This game has so much to offer that it is one of the few games that is worth the sixty dollar price tag! Welcome back!
The presentation is extremely impressive this time. This game made Tekken 6 look like child's play. I usually don't make a big deal out of graphics; however I have to make an exception. The graphics of this game is insane. The attention to detail is down right incredible. Tekken 6 looked nice; however the textures were not as detailed as I thought it could have been. When I look at games like DOA I was always impressed with the detail in the clothing and characters. DOA is a little over the top visually if you know what I mean; but you can't deny the beautiful detail.
Namco Bandai made sure TTT2 (Tekken Tag Tournament 2) looks just as good as it plays. I was surprised at the detail of the skin texture. You see the pores, blue blood within the veins that are barely visible under the skin, and even sweat as the battle continues.
The characters actually get dirty this time around. As characters fall to the ground they get covered in dirt, mud, water, and etc. Some characters can spray purple mist on you. You can actually see the mist on the body as long as it toughed them.
And the stages are colorful, lively, and vibrant. Another thing that I like about the game is the fact that some memorable stages made a return in this game. Some stages also come with remixed music from previous Tekken games. This provided a nice balance of fan service.
Another problem with Tekken 6 was the ending cutscenes. In Tekken 6, the arcade ending cutscenes were way too short and some of the cutscenes were terrible. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 made up for that. Most of the endings are longer and far more interesting to watch. I actually want to see every single ending this time.
Now I am going to cover the music. The default track list is a mix of original tracks and remade versions of themes from previous games. Some of the original tracks are great; but the remixes are the tracks that really shines. I was surprised when I found out that you can actually choose what music you want to play on each stage. You can use the default tracks, future dlc tracks, and even tracks that you have on your hard drive! The fact that you have so much freedom in terms of music is what made this worth mentioning.
There are a nice array of features in this game as well. I will start by talking about Fight Lab. The fight lab is a tutorial mode that highlights every aspect of Tekken. This is not your typical tutorial mode either; therefore I advise you to play it. This mode has a story mode about Combot, a character from Tekken 4, which was created by Lee.
Combot is a character that mimics moves of all of the characters in the game. Fight Lab is a tutorial mode that is truly fun to play. You are doing more than just reading and practicing. You get hands on experience by playing mini games that are designed to help you see and understand the basics of Tekken while having fun. After learning the basics there is no need for a trial mode; because it will come down to experimenting with the basics you learned from the fight lab. I wish more games was more creative with tutorial modes. This may set a new standard for how tutorials should be handled.
Another cool thing about fight lab is that you earn points; which can be used to customize the moves of your combot. You can't use every single move from the game; however you do get a hardy list of moves to choose from as you progress and strive for better grades. Your customized combot can also be used online! How cool is that!
The practice mode is an extremely useful tool in Tekken. This is where you can practice combos and improve in defense. This mode highlights every single necessity. You can see the affects of moves in counter hits, practice ground defense techniques, cycle through combos quickly through simple button presses as you practice, and more. You will find yourself doing alot of practicing; because due to the rise of competition nowadays you will find yourself playing against seasoned and sometimes extremely crafty players.
This game rewards people who put in the effort to play the game due to the amount of depth. It may seem difficult for newcomers at first; but completing the fight lab and experimenting with two characters you like will help you understand how the play the game. Plus it always helps to watch replays to learn from your mistakes as well as learn new techniques.
I love the customization feature. This feature gives you the ability to change the look of your character as well as other things. You can even use items in battle. The feature isn't as deep as Soul Calibur 5; however it is really fun to do when you have cash to spare.
Tekken also provides a special feature known as the World Tekken Federation; which analyzes every match and breaks down your skill level. Its also works as a social network. I never tried it yet; but it is similar to what Call of Duty and Halo does. This is a first for a fighting game.
The other modes are your typical modes. There are plenty of multiplayer options for offline. You can play 2 vs 1, 1 vs 1, and 2 vs 2 on one machine. So 3 to 4 player bouts offline are possible.
Online mode is impressive when you compare it Tekken 6. The number of modes is slightly bigger and better. You can choose between 1 vs 1, 1 vs 2, and 2 v 2 bouts in the character select scene. You can set a win limit; which is nice. The win limit will stop a player if they go beyond the set number of wins so everyone can get a turn. Plus, if you are spectating you can use chat boxes during the match. The previously described feature came from Soul Calibur 5.
