TAG! You're it! Tekken Tag Tournament....

Now, this opinion is about Tekken Tag Tournament; which is due to be released in September of 2000, for the new Playstation 2. However, it is out at the arcades already; and I have to say that it OUTSHINES Tekken 3! (*Is that possible???? Whoa.*)

NOTE: They have not added the new upcoming games category as of yet; but rest assured that when it is added, I will move this review into that category.

This game really plays very solidly; anything less would NOT do the Tekken series any justice! Fast, fluid graphics, awesome sounds, all the characters from the previous games, and great tag-team action! It plays just as good, if not better, than Tekken 3! There's a whopping 37, yes, that's right, THIRTY SEVEN characters in total that you could play as! There's no load times; no awkward pauses in the game; nothing that I could find a gripe with! There's a couple of new ideas in this game however: One, the tag-team format, and two, the netsu.. which is the powerup that your characters get when they are hit too many times; giving them an offensive boost for a short period of time! You can tell when you get the boost if your character's name starts flashing red....

Every character in this series is here! The older characters are re-vamped; most of them have new moves and tweaked up old ones! Bruce, the kick-boxer from Tekken 2, now has some great sidestep moves that can put a crimp in your opponent's shorts! All the characters that have stuck around also got new moves! For example, King, my all-time favorite, got a wicked jumping roundhouse kick that has great range and decent hitting power!

Everything Namco did with Tekken 3 shows up even BETTER here... what makes this game so much more fun is the tag teams!

With all the REAL styles of martial arts that are found all over the world from Brazil to China; the tag teams make it so much more interesting... mainly because if you do a move; and then link it with the tag team character, they will come in and finish off with a move of their own! And if you have the right characters together; they can do some really AWESOME moves together that will make you say "YEOWCH.... that HURT!!" as you wince from the beating the combined characters can dish out!

For example, I like using the wrestlers ... Armor King and King. These two bad boys have an very LONG list of "gawd-that-looked-like-it-HURT" throws and moves. But when you put them together.... Well, let's just say that my opponents at the arcade have been known to wince and to cross their legs in anticipated pain. One possible tag move with Armor King and King is if King is fighting, and you do the control moves for the Irish Whip; then do the Throw Away move; basically slamming your opponent into the ground face first... and then hit the tag button; allowing Armor King to come in and King to go out. Armor King then commences to do a deadly powerbomb on the fallen opponent... combos like these are possible for almost ANY combination of characters in the game!!

If you are ever in the arcade, check this game out! But take my advice: do NOT put two quarters in it unless you are either one of two things: GOOD at this game; or ALONE... at least, either way, you won't lose too much money after you get hooked on the fantastic game play! Newbies at this game tend to be taken to school very FAST... most are content to just watch the pros do battle. =)

This game is an excellent extension of Tekken 3, in my humble opinion... I cannot wait until it is out for the Playstation 2!