Tekken Tag Tournament
Sam Bishop dishes the dirt on the US version of Namco's revamped brawler.
Published: December 19, 2000
Okay, I could prattle on about this game for a 1000 words, touching on the graphics, the sound, the gameplay (and I will – later), but why don't I save you all the trouble and answer the one question that you no doubt have: Should I buy this game? If you like Tekken, most certainly. If you're not a fan, TTT won't convert you. If, like so many people you're impartial to the whole series, this may be enough to win you over. Is Tekken Tag Tournament a new game? No, that's what Tekken 4 will be. TTT is an improvement and refinement of the old games.
Tekken Tag Tournament is, without a doubt, the prettiest, fastest, smoothest game in the series venerable history. With the exception of a few tertiary characters from the previous games, every one of the Tekken fighters you've grown to love is here, and presented at a higher resolution and more polygons than ever before. All of the moves, animations, throws, and chains are here, with a handful of new ones for certain characters. In essence, this is the best that Tekken can offer, gameplay wise. Little has changed since the first game, but if this is your style, you'll be in heaven.
The Japanese version's only real downfall was the fact that it sported the now-famous "j word". Yet, TTT had jaggies. They weren't bad, but they were noticeable. So much so, that it left some people unable to appreciate the amazing leap in graphics quality over the arcade version. Well, this has been fixed. The US version of TTT is gloriously anti-aliased, and runs just as fast. To really appreciate the quality of the graphics, however, you really need to see it running at the arcade (or at the very least, pop in your old PlayStation copy of Tekken 3). I have no doubt in my mind that the leap in graphics quality over the arcade version is easily the same as when Namco decided to port Soul Calibur to the Dreamcast, maybe even more.
Namco went nuts, tossing high-res textures onto everything, and taking most of the environments and turning them into full 3D. The floors, as stupid as it may sound to point out, are stunning. Hell, they're the best floors I've ever seen in a video game. What's more, the shadows fall across them in 3D, dipping into crevasses and rising above peaks. The textures range from craggy rock to smooth, polished marble or wood (yes, with reflections), and even when they're simple, they look good.
Lighting has been tossed about almost haphazardly, creating deep, color-inspired moods that were never available on the PlayStation. Robust crimsons and bright yellows draping themselves across the floors, the backgrounds, even the players, all in real-time add a sense of realism and depth to the arenas. What's more, the environments aren't just dormant, stationary images that the players brawl around. Snow falls, dust sifts down, helicopters hover and then take off, waterfalls cascade in the background. No, it's not quite the level of interactivity that say Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore offers, but it's MUCH better than a static image wrapped around a 2D plane.
Aurally, TTT is a treat. It's more of the same, of course, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The PlayStation version of Tekken 3 took all of the music from the arcade, and then tossed in remixes. TTT follows this style, but doesn't offer as many tracks. What you will get is some great beats layered on top of the usual punches, kicks, and screams of the fighters. The effects still sound like they were sa
Tekken Tag Tournament is, without a doubt, the prettiest, fastest, smoothest game in the series venerable history. With the exception of a few tertiary characters from the previous games, every one of the Tekken fighters you've grown to love is here, and presented at a higher resolution and more polygons than ever before. All of the moves, animations, throws, and chains are here, with a handful of new ones for certain characters. In essence, this is the best that Tekken can offer, gameplay wise. Little has changed since the first game, but if this is your style, you'll be in heaven.
The Japanese version's only real downfall was the fact that it sported the now-famous "j word". Yet, TTT had jaggies. They weren't bad, but they were noticeable. So much so, that it left some people unable to appreciate the amazing leap in graphics quality over the arcade version. Well, this has been fixed. The US version of TTT is gloriously anti-aliased, and runs just as fast. To really appreciate the quality of the graphics, however, you really need to see it running at the arcade (or at the very least, pop in your old PlayStation copy of Tekken 3). I have no doubt in my mind that the leap in graphics quality over the arcade version is easily the same as when Namco decided to port Soul Calibur to the Dreamcast, maybe even more.
Namco went nuts, tossing high-res textures onto everything, and taking most of the environments and turning them into full 3D. The floors, as stupid as it may sound to point out, are stunning. Hell, they're the best floors I've ever seen in a video game. What's more, the shadows fall across them in 3D, dipping into crevasses and rising above peaks. The textures range from craggy rock to smooth, polished marble or wood (yes, with reflections), and even when they're simple, they look good.
Lighting has been tossed about almost haphazardly, creating deep, color-inspired moods that were never available on the PlayStation. Robust crimsons and bright yellows draping themselves across the floors, the backgrounds, even the players, all in real-time add a sense of realism and depth to the arenas. What's more, the environments aren't just dormant, stationary images that the players brawl around. Snow falls, dust sifts down, helicopters hover and then take off, waterfalls cascade in the background. No, it's not quite the level of interactivity that say Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore offers, but it's MUCH better than a static image wrapped around a 2D plane.
Aurally, TTT is a treat. It's more of the same, of course, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The PlayStation version of Tekken 3 took all of the music from the arcade, and then tossed in remixes. TTT follows this style, but doesn't offer as many tracks. What you will get is some great beats layered on top of the usual punches, kicks, and screams of the fighters. The effects still sound like they were sa
