
Some of the later challenges are more frustrating than helpful, which should be your cue to quit the Fight Lab.

If you are new to the series, make sure to check out the Fight Lab, which will teach you the basics of the game and more importantly the timing that is required for pulling off successful combos. If this makes sense to you, please let me know what I’m missing. One of the female fighters or I thought was a female fighter turned out to be a robot capable of removing her own head in order to fit inside a photo booth in Japan.


The ending sequence varies depending on the character used, but not being familiar with the Tekken universe, I didn’t quite understand the meaning behind most of them. After the phenomenal story mode in Mortal Kombat, I was disappointed to find that Arcade mode acts as the main single-player experience. Relying on an arcade style of gameplay, you won’t find a dedicated story mode to fight through. It’s safe to say that Tekken contains the most varied and outlandish characters in any fighting game – seriously, the game has a boxing kangaroo/velociraptor and a fighting panda bear and none of the other characters seem to care! All of the downloadable characters from the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions are already included and unlocked, giving Wii U owners access to them right from the start. Taking a glance at the character select screen, I was amazed at the amount of characters to choose from – with well over 50+ in all. For those newcomers of the series, don’t come expecting to be pulling off hadoukens and shoryukens, Tekken focuses on time based combo gameplay. The first KO will end the round, making it imperative to keep track of the health of each character. Tagteams are able to pull off crazy team attacks and combos. Playing with a single competitor you will still face-off against a team of two throughout the Arcade mode, but your fighter will receive a slight buff in stats to help even the odds. With the freedom in choosing whether to play with a single fighter or with a team of two, Tekken Tag 2 allows you to play how you want. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 feels much like the previously released title – Tekken 6 – albeit featuring exciting tag-team action – if you choose to do so. Even with a somewhat bare-bones online offering, it’s still one of the most refined fighters on the market.While other fighting game franchise have tried to reinvent themselves with each iteration, Tekken has stayed true to its core, but still manages to provide improvements along the way. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 doesn’t overhaul the franchise’s format, instead opting to retain the series’ already-solid gameplay and avoid extraneous modes that detract from the core fighting focus. Online matches are fast-paced and intense thanks to the relatively lag-free experience, even if the bouts are limited to the basic ranked and player variety. Teaming up with a partner offers new combat opportunities, whether it’s character-specific tag throws or devastating tag assault combos. Thankfully, this entry retains the series’ signature responsive controls and massive roster of fighters. No amount of tweaking matters if the core gameplay isn’t up to par. Through the customization feature, you can make stylistic changes to your favorite character’s attire and appearance, or you can abandon style altogether in favor of monkey hats and pineapple grenades. While your Fight Lab currency is spent on Combot, you’re free to spend the gold rewards from standard matches on any of the 50-plus fighters. Considering it functions simultaneously as a tutorial and create-a-fighter of sorts, it’s a fantastic way to get accustomed with the mechanics. At the end of the Fight Lab stages, you have a custom-built fighter tweaked to your specifications. Progressing through the stages earns you customization points, allowing you to assign your favorite moves to Combot. Essentially a tutorial with a narrative, this mode does an admirable job of teaching you the ropes of the tag system. Tag Tournament 2 isn’t entirely without an offline single-player component, as the Fight Lab mode tasks you with tuning a combat robot (named Combot, naturally) to your liking.

With Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Namco Bandai is more focused on a pure fighting experience than with extraneous modes. Fighting franchises are more sequel-prone than other genres, but they also present a unique challenge to developers – how do you release new installments that offer more than new fighters, stages, and moves? Attempts at features outside of the standard arcade ladder/ghost battle/survival mode have been a mixed bag, with the Tekken series being particularly notable for lackluster single-player modes that stray from the core fighting engine.