You can practice with another person online; but sadly it isn't as robust as Street Fighter X Tekken's briefing room. For instance, you can't view move lists, customize situations, and change characters.
You can save, upload, and download, and watch replays; however sadly you can't invite others to watch with you. You and your opponent can only pair up with a guest player on your console in order to have a four way battle online. Unfortunately, online tag matches between four players with their own console isn't possible. I can understand why Namco Bandai dismissed the idea. The netcode for Tekken 6 was terrible; so they wanted to reduce as much latency as possible. Namco Bandai succeeded with that because many of the matches I had were lag free. I can't speak for everyone; however I have been playing this game a lot. I can honestly say it is almost on the same level as Arc system work games as far as online quality for a 3D based fighter is concerned.
The gameplay has been greatly improved since the last Tekken Tag game. The game moves at a much faster pace due to more fluid motion and quick tag outs. There is a button for every limb. In order to do attacks you have to know the commands for every move. To grab you have to use the buttons for the left and right punch or left and right kick. To escape throws you have to know what type of grab is coming.
The key to causing major damage in this kind of game is by completing juggle combos. A juggle combo involves hitting the opponent while they are still in the air. In order to do juggle combos you need to know a few things.
Know what moves will launch the opponent in the air. Those moves are called launchers. The next step is to figure out which moves will help keep your opponent in the air longer. Finally, find some moves that are good finishers to a juggle. I suppose a good finisher would be a move that sends them flying. Sending them flying is really important if you want them to hit a wall for additional combo opportunities.
Some moves allow you to tag your partner in while they are in the air and other moves causes a character to bounce or drag. Moves that knocks an opponent in the air is called a launcher, while a move that makes someone bounce or drag is called a bound move. When a character bounces or drag you can use a technique which is called tag assault.
The tag assault starts off by automatically tagging in your partner. Your partner can do an attack string while the lead character is still in waiting to finish the combo. The character highlighted in blue is the character you can control; therefore you want to be mindful of the moves you use cause they don't stay in for very long. To start a tag assault you have to press the tag button before the bound move connects.
There are also secret team grabs. All teams can do team grabs; but some teams have more unique grabs. In order to find them you need to pair up the right characters and try two things. You need to find the proper grab move and then press the tag button at the same time.
Why are team grabs important? Team grabs are important; because team grabs eliminate the health that tagged out partners can get back. The health that can be recovered is the red health bar.
Final Thoughts:
Pros:
+Graphics are superb due to amazing detail.
+The characters can get dirty.
+This Tekken game has a much faster pace.
+Fluid transitions from move to move.
(Ex. Really cool throw escape animations.)
+Extremely fun and imaginative tutorial mode.
+Almost every Tekken character is available for use.
+Great remixes as well as decent original music.
+Endless music combinations.
+Better ending cutscenes.
+Near flawless netcode.
+Replay viewing options.
+Stats website/social network
+Can create a combot with moves YOU want!
+You can use your combot ONLINE!
+You can use money to customize every character.
+You can have a practice match with another person.
Cons:
-Can't play with 3 other online players in an official tag match.
-Can't invite others to your replay channel.
-Rage mode
(Not everyone is a fan of anything that may resemble a comeback
mechnic. Plus rage mode was poorly implemented.)
-The online practice mode is nothing like the offline practice
mode.
-You have to sacrifice Tekken Tunes in order to chat.
There is no such thing as the perfect game. I simply gave this game a 10; because this is officially the best Tekken game ever crafted. It has so many features, an amazing cast, much better netcode, and a tutorial mode that is fun and informative. And I thought I would never see a day when I can customize music of the game within the game. Heck, the idea of having a character with customizable move sets shocked me. The fact that this game has so much to offer officially made this game worth sixty dollars on day one. And rumor has it that Harada still isn't done adding more to this game.
I know 10 out of 10 may sound biased from a Tekken fan; but I can't help it. This game is the best Tekken game ever. TTT2 clearly made Tekken 6 obsolete. It was very difficult to find flaws in this game.