TTT - The only one worthy of the title, "Game of the Millenium"
OVERALL RATING: 10/10
What better way to end the old millenium with a bang or start the new
one with a cheer than playing THE fighting game of games?! Tekken Tag
Tournament is, in my opinion, the best fighting game there is, being as
close to real fighting as you can get without the very common fireballs
and freeze blasts featured in games like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat.
Don't get me wrong, I do love those games, but when we talk of realism,
neither "real-life" digital graphics nor multi-layered animations will
count. It's all about the game itself, and though you see sparks flying
here and there, they are just to enhance the fast-paced environment of
the game, which, quite obviously, tries very hard to keep itself as down-
to-earth as possible. In this game, people rely on their own extremeties
to do the dirty work, not some overly enhanced "chi". They only punch,
kick, headbutt, and grapple, NOT teleport or throw projectiles, or spill
gallons of blood. And all that without including the one thing people
hate about non-exaggerated reality---boredom. Tekken Tag Tournament also
has its fair share of humorous and purely fictional characters like the
animals, the ogres, and the training dummies(!)
So far, and as you may have noticed, I have only stated comments that
could apply to the Tekken series in general. Come to think of it, what
does this new version have that makes it worthy of the title I just gave
it? Well, we all know the fact that fighting games like Street Fighter
Alpha 3 and Mortal Kombat Trilogy have added a little spice to the growing-
out-dated game engines of their predecessors, right? Then think about it...
the Tekken series has always been out-doing itself with its sequels, and
its game engine is very far from total extinction, then suddenly a game
like this is released, combining all the players you have ever seen since
the first Tekken came out---with lots of dream match-ups made possible
like a Baek vs. Hwoarang and a Kazuya vs. Jin match...now, wouldn't that
be so damn cool!?
And if that ain't enough, notice how Capcom's "tag team" games became,
for a long period of time, the sole reason why people flock the arcades?
It's such a cool concept that it eliminates many people's tough choices
on who their favorite character would be. That's just what Tekken Tag
Tournament does with Tekken fans, old and new---satisfy them to the fullest!
Not only that, Tekken Tag Tournament also features special moves, entrances,
winning, and losing poses that can only be witnessed if you picked the
right teams. Some are funny, some are serious, and some are just plain
awesome! There are also moves, juggles, and throws that can be started
by one character and ended by another, a feature not so evident in previous
tag team games.
Lastly, Tekken Tag Tournament is the ONLY TRUE THREE-DIMENSIONAL fighting
game (besides Tekken3) in the arcades today, and no one can make me think
otherwise. The Street Fighter EX and Dead or Alive series are just 2D
games hiding under 3D skirts, and games like Mortal Kombat 4, Plasma Sword,
and Virtua Fighter 3 feature a sidestep which does not significantly
affect your character's moves in any way. Again, don't get me wrong, I've
already spent a big chunk of my free time in each of those games when
they came out in the arcades, but none will ever compare to the electrifying
experience that is...TEKKEN TAG TOURNAMENT!!!
(
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