Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Preview
The Tekken series is for many of us, a childhood game. We’ve spent many hours perfecting Kazuya’s mad array of electric punches or Yoshimitsu’s weird sword bounce thing. So, as you can guess, we were shimmering with excitement at the prospect of playing the new Tekken Tag Tournament 2 at Namco’s Eurogamer stall.
We played three games of Tekken Tag and in a mere 9 rounds or so; we had been charmed by the latest entry to this legendary fighting franchise. The so called ‘demo’ was pretty much the whole game which allowed a properly comprehensive 15 minute play.
The first thing that struck us was the huge array of characters. Literally every character from Tekken folklore has been roped in and as a result, we feel that Tekken has one of, if not the greatest array of fighting characters ever produced for a single game. Given, a few are carbon copies of their bigger brother such as Panda to Kuma which could be seen as a bit cheeky.
Saying that though, the fact that Tekken Tag Tournament has over 40 playable characters certainly says something. At the character select screen you are given the option to take 1 fighter or 2 fighters to your bout, meaning some more experienced players may be able to stick with one character and take on the double team. The tag system worked well with the occasional tag throw which, when they occur, look incredible.
As always, the actual fighting is very smooth and fluid with the only sudden jerks or tears being when two counters hit. It’s not very noticeable but adds a seemingly unfair unpredictability to the bouts. The game as a whole though does not seem to be at all unfair though, following the classic fighting staple of ‘you can win by mashing, but learn and you can master’.
Should we be worried if this is a childhood memory?………
That concept was beautifully proven in our playthrough. We were simply playing around, trying to piece together a combo when a man behind us challenged the winner to a round. We were playing simply, but when he came along, he simply embarrassed us, claiming he had spent over 100 hours in the series and it showed. It was kind of like Charlie Bucket walking into a ring with Ivan Drago, it didn’t end well.
Yet, we both had fun, a lot of fun in fact. And although we only played three games, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 showed us its brilliant accessibility and ability to entertain both casual and hardcore. However, through all the praise, whether it can hold up over a long period is unknown, the novelty may wear off but from what we’ve played, it may take an eternity to do so.
Tekken’s visual style may not be as iconic as say Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat but it has been preserved in Tag 2 and as a result, squeezes at the nostalgia sacks. With the Heihachi flaming fists or Ling Xiaoyu’s glowing apparel, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 certainly holds its own in terms of visual flair.
Though it was only three fights worth, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 left us with a huge grin on our face. Whether it is the possibly endless team up options, tints of nostalgia or beautiful graphics and animations, the latest Tekken entry carries the influential and legendary name proudly. If you like fighting games or care about your childhood, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 may be an essential purchase.
