The powerhouse fighting game, Tekken, hasn’t really been a feature for Nintendo consoles since it first appeared in 1994 as the arcade and PlayStation hit beat ’em up, so big N fans have either missed out or sold their soul to get to play its many sequels. However, with the launch release of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Wii U Edition we’ve finally got something to shout about and it’s a heart thumping, finger blistering action packed game from start to finish.
While Namco Bandai Games dipped their overly muscular toe in the Nintendo cartridge slot for the first time in last year’s Tekken 3D Prime Edition on the 3DS, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is the first Nintendo home console port for the fighter series. It’s a hard hitting entry to what is usually the domain of Mario and pals, building on some of the other serious gaming entries for the Nintendo Wii U, including Zombi U, Call of Duty: Black Ops II and the upcoming release of Watch_Dogs.
It’s games like these that are starting to build the foundations of gaming credibility for the console, so hopefully we’ll start to see more action packed releases on the Wii U. Either way, Tekken Tag Tournament is a must-own game for owners of the console and will provide years of adrenaline rush fun as you battle it out with some of the greatest characters in fighting game history.
The game-play action is literally relentless, with more modes and fighters than you’ll know what to do with when you first play the game. For a starters there’s the brilliance of having a tag partnership to take down your opposition with, which gives you the chance to switch in your rested teammate when your health is down to the bone, but it also lets you work together to deliver annihilating tag combos where both players inflict damage at once.
As well as the standard arcade mode, which you can make as tough or easy as you like, there’s also the genius of standard and online multiplayer modes to give you a chance beat the ever loving sheesh kebab out of your mates or random contenders online, which is the biggest reason TTTII Wii U is such a cool game. When your health bars start to drop you’ll be on the edge of your seat frantically trying to string together the combo moves to pull of the win.
Graphically the game is very impressive with great visual on the fighters and the scenes, which you can interact with to smash through walls, fall through walls or crash over cliffs. The speed of the game is super slick, with great detail on the moves and changing scene structure. However, there are a number of minor flaws in the detail of the CGI, including the rendering for Ogre, as well as the transition cut scene for Zafina when she turns into her devil witch lady alter ego.
In terms of playable characters there are more available in Tekken Tag Tournament 2 than in any previously released Tekken game. Almost every Tekken player you can think of is in the fray ranging from old faithfuls like Heichi and Lei Wulong to more recent character additions like Dr. Bosconovitch, Jinpachi and Miguel Caballero Rojo.
The Wii U Edition has it’s own Nintendo infused game mode too called Mushroom Battle Mode, which throws you into matches with mushrooms from the Super Mario universe sprinkled around the arena. Get a big mushroom to dish out some supersized damage to your enemies, but there are also some bad mushrooms thrown in for good measure, so watch out where you’re treading or might be landing. There’s also a cool set of Nintendo specific costumes to wear including Mario, Luigi, Bowser and Link, which is pretty cool.
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Wii U Edition may not necessarily be the greatest Tekken game of all time (the arcade version of Tekken 2 still holds that crown for us), but is is already one of the best ever fighting games a Nintendo console has seen. While it’s not faultless, it is an ace game to play, delivering genuine excitement when you take your fight online and just narrowly pip a Japanese warrior or annoying kid to the winning punch.
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Wii U Edition review: 4.6/5
