Tekken Tag Tournament

"Saying that this game is just "fighting perfection" would be an understatement."

A small "New Game!" sign stood at the top of the machine at GameWorks, which should have been about ten times the size it was -- because it was a sign for Tekken Tag Tournament! No one was playing at the time, so I just popped my unlimited play card and in, picked Paul and Eddy and started my game...

The offical button configuration according to Namco's web site is LP, RP and Tag on top, LK and RK on the bottom, just like Tekken 3 only with an extra button (however, GameWorks had theirs set up more like Soul Calibur).

But after a couple of rounds against the computer, I got used to it, and found that pulling off some moves were a lot easier with this set up (while others were harder to do).

True Ogre is no longer the boss of this game, you now fight someone without a name (it just says "Unknown" under her life bar). I think this unknown character is what Weird Al would call a "She-Male," since she appears to be possessed by the demon wolf over shadowing her.

The boss itself is almost a little like Eve from Parasite Eve. Her eyes are yellow, and she looks like she's being forced to do something she'd rather not do. Very interesting for the story indeed...

Something else that's pretty interesting about her is that she has only one life bar, which will slowly regenerate if you don't attack for a while. Her only defense really, is that she copies your character's moves, or other character's moves and uses them against you. Can you say.... Mokujin?

Overall though, she's a pretty easy boss, almost easier than True Ogre the first time around.

Gameplay: 10
Fighting games don't get much better than this. Whether you're beating the game with some new characters to sharpen your skills, or playing against a couple of friends or arcade junkies, this game never reaches that "I'm bored, lets go home" point that so many other games have reached. Unlike War, after beating it, I still wanted more.

Almost a disappointment to me at first, was that they took out Paul's cheap Phoenix Smasher. I know, like I said, it's cheap, but it was a lot of fun to use on those who were cheap against me (and let me tell you, all of the cheap players of the past Tekken games have returned to the arcades and then some).

However, because the Phoenix Smasher is gone, it forces big Paul fans like myself to use different strategies against cheap players and also forces you to perform more combos if you wanna win (rather than just a couple of button taps and boom, the opponent is dead).

One great thing about Tekken Tag Tournament is that even when you're losing, you're still having a good time. With some games, you'll get discouraged and wanna quit, but with Tekken, you just wanna kick your opponent's butt so badly that you stick with it (Tekken 3 was the exact same way).

I've enjoyed a lot of fighting games, but none of them have really displayed the same kind of enjoyment that TTT has.

Graphics: 9
Two years ago (when Tekken 3 came out) I would have given it a 10, but so much has changed since then, and so many better fighters (graphically, that is) have come out. It's still one of the most detailed fighters out there, and because the camera has been moved closer to the characters, it makes things feel somewhat bigger.

The best part of all is seeing Tekken 2 characters with Tekken 3's graphics, and seeing them performe all-new moves and combos. The new boss is very detailed too.

Other than that, you'll notice minor graphic improvements in the new CG intro (Paul, Michelle and Kazuya all look more realistic than ever) and a plethora of new costume designs for almost every character (what's with Nina's silver/white hair?).

Replayability: 10
Tekken Tag Tournament's gameplay shines, but its replay value shines a little more. Fighting fanatics will be kept busy for hours at an arcade with this game, even if their is no competition (i.e., I hate those people who just stand there and watch you play and never even think about playing themselves, don't you?).

Soul Calibur may be great, but it doesn't have the innovation, or the replayability that this game has. Everything; from the all-new Tag Throws and new ten hit combos, to the returning characters (20 to start, 12 time release characters that come out over... time) and the hint page at Namco's site that talks about a tournament to "end all tournaments."

According to EGM, this tournament will take place in the fall in the U.S. and in Japan, and the top players from both countries will battle to be the Tekken champion of the world.

Should I buy Tekken Tag Tournament?: Yes!!!
If you can afford a $4,000 arcade machine, why haven't you already picked up this game? For those of you who can't spend that much cash all in one place, then grab a lot of change ($20 in quarters should do) and head on over to whichever arcade near you has Tekken Tag Tournament! And for all you arcade owners out there that don't got it yet -- get this game! You won't be sorry. You'll make a fortune off of it, a lot more than you did with MK4.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 02/20/03