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We’ve come a
long way as a species. Space travel, cloning, the seedless watermelon. But there are still
inventions yet to be made and questions yet to be answered. Case in point, what would
it look like if Dr. Wily had to slap a ***?
Then fart on her chest?
Fortunately, for pressing matters such as these, our species can look to Tekken. It’s
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 for the PlayStation 3. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything
quite that ridiculous.
I stand corrected. Clever girl...this one’s for Muldoon!
Released earlier this year, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 comes more than a decade after the original
Tekken Tag Tournament, but it largely keeps the same concept. Imagine an amalgamation
of Tekken fighting and tag team wrestling...that’s pretty much what this game is all about.
Well, that and...bears motorboating.
Now, you can go it alone...you rebel, you. But this game really is about fighting as
a team, and that’s reflected in its new Tag Assault system. If you knock your opponent
into the air and then make a tag before they land, you can do a sweet tag team move. Since
the roster is so massive, it’s fun to just experiment with different combinations and
see what moves you can come up with. Of course, “fun” doesn’t always mean
“easy.” That’s where the Fight Lab comes into play. It’s like this glorified tutorial
that lets you play with each fighter’s moves and learn all the nuances. And I like the
idea, but it doesn’t really teach you anything, so it’s not very useful for the newcomers
who actually need it.
Joining the Fight Lab, however, is a smorgasbord of options that’ll ensure you have no shortage
of ways to play. For offline alone, there’s an arcade mode, a versus mode, a survival
mode...not to mention the multiplayer options. You can go online or play with up to four
friends locally, which is awesome.
My favorite part of Tekken has always been its sense of humor, how over-the-top its characters
are. And so I think what I like most about Tag Tournament is how you can amplify that
absurdity by teaming pandas and grizzlies or a scientist with a leather wearing dominatrix.
And when you pair that with the great gameplay and all the content...that’s what makes
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 such a fun experience.