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Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is the 9th major installment of the Tekken series, releasing on the PlayStation 3,
Xbox 360, and Wii U. Debuting with 49 characters on launch and ballooning to 59 by the end of 2012, it is
the largest Tekken roster to date.
The game is known for its explosive combat, legacy system mechanics, and fan service unlike any
other Tekken game.
Much like its predecessors, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is a 3D fighting game, where movement is controlled
entirely through 8-way controls, and all four attack buttons correspond to each of a character's four limbs.
Unique to the game, however, is not only the ability to tag between your two characters, but the ability to
quickly switch between them mid-combo, performing special tag throws, and aggressively swapping places while
knocked down. Remember to switch them out; you only need to KO one of their characters to win the round!
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is much faster than previous games, but at the same time, it's slower
paced and requires a lot more caution. This is greatly attributed to its high damage, courtesy of both Tag
Launch and Tag Assault, two mechanics that cause combo damage to skyrocket. Without adding any new mechanics
or special meters, the game exaggerates its Tekken-isms in a way that feels fair for everyone.
Many misconceptions about Tekken Tag 2's low sales stem from its poor marketing. Instead, Harada mentions in
an interview that he believed the game to be too difficult
for new players to enjoy -
"Usually, players feel they should be able to play well, but then they can't and keep losing. They get
frustrated and call it a crappy game. But because they are so close, they keep playing to get better.
Once they get it, they find the game pretty fun again.
"For Tag 2, players who can't play
well feel like, 'if a player at my level complains, I feel like people will just say that I haven't
played enough, so I just watch others play.
"As a result, only skilled players continued to
play. It is the worst situation for games."
Contrary to popular belief, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 marketed itself surprisingly well:
Yes, Snoop Dogg himself created a track for the game! He shows up in his stage, aptly titled "Snoop Dogg",
with his track called "Knocc 'Em Down"; it's the first time Tekken ever had a rap song in its soundtrack.
"The Tekken team has always tried to implement different genres of music throughout the series, but one
thing that we've never done was hip hop or rap. [...] "This time it was a collaboration between our
marketing team and the development team, and we wanted to take this fighting game - Tekken - that
was created by Eastern developers, and pair it with this Western music.
"At first we weren't
focused on Snoop yet. We just knew that we wanted to use hip hop. When we approached out marketing folks
they said, 'you know, that's kind of a good idea, and we've heard that Snoop Dogg is actually quite a
fan of Tekken.'
"So we decided that he could possible attempt to write an original song for
Tekken, which he did. We also created a stage specifically for him, where he's on the stage as well."
-
Harada, on Snoop Dogg in Tekken Tag Tournament 2
With all of this in mind, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is extremely divisive among the community. While it is
seen as a celebration for some, others believe it (and Tekken 6) to be the downfall of when Tekken began to
deteriorate in quality. Despite this, it sits at an extremely commendable 82 and 8.3 on Metacritic, and some
critics regard it as "one of the deepest and most entertaining fighting games in years" (Digital
Spy), "definitely a worthy addition to the franchise" (IGN), and
"a polished, vibrant fighter with very few faults" (Polygon).
In recent years, Tekken Tag
2 (and other legacy Tekken titles) have returned to the public eye as the newest Tekken game, Tekken 8, has
shown itself to move away from the classic formula. With its more aggressive design and a lower skill
ceiling, some players are choosing to return to legacy titles for the classic Tekken feeling, like Tekken 5:
Dark Resurrection, Tekken 6, and even Tekken Tag Tournament 2.
Contact: michael@tekkentagtournament2.com for inquiries regarding the website