nonsense LED type background design? This isn’t the WWE.
Overall, I’m happy with my experience thus far and plan to Platinum Trophy this game like I did with Tekken 6.
