Tekken tag Tournament (USED) - PS2 (RESTART)

The "King of Iron Fist Tournament 3" has ended, but the fight is far from over.

Fighters from Tekken 's past are itching to fight, so much so that they team up in pairs and travel the world to challenge each other in an insatiable quest for face-punching, Wind Godfist , and the ultimate test of kung-fu superiority in the Tekken Tag Tournament .

Tekken's plot is vast and complex, focusing on the soap opera-like dramas of the deeply dysfunctional Mishima family (making the story a bit like Dallas with martial arts). However, Tekken Tag Tournament exists outside of the true Tekken "canon." It's more of a conglomeration of previous games, featuring every fighter from the series (though Gon and Dr. Bosconovitch , featured in Tekken 3 for PlayStation, are absent here), regardless of whether they're alive, dead, or too old to compete according to official series lore.

But who really needs a plot? This is, first and foremost, a fighting game . The Tekken series was one of the first to introduce 3D combat with polygonal characters, second only to Sega's Virtua Fighter , and while the gameplay has been refined over time, it remains consistent in its foundations. Tekken Tag is built on a modified version of the Tekken 3 engine, with the most notable difference being the introduction of the tag mechanic, clearly inspired by Capcom's "Vs." series. Players select two characters from a cast of 34, and fight in various exotic locations, ranging from a beach, to a Buddhist temple, to the dark, dirty streets of a modern metropolis.

Tekken Tag Tournament was a launch title for the PlayStation 2 in the United States, and received a significant graphical upgrade over the arcade version, which had been built using the Namco System 12 graphics card, the same one used for Tekken 3, released four years earlier. The characters and stages were redesigned and updated to take advantage of the PS2's capabilities. The game was even reworked between the Japanese and American releases, in response to criticism that it was too "jagged," with the addition of anti-aliasing features. The soundtrack was also remixed from its arcade counterpart.

The gameplay is similar to Tekken 3, with a wide variety of moves and fighting styles. One of Tekken's strengths is offering enough simplicity to entertain new players, while still providing enough depth to satisfy seasoned Tekken masters. Controls are based on a four-button system, with each button controlling a different limb (with the addition of a fifth button for switching ). Winning requires speed, combos , and mastery of juggles —strikes delivered while the opponent is in the air, impossible to block or reverse. Add to this chained throws , sidesteps , counters (some universal, some limb-specific), and even counter-counters (called "chickens"), and you have the Tekken fighting engine.

The tag mechanic was introduced with the intention of adding depth to the game while maintaining a frenetic pace. Players press the tag button to switch characters; unlike the "Vs." series, if either fighter loses their entire health bar, the round ends. Benched characters slowly recover health and, if held out long enough, reappear with the ability to deal increased damage for a limited time.

As per tradition, Namco has added a ton of extra modes to this console conversion of Tekken Tag. These include:

• Arcade Mode : 8 consecutive matches;

• Vs. Battle Mode : for two or four players locally;

• Survival Mode : Fight as long as you have energy;

• Time Attack Mode : Complete Arcade Mode in the shortest time possible;

• Team Battle Mode : Choose four to eight characters and challenge other teams;

• 1 on 1 Mode : US exclusive, returns to the classic Tekken style without tag mechanics.

Added to this are:

• Practice Mode , to refine techniques;

• Pair Play Mode , for four-player challenges with the multitap;

• Tekken Bowl , a bowling mini-game;

• Theater and Gallery Modes , where you can view endings or save/browse screenshots of your matches.

CHARACTERISTICS:

• 34 fighters from previous Tekken titles

• Plot loosely centered on the intrigues of the Mishima family

• Techno soundtrack

• Nearly a dozen game modes