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Often mistaken for the fourth
episode of the Tekken series -one of the pioneers of the
'realistic 3d fighter' genre- Tekken Tag Tournament is actually
a sort of compilation of the precedent games, but this time it
makes its great premiere on a new generation console. This game
was obviously important for Sony and Namco, still eternal
friends, since it was basically the only decent launch title of
the PlayStation 2: history seems to repeat itself, because we
remember that the first Tekken was one of the PlayStation's
first good games. As is the case with most fighters nowadays,
this is a straight port from the arcade, and to be honest,
Tekken Tag Tournament isn't a new game at all: it was released
two years ago in the arcades and had a surprising success
considering that it isn't a true sequel.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that Tekken Tag
Tournament, as appealing as it may look, is nothing more than a
Tekken 3 on steroids featuring all the characters from the
series. On a system that seems to 'play the sequel card' (e.g.
Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec, Metal Gear Solid 2, Final Fantasy X...),
TTT seems perfectly in its place. However, the real question is:
"Should it have a place in your collection?"
I must admit that I have always been a fan of this fighting
games series... Tekken was the reason why I bought a
PlayStation, and TTT is one of the main reasons why I finally
got a PS2. And I got exactly what I expected. Before going any
further, let me tell you that I am not one of those individuals
who trash this game and call it a button masher just because
they don't know how to play it. As a matter of fact, calling
Tekken Tag Tournament's gameplay weak is one of the most
ridiculous and funniest things I have heard in my whole life. It
really has everything a good fighter needs: dozens of
charismatic characters representing various fighting styles, a
complicated engine that has improved over the years and now
attains its paroxysm, crystal-clear graphics and a dynamic
animation (please allow me ignore the shameful PAL conversion).
What did I forget? It's also very fun!
One of the best aspects of this game is that beginners can have
as much fun "mashing" the buttons as experts when they try to
discover every move and its different properties. There are
already a great number of basic techniques to master for all the
characters, but a simple look at the move list for each of the
24 characters will make your head spin... It's virtually
impossible to know everything the game has to offer, even if you
consider yourself a Tekken master. All the characters
from the Tekken universe to the exception of Dr.B and Gon -thank
god- are in this game, and you will surely find a few fighters
to your taste if you're not familiar with the series. From Eddy
Gordo the capoera dancer (and also the mashers favorite) to Beak
Doo San the Tae Kwon Do master, they are all very different but
equally effective.
The controls are top-notch: if you miss a move, it just means
you need to spend more time in training mode. You will obviously
have a lot to learn if you have never played a Tekken game
before, but it also means that the pleasure you will take in
this experience will be decupled. Don't worry, the combos are
easy to pull off with some training, and playing on the PS2
controller is quite enjoyable for once. Just try not to give up,
because Tekken Tag Tournament is a very deep game once you
understand it.
Tekken Tag Tournament only introduces a limited number of
innovations to the series, and as hinted by the title of the
game, the biggest one is the Tag mode indeed. This "new" system
that in fact made its first apparition in the obscure SNK game
Kizuna Encounter before being exposed to the public by Capcom's
versus series, is actually nothing more than a team mode that
lets you switch characters at any time during the fight by
simply pressing a trigger button. This allows for more strategy
because the character that is out of the ring slowly gains some
life back. However, contrary to most games that use this
concept, you lose the round when one of your character is
beaten, so you really have to explore every tactical option
provided by this new feature and be careful. What's more, the
Namco developers decided to include new tag combinations for
particular teams that you will have to discover by yourself, as
if the game wasn't already deep enough. Other improvements
include new moves and -finally- counters for everyone. Virtual
fighting has never been this complicated, but it works
perfectly!
Simply put, Tekken Tag Tournament looks insanely good. The
characters all look very real thanks to the power of the
impressive but still over-hyped emotion engine. No jaggies are
apparent, which is rather surprising, but Namco has a history of
being able to fully use a console's potential even shortly after
its release. SoulCalibur anyone?
The CGI are simply gorgeous, but sadly there aren't enough of
them. The endings look more than decent but were done with the
game's engine. To earn our forgiveness, Namco included a theater
mode so that you can see them as much as you want. The
backgrounds are works of art and the amount of detail on them is
simply incredible. Not only do they look real and original, but
they also have been designed with a great sense of beauty. Truth
be told, while SoulCalibur (another Namco masterpiece) probably
has more character, Tekken Tag Tournament looks heaps better
than the aforementioned title.
Yet, the most impressive aspect of this game is to be found
elsewhere: in the quality of the animation. Looking at the
characters is a joy because they all seem to be truthful to
their respective martial arts. Some of the characters seem to
dance while they are fighting, while some others have a more
brutal style: many fights are reminiscent of Hong-Kong movies,
which surely can't be a bad thing. Indeed, Marshall Law and Lei
Wulong look strangely similar to the mythical Bruce Lee and
Jackie Chan, but who cares if it is for the best?
The music is quite unimpressive, though. While it serves the
game well in the sense that it is very low and doesn't distract
the player at all, it is nothing worth remembering after turning
off your console. The sounds effects are average: it seems they
haven't changed much since the previous installment. Julia Chang
still does that irritating noise when you hit her and some of
the impacts sound surprisingly metallic. This is definitely the
worst aspect of this game.
Each character has his own story and motives for entering the
tournament, but this time Namco decided to focus more on the
engine than on the story. Therefore, this game has the weakest
story in the whole series by far. Despite the non-existent
storyline, all the characters have endings, which is becoming
rare in fighters nowadays.
With a multitap, up to four players can take part to the action
in tag team mode. But as usual, the meat of the game is in
versus mode, even though there are a few hidden modes (the
bowling game is particularly fun) and lots of characters to
unlock in arcade mode. If your friends are into 3d fighters,
chances are you will still be playing this game for years.
Tekken Tag Tournament is a good PS2 game that you will probably
enjoy a lot, whether you are a fighting game fan or not. It
showcases the possibilities of the PlayStation 2 almost as much
as Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec and is extremely deep. It is
true that it is just an upgrade over Tekken 3, but that doesn't
negate the fact that it is one of the best games currently
available on this console. If you have played Tekken 3 to death,
you might find yourself a bit bored once you have discovered all
the new moves, but keep in mind that with the imminent release
of Tekken 4 in the arcades, any practice you could get is very
precious. If you are not familiar with this series, I suggest
you do yourself a favor and rush to your local game store to get
a copy as soon as possible. This game truly represents the
pinnacle of one of the two major 3d fighter series (the other
one being Virtua Fighter).
.:. BillyKane |
