Strengths: Tag battles, amazing graphics, deep fighting system, complex, varied fighting styles and characters suitable for beginning and advanced players, lots of unlockables
Weakness: Shallow extras, terrible endings, "infinite" playing space (no real walls), no Tekken Force mode
Tekken Tag is probably the best Tekken game in the series. Granted, Tekken 4 and the upcoming Tekken 5 have similar, if not better graphics and (finally) fully rendered fighting arenas, but the latest games lack what Tekken Tag so gloriously offers: the ability to play with two Tekken characters in the same battle. To most people, this "Tag" feature means nothing. WHat could the addition of another character really do for a game? Well, alot. And in a very good way.
I admit that I wasn't a fan of the series before playing Tekken Tag, having only purhcased the game at my brother insistence. I had played Tekken 3 for Playstation One many times before, and assumed a Tag option would do nothing to a simple fighting game. My misconception was, as many fans know, that Tekken could be even remotely simple. The fighting system, an arguably flawless, complex, 3-d fighting and combo system has scarcely changed since Tekken 3- and that's ok! Tekken fans everywhere will tell you (wherever they are in the series) that they lose matches to a sweep kick when they flew a punch, or lost to a roundhouse while sidestepping an anticpated lunge. The game is a revolutionary 3-d game, and a player can become immersed in a single character, learning more and more about moves, combo timing, juggles and so on, for years and years (to those who have mastered King's combo throws- my congratulations and respect).
The depth of the character is really what makes Tekken Tag shine, because you can play with TWO AT ONCE. I know, it may sound terribly uninteresting, but once you understand how multi-faceted a SINGLE character is, playing with two in one battle makes for an immensely rich fighting experience. I my brother and I have had (and still do) battles wth the same characters we began with. The characters and fighting system are deep enough to make battles relayable over and over again. To add, certain characters can even perform team specific moves(such as Jin and Jun). In terms of gameplay, nothing really changes from the original Tekkens (which again, is mostly a good thing). The rounds are the same, the physics are identical to the arcade/console versions, and tagging is easy- press the tag button, the first character leaves and the other character enters in well under a second (fast enough to even set up a juggle...). In truth, there is no signicifcant learning curve with the Tag system. Two or three battles at most will familiarize many.
If anything could be said against the game, it would be pointed at the extras and the level design. Tekken Bowling is the only somewhat decent attempt at an original extra feature, but I found it to be boring rather quickly. The other features, survival, versus, team battle, theatre mode, are all so standard in fighters that they don't really add to the game's value. The character's endings (stored in theatre mode) are so pathetically bad I almost wish they didn't exist. It seems Namco seriously put NO TIME in creating the ending cinemas for the games (rendered in real-time), being short, boring, and pointless.
The level design, or lack thereof, is another issue entirely. The "infinite" battle arena, where you never really get any closer to the "walls" you see, is the same, dated technique used in Tekken Tag as Tekken 3, 2, and 1 used years ago. Although the backgrounds are amazing, the endless space trick can be downright annoying. Still, Tekken is a game about fighting and such things can be overlooked. It's just a shame with what actual spaces were used in Tekken 4 (and eventually 5) that they couldn't have at least been an option.
On a lighter note, the graphics in Tekken Tag as truly breathtaking. I recall seeing the game in the arcade and thinking it was a glorifies Tekken 3 with two characters on each side (and it kind of was) but please listen, those in doubt: The graphics are fully revamped and the characters, levels, clothing and everything else looks utterly astonishing. The characters are in real-time what the FMV cinemas were in the original games. They could make no noticable improvements on the graphics, and the polycounts on the character models must be through the roof. The muscle structures, clothing, facial features are all fully created. The floors of the levels (though they don't affect gameplay) look like actual stone or tile, reflectin light and shining realistically. DO NOT expect the graphics from the arcade. If anything, Namco does right in the visuals of this console port.
I would say Tekken Tag is, despite it's aggrivating, but few shortcomings, the best game for the Tekken fan, bringing to the PS2 the most fully formed version of a tried and true fighting system to a new level that fans of the series are likely to appreciate greatly. Though newbies might be overwhelmed by the scope of the game, their is more than enough to sink their teeth into and master for time to come.
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Strengths: All your favorite Tekken characters, very fun, great graphics, cool unlockables, new tag feature.
Weakness: Not as brilliant as it was 4 years ago.
Tekken Tag Tournament brings all Tekken fans to the PS2 and show off what it's capable of. The characters and environments look great and are very detailed. The new tag feature allows for some great combat as you can team up your two best characters to lay a beating on your opponents. As you progress in the game, some cool unlockables become available, such as Tekken Bowl mode, theater mode, and a gallery mode. It may not be as dazzling as it was at the PS2's launch, but it's still a solid fighter that has tons to like about it.
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Strengths: Extremely deep fighting system, tag-team fighting, great graphics, massive replay value
Weakness: None apparent
Tekken Tag Tournament takes the martial arts action of the Tekken series and brings the ability to use tag team tactics into the gameplay. All of the fighting moves, controls and action with one character is doubled and beyond with the addition of the second character. With all this to learn, it gives the game an immense amount of replayability. For the fighting fan, it's a must-have.
