Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Review

Tekken Tag Tournament 2

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is finally here and if you're like me, the wait was just something you had to deal with. With the release of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 players the world over now have access to more than a few game modes for the price of sixty dollars. For those looking for an enticing story filled with engaging plot elements, development, twists and turns, and a satisfying conclusion, you're out of luck. Fortunately, as most of you may know, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is first and foremost about the gameplay with very little emphasis on the story as this is a game that is meant to be exactly what people really play it for, pummeling people with your fists online. For the casual gamer, you might want to steer clear. Tekken has an earned reputation of being one of the harder fighting games to master in the genre, and Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is perhaps the most difficult of all. But for those looking for a challenge, or you simply rock the fighting games in all shapes and forms,this is why you should get your hands on Tekken Tag Tournament 2




Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Trailer Youtube by Namco Bandai Games
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BLT: Bound, Launch, Tag

Let's get to it. Tekken Tag Tournament can be described in three words: Tags, Launchers, and Bounds. These are the foundation, the building blocks of stringing those hard to master yet extremely coveted combos that will absolutely demolish anyone foolish enough to challenge you.

Launchers

Launchers pretty much to what it sounds like. Knock your opponent into the air and string away with combos, smacking them while their airborne as much as possible. In most Tekken games, this was the 101 to success. Player close in, and especially with skilled players, it almost felt like the first person to execute a successful launch would most likely win the day. Now, however, players are launching opponents skyward, stringing together a few combos, and then following up with the dreaded Bound.

Bound

Bound snags players out of the air, smacks them on the ground so they bounce up in the sickest game of PONG you're likely to play. Once you Bound your opponent, by all means, lay into the poor guy with even more combos. For those who haven't played yet, you may be thinking, "Isn't that pretty much the same as a Launch? Either way they end up in the air." And you're right. But by combining a combo, Launching your opponent into the air, executing a few strings, then Bounding them right after, you're free to continue your rampage. It's almost like a reset of your juggling only your opponent starts out half dead already.

Tag

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is called that for a reason. After you Bound your opponent, you have the option to Tag, swapping in your second player, have him/her knock some teeth out, and then swap back in with your primary character to finish off the combo. Depending on how your execution and your level of skill and competence with both players, you could potentially cause way more damage than with the the first character's combos alone.

The Hardest Tekken Game to Master?

If all this seems like it's even easier to get your rear handed to you, the simple fact is, it's much easier. Especially against someone who knows what he/she is doing. Again, this is perhaps the hardest Tekken game for rookies to start out with. And let me tell you, by no means am I one of those guys going to Tekken Tournaments and beating the snot out of everyone. I'm an average Tekken player, and that's when I'm at my best. So what I'm saying is, although this game might be brutal, even unforgiving to new or casual players, it's not like you can't improve.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Combos Youtube vid by Namco Bandai Games

Tekken Fight Lab

Fight Lab is there to help new players. It acts as a sort of bizarre side-story in which you control Combot, this robot created by Violet with all the moves of each and every playable character in the roster. The game teaches the player the fundamentals all the way up to some of the more complicated strategies, moves, blocks, parries, and so on. But there is a bad side, depending on how you look at it; this mode will not let the player progress until they have mastered what it's trying to teach you. I once found myself spending over ten minutes trying out some combo, nearly gave up and said screw this, I'm going back online, stuck with it, finally did it right, moved on to the next lesson, and found that one much easier even though it was taught after. So it may be a little irritating at times. But I still recommend it for new players.

Customizing Your Favorite Fighters in Tekken Tag 2

Win or lose during different matches, you'll earn money which can be used to customize the look for your favorite fighters. Some make em look really cool, some funny, others that would give Lady Gaga a run for her money, or just simple changes and tweaks here and there.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Game Modes

The standard game modes make a return in Tekken Tag Tournament 2. There's survival, Time Trial, Arcade, Team Battle, Offline Versus, as well as Ghost Battle which many of you will like as you can choose the difficulty level. Always try something a bit out of your league or you won't get any better.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Online

Perhaps my favorite feature about this game is the online experience. Two players can thrown down for bragging rights or even team up and take on other players. One thing you can do is compete in ranked matched to increase your standing in the online community, or participate in some more casual-friendly matches where you simply fight against one opponent after another. And feel free to check out the match replay and study what your opponent did right, what you did wrong, and vice versa.

Online Lag

There is one gripe with online play, but this obviously isn't unique to Tekken Tag Tournament 2. I found that the only matches worth participating in were with players with three to four bars to their connection rating. Otherwise, you can expect some major lag, and even dropped matches which can be a real pain. No one likes a dropped match even if they're loosing. And obviously more so when they're about to win.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Mastery

To become the next King of Iron Fist you much be fast, know your characters and combos, get your BLT (Not the sandwich, I'm talking Tag Launch Bounce) right, have outstanding reflexes, and the tenacity to just keep trying even if you're loosing seven out of ten matches. This game is difficult, brutal, and hard to master. But as they say, the best things don't come easy. And this is a game that gets so much better if you put in the time to improve and learn from your mistakes. I predicted an eight out of ten in my preview. So how did I rate the game after playing it?

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Final Verdict

The graphics have been improved. The gameplay is thoroughly satisfying after much practice. There are tons of modes. And the online experience, is, for the most part, pretty good all things considered. but the game really is hard and something players will have to work at. I will even say many might give it a shot and then quite after a few hours. There is some online lag. But my biggest complaint is that in terms of new content, there wasn't as much as I expected from the original Tekken Tag. So I hereby grant Tekken Tag Tournament 2 an 8 out of 10. Well, look at that.