As such, novices are likely to face some infuriation amidst an otherwise entertaining set of lessons. Fight Lab’s one failing is its structure it forces players to persevere at a mission until it’s completed. Instead, players have to think about fluidity and the momentum of combos, lest they end up with an Achilles-healed behemoth. Slyly, this mode demonstrates that amassing the most devastating attack isn’t the seemingly surefire method to success. While currency gained in Fight Lab mode may be used to issue Combot a pair of alloyed Devil Jin wings, a more practical purchase is the acquisition of fighting moves which span Tekken’s roster. A succession of training sessions pits players against an intensifying succession of opponents, with each victory paying out a generous amount of dividends. Here, players take the helm of the Combot, a cybernetic combatant in need of instruction after the robot’s predecessor is accidently demolished. Blending loopy humor with a hands-on tutorial, this component cloaks its drills within a light role-playing context. Recent Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 release, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (TTT2) hopes to remedy that omission, by offering a fighter which supplies an amble supply of plot and polish to its delightfully inclusive roster.īefore jumping right into the fisticuffs, prudent players should venture into the game’s Fight Lab.

Yet, as compelling as Tournament’s competitions were, the title’s lack of storyline made the fighting feel a bit empty. 1999’s Tekken Tag Tournament further solidified the fighting franchise, layering a pleasing team-based stratagem over the series’ gradual tweaks and advancements (as well as a spirited bowling mini-game). Later entries expanded the game’s fanciful roster, providing an arena for Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, and J-Lo doppelgangers to clash with pandas, joey carrying kangaroos, and even an anthropomorphic oak dummy.

The first arcade cabinet lured me in with unabashed quirk, offering an opportunity to control manic marionettes who flogged each other with liquefied grace. While fighting game purists have consistently championed Street Fighter’s ubiquitous output and advocated for Virtua Fighter’s often byzantine brawling, I’ve always fancied the Tekken series.

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