Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Preview – E3 2012
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Nechrol
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If you cast your mind back to the release of the Playstation 2 then you may remember that the first Tekken Tag Tournament was released close to the console’s market debut. That was around a decade ago and since then we’ve had several Tekken releases. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is slated for a September release this year, and will hit Xbox, PS3, and Wii-U.
There will be no storyline with this Tekken, so if you wanted to see members of the Mishima family tossed off cliffs or into volcanoes then you’re out of luck. With its non-canon nature, the new Tekken Tag focuses on a dream team for players to duke it out with each other.
Pretty much every character from the series makes an appearance in the game. Players can play as Panda (standalone), Jun Kazama, True Ogre, and Jinpachi Mishima, all with updated character designs. Devil Kazuya also makes an appearance but as an in-game transformation of Kazuya and the difficult Unknown also greets you at the final stage.
The console release will feature over 50 characters; this includes the return of Combot from Tekken 4, Kunimitsu, Michelle Chang, Angel, and Humanoid Ogre. Lee’s alter ego Violet also makes a non-playable appearance, instructing players in the as the game’s “Fight Lab” mode. We have Crow, a generic soldier from the Tekken Force mini game of Tekken 3 who was also playable in Tekken Card Challenge, appears in the “Fight Lab” mode as an enemy, no word on whether he’s playable.
The console game is the based on the Unlimited version and the player can switch a ratio between Tag mode and Solo mode (“2 vs 2”, “1 vs 2” or “1 vs 1”). We have “Pair Play” mode, which allows four players to fight simultaneously in pairs of two, similar to “Scramble Mode” in Street Fighter X Tekken. The “Rage” system from Tekken 6 applies (increasing damage on low life) for yourself and the new tag partner. We also have the previously mentioned “Fight Lab” featuring Combot as a customisable training dummy. Fight Mode offers training to new players, but what’s cooler is that it also allows advanced players to customise their own bots to better perfect their art. The Wii-U version will also feature exclusive content such as Mega Mushroom from Nintendo’s Super Mario series, possibly as a separate mode or option
The latest brings new moves and new characters into the mix and as a diehard enthusiast; I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the game. I had the chance to play both Xbox 360 and Playstation versions of the game and the differences were negligible at best. What has been tweaked in the new version is the way in which the player is able to use the tag function to juggle combos and execute tag-based grapples. These tag grapples incur more damage to your rivals and are a great way of inflicting further damage.
One of the most effective uses of the tag function that will be utilised more by higher-level players is the tag-juggle. A player taps the tag button just before executing a move that lifts the opponent, and they then flash, which quickly tags in your ally. If you combine this effect with players with good aerial capabilities such as (in my case) Law and Asuka Kazama then you can easily remove up to half an opponent’s health bar. Though I was shaky at the game at first, I quickly recalled all my moves and was soon on my way to trounces all those who faced me in true Tekken style.
In the arcade version of the game, you have 9 stages culminating in a boss fight with Unknown in a stage reminiscent of an oil painting left in the sun. Speaking of stages, we have dynamic stages back, which are destructible with a few well-placed hits from a player. You can rack up huge damage pinning opponents to walls and dashing them through the floor to underground structures.
However, you are not forced to engage in 4v4 play as the game ratios health when you choose a singular opponent against a tag team. In this mode, the team with 2 players undoubtedly suffer higher damage, but have the ability to switch up styles. The player with one character will also enter their “desperation” mode sooner, which exponentially increases damage output for scarily decisive battles.
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is a long awaited addition to the series and with the enablement of online mode will really add a new dynamic to the games dedicated PvP community. Whereas as several years ago tag was confined to the arcade and home, we now have the ability to enter in leaderboards. There have been a few tweaks to the game, but nothing major. The game is essentially filler, but filler that will appeal to fans. And as a fan of the game, I can’t wait for its release.