Bestcovery experts have rated the Namco Bandai Tekken Tag Tournament (PS2) as a best pick for the Best PS2 Fighting Game. Bestcovery's experts recommend the best products and services for a particular need based on extensive research and evaluations. Click below to see Bestcovery's full review of this product.
Testseek.com has collected 2 expert reviews for Tekken Tag Tournament and the average expert rating is 74 of 100. The average score reflects the expert community’s view on this product. Click below and use Testseek.com to see all ratings, product awards and conclusions.
Tekken Tag Tournament receives an overall TopTenREVIEWS rating of 3.48 out of 4.00. It is ranked the #587 game of all time, #3 game of 2000 for the PlayStation 2 and #116 PlayStation 2 game of all time. The rating and ranking is based on an average of 80 critic scores, awards and other criteria. To see a breakdown of the game ranking, read individual critic reviews, or see how other games ranked,...
Tekken Tag Tournament PS2
Strengths: Tag battles, amazing graphics, deep fighting system, complex, varied fighting styles and characters suitable for beginning and advanced players, lots of unlockables
Weakness: Shallow extras, terrible endings, "infinite" playing space (no real walls), no Tekken Force mode
Tekken Tag is probably the best Tekken game in the series. Granted, Tekken 4 and the upcoming Tekken 5 have similar, if not better graphics and (finally) fully rendered fighting arenas, but the latest games lack what Tekken Tag so gloriously offers: the ability to play with two Tekken characters in the same battle. To most people, this "Tag" feature means nothing. WHat could the addition of another character really do for a game? Well, alot. And in a very good way.
I admit that I wasn't a fan of the series before playing Tekken Tag, having only purhcased the game at my brother insistence. I had played Tekken 3 for Playstation One many times before, and assumed a Tag option would do nothing to a simple fighting game. My misconception was, as many fans know, that Tekken could be even remotely simple. The fighting system, an arguably flawless, complex, 3-d fighting and combo system has scarcely changed since Tekken 3- and that's ok! Tekken fans everywhere will tell you (wherever they are in the series) that they lose matches to a sweep kick when they flew a punch, or lost to a roundhouse while sidestepping an anticpated lunge. The game is a revolutionary 3-d game, and a player can become immersed in a single character, learning more and more about moves, combo timing, juggles and so on, for years and years (to those who have mastered King's combo throws- my congratulations and respect).
The depth of the character is really what makes Tekken Tag shine, because you can play with TWO AT ONCE. I know, it may sound terribly uninteresting, but once you understand how multi-faceted a SINGLE character is, playing with two in one battle makes for an immensely rich fighting experience. I my brother and I have had (and still do) battles wth the same characters we began with. The characters and fighting system are deep enough to make battles relayable over and over again. To add, certain characters can even perform team specific moves(such as Jin and Jun). In terms of gameplay, nothing really changes from the original Tekkens (which again, is mostly a good thing). The rounds are the same, the physics are identical to the arcade/console versions, and tagging is easy- press the tag button, the first character leaves and the other character enters in well under a second (fast enough to even set up a juggle...). In truth, there is no signicifcant learning curve with the Tag system. Two or three battles at most will familiarize many.
If anything could be said against the game, it would be pointed at the extras and the level design. Tekken Bowling is the only somewhat decent attempt at an original extra feature, but I found it to be boring rather quickly. The other features, survival, versus, team battle, theatre mode, are all so standard in fighters that they don't really add to the game's value. The character's endings (stored in theatre mode) are so pathetically bad I almost wish they didn't exist. It seems Namco seriously put NO TIME in creating the ending cinemas for the games (rendered in real-time), being short, boring, and pointless.
The level design, or lack thereof, is another issue entirely. The "infinite" battle arena, where you never really get any closer to the "walls" you see, is the same, dated technique used in Tekken Tag as Tekken 3, 2, and 1 used years ago. Although the backgrounds are amazing, the endless space trick can be downright annoying. Still, Tekken is a game about fighting and such things can be overlooked. It's just a shame with what actual spaces were used in Tekken 4 (and eventually 5) that they couldn't have at least been an option.
On a lighter note, the graphics in Tekken Tag as truly breathtaking. I recall seeing the game in the arcade and thinking it was a glorifies Tekken 3 with two characters on each side (and it kind of was) but please listen, those in doubt: The graphics are fully revamped and the characters, levels, clothing and everything else looks utterly astonishing. The characters are in real-time what the FMV cinemas were in the original games. They could make no noticable improvements on the graphics, and the polycounts on the character models must be through the roof. The muscle structures, clothing, facial features are all fully created. The floors of the levels (though they don't affect gameplay) look like actual stone or tile, reflectin light and shining realistically. DO NOT expect the graphics from the arcade. If anything, Namco does right in the visuals of this console port.
I would say Tekken Tag is, despite it's aggrivating, but few shortcomings, the best game for the Tekken fan, bringing to the PS2 the most fully formed version of a tried and true fighting system to a new level that fans of the series are likely to appreciate greatly. Though newbies might be overwhelmed by the scope of the game, their is more than enough to sink their teeth into and master for time to come.
100% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?