Back in 1995 when the PlayStation was first launched in American soil, a little known game called Tekken made it’s appearance on Sony’s first console. Becoming fairly popular in the arcades, publisher Namco knew it would be smart to bring this title out along with their other arcade hit, Ridge Racer, to help out Sony’s vie for the console crown. Both games went on to become classics, and both spawned multiple sequels as well. Tekken, however, seemed to have more impact on the gaming industry than it’s racing cousin. There were always debates about which was better – the Tekken series or Sega’s own Virtua Fighter games, a discussion that is still going on today. The point of it all, though, is that the Tekken franchise is still going strong today and is still popular among PlayStation and arcade gamers alike. Sony is on the verge of launching it’s heralded PlayStation 2 this fall, and what better license to call on for a blockbuster game than Tekken itself.

Tekken Tag Tournament (TTT) is set to coincide with the PS2 launch on October 26^th of this fall, and while it’s by no means the true sequel that Tekken fans are asking for, fighting purists should still not miss this one. Running on the old System 12 arcade board, Tekken Tag retains the same formula of it’s past fighters: attack, block, attack, and juggle like hell. Not that it’s necessarily a bad thing since all Tekken games have been enormously fun since Day 1.

The main draw of the PS2 incarnation is, of course, the Tag mode. In somewhat of the same vein as Dead or Alive 2, you pick a partner for your character and square off against another team. Being able to swap players in and out (which in turn retains energy) will give much more longevity to a fight than a normal one on one bout. Learning how to use double combos is key here, as swapping players in and out, one after another’s combo can end in your opponent’s life being deleted in a matter of seconds. Those who do not like juggling should stay away from Tekken Tag.

TTT will obviously have a graphical push as well. Remember Tekken 3? Well, forget that game immediately since Tekken Tag blows it out of the water in the visual department. Lush colors and incredible textures illustrate the Tekken world like only Namco can do.

For the first time on a home console the backgrounds will remain faithfull to it’s arcade counterpart, but even better in some instances. Now multiple bystanders will cover the scenes behind the fights without even a slight drop in frame rate. Realistic lighting effects will be able to beautifully convey street lights and darkness wherever the battles may take. Saying that TTT is arcade-perfect is quite the understatement.

Tekken Tag Tournament will be one of Sony’s main marketed launch titles, and it should be. Keeping the old gameplay and introducing a great new tag team mode plus a graphical overhaul can only mean good things for the series. If you’re searching for a Tekken 4, this ain’t it. But those looking for a good launch fighting game should pick up Namco’s latest entry into it’s famed fighting series when they head to a local retailer on October 26^th of this fall.

Additional Media:

Image 1
Image 2
Image 3

VGF.com
Cheat Codes
Nintendo Gamers First
PC Gamers First
Xbox Gamers First