Tekken Tag Tournament 2 hands on preview part 1

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (TTT2) arrives on console on September 14th and will very much be on the wish lists of fans who have waited what seems like an eternity for a sequel to the game which helped launch the PS2 console way back in October 2000. Some 12 years later with several Tekken games sandwiched in-between, TTT2 offers expected updates to what is essentially a more tactical version of the standard one on one games.

Namco have had a lot of time to get things right, although once in the field, it’s likely top players will have sussed out most of the finer intricacies that come with fighting games. That said, having dipped into an early preview build of the game, it’s safe to say, Namco’s efforts here won’t disappoint…well at least the majority of fans will be pleased.

TTT2 offers a selection of solo or local versus modes and of course the all inclusive online modes – which sadly, Namco have requested we don’t talk about right now. For solo players there are a number of challenges that lie ahead.

There are quite a number of characters available from the offset, making for a veritable mix of combatants to pair up and fight with. Fans will be pleased at the offering as the generous selection means all bases are covered. Well almost all.

TTT2 offers a bit more depth to the character aesthetics this time, in a similar manner to Soul Calibur. There’s plenty of room for scope when it comes to making your characters stand out from other players.

What’s an interesting inclusion, and something that aims to add a bit of fun into proceedings is the rather well executed Fight Lab mode, in which players take Combot through various stages – often with crazy challenges and boss fights at the end. Players can then edit Combot’s move set to make their own robotic fighter.

The combat itself is gratifying, challenging, and still relying on the trademark juggles to keep the intensity of combat in line with fans fervent expectations. There’s a real sense of broad appeal with the character moves, where beginners can easily learn basic moves, while offering plenty of headroom for the more complex manoeuvres. There’s much more tactical here, and with stages that offer their own tactical edge make for an engaging game that’s going for inclusion alongside competitive.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 certainly feels like a refined fighter, that’s well put together and positively stacked with flourishing touches. With smooth and gratifying combat, a bit of humour and some deeper options for customizing characters, the game and long awaited sequel looks set to become the talking point amongst fighting fan circles across the globe.

Written by: Rob Cram

Rob Cram has hundreds of video game reviews, thousands of articles under his belt with years of experience in gaming and tech. He aims to remain fair and free from publisher/developer influence. With his extensive knowledge, feels his gaming opinions are valid and worth sharing. Agreement with his views are entirely optional. He might have a bias towards cyberpunk.