Tekken Tag Tournament

UPC: 722674021036

Platform: PlayStation 2

Publisher: Namco Hometek, Inc.

Developer: Namco Ltd.

Category: Fighting

Style(s): 3D Fighting

Synopsis: The "King of Iron Fist Tournament 3" is over, but the fighting is far from finished. The combatants from Tekkens past are itching to rumble, so much so that they're pairing off and traveling the world to take each other on, all in an insatiable quest for knuckle sandwiches, Wind Godfists, and proof of kung-fu superiority in the Tekken Tag Tournament. The Tekken storyline is vast and complicated, with a focus on the soap-opera tribulations of the profoundly screwed-up Mishima family (which makes the plot a little like Dallas with martial arts). Tekken Tag Tournament exists outside of the true "Tekken canon," however. Rather, it is a conglomeration of the previous games, with every fighter that has appeared in the Tekken series (though Gon and Dr. B, present in the PlayStation's Tekken 3, are absent here), regardless of whether they are alive, dead, or far too old to compete according to previously establishedTekken legends. But who needs a storyline, anyway? This is a fighting game, first and foremost. The Tekken series was one of the first 3D polygonal fighters, second only to Sega's Virtua Fighter, and although its gameplay has been refined, it remains operationally consistent. Tekken Tag is built on a modified version of the Tekken 3 engine, with the most noticeable difference being the aforementioned tag feature, which was clearly inspired by the Capcom "Vs." series. Players select two characters from a cast of 34, and then fight it out in various exotic locales, be it on the beach, by a Buddhist temple, or even in the dark, grimy streets of a modern metropolis. Tekken Tag Tournament was a U.S. launch title for the PS2, and received a considerable facelift from the arcade version, which was created using Namco's System 12 board, the same architecture from the four-year-old Tekken 3. Characters and stages have been re-rendered and updated, to take advantage of the PS2's abilities. The game even received extra tweaking between the Japanese and U.S. markets, as Namco responded to claims that the game was too "jaggy" by implementing anti-aliasing features. The music has also been remixed and altered from its arcade counterpart. Gameplay is similar in function to Tekken 3, and there are still a wide variety of moves and fighting styles available. One of Tekken's strengths is in giving new players enough simplicity to enjoy the game, while still providing enough depth to satisfy practiced "Tekken Masters." Control is based on a four-button scheme, in which each of the buttons works as one of the fighter's limbs (now a fifth button, for tagging, has been added to the mix). Successful fighting demands speed, combos, and the art of "juggles" -- attacks made while the opponent is in the air, rendering the ability to block or reverse them impossible. Add to that chain throws, side-stepping, reversals (some universal, some limb-specific), and even reverse-reversals (known as "chickens"), and you have the Tekken fighting engine. The tag feature has been implemented with the hopes of giving the game more depth while still remaining true to its frenetic pacing. Players tap on the tag button to bring fighters in or out and, unlike the "Vs." series, once either player loses an entire life bar, the round is over. Characters sitting on the sideline slowly gain back energy, however, and if they're kept out long enough they'll come back into the fight with the ability to inflict a bit more damage, for a limited amount of time. As is its tradition, Namco adds a heap of additional modes for this home conversion of Tekken Tag. There's "Arcade Mode," a straight-up, eight-match game; "Vs. Battle Mode," suited for two to four players fighting amongst themselves; "Survival Mode," where players must run through as many matches as they can until their life expires; "Time Attack Mode," a race to get through the Arcade Mode in the shortest amount of time; "Team Battle Mode," where players pick from four to eight characters and duke it out; and "1 on 1 Mode," another U.S.-exclusive, which returns the traditional (non-tag) style of the previous Tekken games. Add in a "Practice Mode," where players can hone their skills; a "Pair Play Mode," where players can use a Multitap to get a little four-way brawling on; and "Tekken Bowl," a bowling mini-game, and it becomes clear Tekken Tag's cup runneth, over in terms of game modes and option. There are also "Theater" and "Gallery Modes," where one can view the rendered endings, or save and view gameplay screenshots. ~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide

Package Contents: Registration Card

Controls: Joystick/Gamepad

A full-color manual that does a fine job at explaining the game modes as well as more basic gameplay functions. It doesn't go far enough in conveying the actual depth of the game, however, and you'd be better off going to one of the on-line or commercial guides. ~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide

Some of the best looking fighters in a game and beautiful levels create an experience far superior to the arcade, but the graphics aren't a large enough of a raise in the next-generation poker game to be considered revolutionary. ~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide

