The 2 versus 2 gameplay is simply enjoyable. Though the moveset is shallow, the team fighting is fun!
To tell you the truth, the game is a bit sucky because the command list moveset is shallow, but that is only noticeable when you are playing 1 versus 1...but when you're playing 2 on 2...it is nothing but challenging and fun.
Some characters, like Miroku for example, have a very, very shallow list of moves, but characters like Sesshomaru have a high move list...but everything in the end balances out because each character has their own strengths and weaknesses that can either be exploited or avoided. Due to this, the game isn't very enjoyable on 1 vs 1 mode, but it's frenetic and frenzied on either 2 vs 2, or 1 vs 2 mode.
I have thought alot about this....and the developers made the right decision in keeping the moveset low. Why do I state that? I say that because since it is a mostly 2 versus 2 fighting game, and if you commited for example, a complex number of attack moves at your disposal.... your ally that is being controlled by the AI...would have a very difficult time knowing when to jump into the mix of your attacks with its own attacks...complimenting your attacks...and a difficult time knowing exactly when to jump out of your combos. Perhaps the intellectual capacity of the AI controlled ally would not be a necessity in getting factored into the combination attack patterns if this was a flat 2D game, but since it is a 3D game, it might just have been too demanding on the ps2's processing powers,....and instead of an ally that nicely complimented your strategic attacks, what would end happening, is your AI controlled ally would "make a mess" of your gameplay, due to it making foolish mistakes in trying to help you because it would be getting too much information to process from your complex move inputs. But since the moveset is low, the AI controlled ally does a good job of doing its part in joining in on your attacks, while knowing when to get out of your way.
Also keep in mind that one character does not have only one character to use as the team member, but can use any of the 13 other playable characters to choose from as their ally. This "hard to match up without making a mess of things", is what MUST have been the determing factor as to why the developers kept the moveset low as well. At least, I can only assume that is the reason for that decision.
You can command what offensive/defensive strategy to issue your ally with the R3 joystick. There are four possible commands to issue, each symbolized by a natural element. There's fire, water, earth, and wind.
A couple of examples is fire and earth. Fire, which is the command that essentially tells your ally to offensively "go all out", while the earth symbol, informs your ally to "go on the defensive" and to keep blocking, at all times.
The cel shaded characters are beautiful and attractive, and so are the stages and scenery, and so is the game's artistically designed, menu screens.
The music is good but not the greatest you've heard in a fighter, but better than most.
In the end, the fact that four people can't play this game because of a lack of multi-tap support, holds the game back...and the fact that only 14 characters can be played is the most negative thing about it. If the game had a character roster of around....let's say....35 characters to play as....AND had a multi-tap option....it would be an automatic and unquestionable classic for the ages.