Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Review: A Great Learning Experience

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Review: A Great Learning Experience

Tekken Tag Tournament
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Namco
Fighting

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 brings back the tag based combat along with new modes for both Tekken fans and those who are new to the series. I completely fit the bill of being the new guy to the series, as I only pick up an occasional fighting game. I must say that Tekken Tag Tournament 2 does a lot of things right for those who aren’t the greatest fighters out there. It features new modes that provide for additional gameplay options including a Fight Lab mode that helps players learn the ins and outs of the Tekken gameplay. It was certainly instrumental in teaching me how to fight better and something that everyone will get good use out of. In Fight Lab mode you will control a combot in a number of stages that teach you different moves and forces you to use those moves to perfection in order to move on. As you progress you will earn more money to use towards the purchase of hundreds of moves for your combot to perform.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 – Gameplay Video (Alisa & Leo Arcade Mode)

The gameplay is where it matters most in a fighting game, and thankfully this game does it well. For me, this might have been the best and easiest experience I had in learning a new fighting system. The Fighting Lab game mode seriously makes a difference. It forces you to learn moves one at a time and during combat sequences, it’s perfect for someone learning to be a fighter and not a button masher. The gameplay is fairly easy to get a handle of once you know the ropes. There are still things I don’t do often during a fight, such as side stepping. It’s there for you to do, but I just don’t do it and nor do I like to do it. Of course one of the other biggest features is a playable roster of over 50 characters. Once you learn how to fight better, the next step is to find a character you enjoy playing with the most. For me I ended up liking Alisa’s style which you can see in the displayed videos.

Whether you are taking the fight online or in one of the many offline gameplay modes, there is certainly plenty for you to do here. You even have the option to go solo in each mode if you’d prefer not to tag team with another character, of course that makes things a little more difficult on you. The offline modes include Arcade Battle, Ghost Battle, VS Battle, Team Battle, Time Attack, Survival, Practice and Pair Play. Then of course there is also the Fight Lab as well. Each mode puts you through a nice challenge as well as it’s not the easiest fighting game ever. There is a lot to keep you busy for a long time in terms of gameplay, especially with such a huge roster of characters and many decent looking levels. There is even a Christmas level to go along with the upcoming season.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 – Gameplay Video (Alisa & Leo Arcade Mode #2)

In addition to all of that there is a customization mode for you to spend all of your earnings on. Pick your character and then shop for hundreds of highly priced items. This gives you even more incentive to fight on so that you can earn money to customize your favorite characters to your liking. This includes items such as clothing, head gear, accessories, and more. You can take any character and customize them to fit your own fun and unique style. This is something that adds a lot of fun and personalization to the game, something that anyone should love. Prices are high on a lot of the items, especially a lot of the more fun items so you will need to play a lot to unlock just a few items for one character.

The game starts out with a nice opening presentational video that will get you pumped and ready to dive into the Tekken universe once again. It then features enjoyable Tekken Tunes throughout the game and you can even customize that as well. You can go into any level you would like and change the song you would like to hear during that level. So if there is a song you really can’t stand or one that grows old, you can take that out of the game. I’ve really enjoyed the music so far, it’s good fighting music and compliment a very good looking game as well.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 – Gameplay Video (Quick Fight With Alisa)

The fighting style of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is great whether you are taking it online or putting hours upon hours in the offline modes. There is so much to keep you entertained for a long time and the customization options help further expand on the fun and personalization that this game offers. Fight Lab was a huge reason why I enjoyed my time with this game even further; it really forces you to learn the game and mechanics. There is also a ton to unlock and keep you busy for hours upon hours. So it is easily a worthy title for any fighting fan. Get ready for a good fight with good combos and great tag team combos!

Score: 8.5/10