Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Wii U Edition

Genre: Fighting Game

Players: 1-4 Team Competitive (Local, Online)

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Review:

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is a Fighting Game released in Arcades in 2011, ported to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2012, and then ported to Wii U later that same year along with the launch of the Wii U. This marks one of a select few times that the Tekken series has ever graced a Nintendo platform, though developer Bandai Namco would collaborate with Nintendo later on to develop the Pokken games, which combine Tekken Fighting Game mechanics with the Pokemon world and characters.

Tekken Tag Tournament is the eighth installment in the Tekken franchise, and it brings an absolutely massive roster of 59 characters who can face each other in one-on-one, one-on-two, or two-on-two tag team matches, where the winner only needs to knock out one of their two opponents. This release also includes a wealth of gameplay modes and features as well, including a mode here specifically for newer players, a tutorial of sorts called Fight Lab that follows a ridiculous story of an idiot CEO teaching a robot how to fight. There’s also full support for online play, though… well, the online lobbies are absolutely abandoned at this point.

The Wii U edition of the game brings even more features, including a variety of Nintendo character-themed costumes for its various characters (along with all DLC from other versions included at the start), a new game mode using Mario power-ups, the return of the volleyball-esque “Tekken Ball” from Tekken 3, and the option to use the touchscreen for shortcuts to specific moves. While Nintendo platform owners had to wait a half a year after other console players to get the game, there’s a good argument to be made that this is the definitive version.

The presentation here is good, combining decent 3D character models and reasonably-detailed environments with fast-paced rock tunes and Japanese voices for the characters. This version features some silky-smooth framerates, but also suffers from some pretty ugly aliasing, and slightly-annoying load times. All in all this is a solid presentation, though it’s got nothing on some of the more recent games in the genre, or even other contemporary games released at the same time, like Dead or Alive 5.

As for the gameplay… okay, so I’ll level with you here. I’ve never been a fan of the Tekken series. When it comes to 3D fighting games, my preferences have always leaned in favor of Dead or Alive series – I always felt like the combat in those games was more fluid, the movement faster and more responsive, and I thoroughly appreciated the paper-rock-scissors dynamic of that series’ central strike-counter-throw system, and I always felt the visuals in that series pushed the envelope more than the Tekken series ever did. In fact, if I were to pick my favorite Bandai Namco Fighting Game series (and if we’re not counting Super Smash Bros., which they greatly contributed to the development of in recent installments), my pick would be the Soulcalibur franchise.

However, I also know that much of this is down to personal preference. Just as I prefer Dead or Alive, I know there are plenty who love Tekken, and for them… well, they’ve probably already gotten this game, or at least one of the more recent entries in the series. So if you’re the sort of audience for Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Wii U edition, you probably already own it. However, if you’re snatching up a Wii U just now to snag digital games before the eShop closes in March 2023, be aware that this game is not currently available in digital format – you’ll have to track down a disc to play it. But if you are a Fighting Game fan with a Wii U, this game is well worth getting. It’s a good Fighting game with a lot of variety. And while I don’t personally see this being anyone’s favorite game in the genre, it’s a solid release all the same.

tl;dr – Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Wii U Edition is the eighth entry in the Tekken Fighting Game series, featuring a massive roster of characters, tons of options and gameplay modes, and a cute Fight Lab tutorial mode. This game has a few technical issues, and I don’t think it’s a truly extraordinary Fighting Game, but it’s a solid entry in the genre, and the Wii U version is arguably the definitive release of the game.

Grade: B

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