Tekken Tag Tournament boasts tried-but-true gameplay and a speedy pace that hides an engine with fascinating depth and nuance. It is that speed that attracts people to Tekken in the first place, and newer players can enjoy the button-mashing fury and feel as if they've actually done something (relatively) useful. Many people mistake this as the heart of Tekken -- watching players mash-mash-mashing to victory. Not to burst their collective bubble, but the game's true beauty can only be uncovered by two things: finesse and <i>practice</i>. The number of moves doled out to each character is impressive, but it's all in how you use them; and there are a tremendous variety of ways to dispatch an opponent. The mashers can have their fun, but its nearly impossible for anyone to best a so-called "master" thanks to the incredible understanding and skill that is required to get to that playing level. Sadly, the incentive for achieving that kind of ability is rather low, as the position doesn't pay a whole lot and you have to work holidays. But discussing Tekken's gameplay is about as useful as trying to debate politics: most everybody's already got an opinion and this review isn't going to change a significant amount of minds. For an engine that's been around as long as Tekken's, its hard to find someone who doesn't fall on one side or other of that nebulous and binary map of tastes that they keep in the Book of Life. Suffice to say, there is a great amount of depth and variety available to those who seek it, and to those who just want to have a little fun without having to commit to anything, Tekken has that to offer as well. Besides, this is a Namco conversion, right? There's plenty of other stuff to talk about. Namco has established itself as the leader in arcade-to-console conversions, especially when it comes to fighting games, thanks to a delicious slate of extras that the company always is happy to include. The add-ons to games such as Soul Blade and Tekken 3 for the PlayStation were revolutionary, and it seemed as if it might be impossible, both economically and creatively, to do much more than that. And then came Soul Calibur for the Dreamcast, a game widely considered to be the finest fighter on a home system. Namco outdid themselves that time, offering an astounding array of modes, drastically improved graphics and sound, and the best practice mode, bar none. Not only did they trump everyone else with this memorable achievement, they made it seemingly impossible to improve on conversions themselves. There's a lot to be impressed with in Tekken Tag, but the fact of the matter is that Namco has set the bar so high for itself that when it delivers anything less than the absolute best, it must be acknowledged. Despite Namco's usual slew of fighting modes (Survival, Team, Time Attack) and several unique additions, including the ability to face competitors one on one and the ability to bowl one's heart out in a surprisingly fun mini-game, Tekken Tag as a home conversion seems to be lacking that certain essence of absolute brilliance that has permeated Namco titles past. The graphics are beautiful, to be sure, with excellently modeled and textured characters free of the jaggedness of their Japanese counterparts. Overall, the visual package has been greatly juiced from the aging arcade engine, rebuilt from the ground up without killing any of the feisty gameplay. Levels shimmer and spin, people dance around in the background, puddles of water reflect neon lights in the darkness. When screenshots of Tekken Tag were released over a year ago, people could hardly believe what they saw. All this time later, its graphics are still impressive, but not astounding. After seeing some amazing games on the Dreamcast, Soul Calibur included, Tekken Tag had a lot to live up to, and it didn't kick the amp up enough to shock people like those first elusive screenshots. Sound is a similar story. While the thuds, crashes, biffs, booms, and crunches are all just peachy, they aren't magical. And the remixed tracks, featuring an astounding variety of ... well, just techno, are well done, and fine for getting one's blood up and pumping, but they don't manage to give TTT an epic edge like the orchestrated modes in previous games of the series. The supplemental materials all fall under the "just fine" category of professional criticism; modes you've seen before haven't been messed with here, although the Practice Mode has been enhanced. It isn't as complete as Soul Calibur's, but it will still go a long way in helping you get the basics of the system down. The more complicated facets of gameplay are still only learned one way, though, and that's by lots and lots of play. There are secrets and characters to unlock, but they aren't terribly challenging. All in all, the single player Tekken Tag experience isn't that wonderful, which is not unusual for a fighting game. It's just that in the past, Namco has found ways to <i>make</i> the singular experience something more than rote. ~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide

Brilliant fighting games offer some of the best replayability, and the fact that Tekken 3 still has a huge following nearly four years after initial release in the arcades says a lot about the Tekken series' brilliance. ~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide

A well-rounded soundtrack and serviceable fighting grunts make the sound package tight and consistent. There's little to complain about with the sound, but not a tremendous reason to jump for joy, either. ~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide

One of the great fighting systems, actually improved with a deceptively simplistic tag function that adds to the wealth of options that any one fighter has at his or her disposal. From simplistic 10-hit combos and button mashing to the advanced juggles, wave-dashes, and chicken reversals, this game got it goin' on! It loses a point, though, because playing alone just isn't as fun as Namco has shown it can be. ~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide

the game requires Joystick/Gamepad.