Tekken Tag Tournament was released in late October of 2000. TTT was developed and published by Namco, the makers of the Ridge Racer series of racing games. This is a thoroughly improved port of the arcade fighting game of the same name. Like all Tekken home ports, secret characters and modes are abundant. The object of this game is to beat a team of two characters in each round, you only have to beat one of the characters on the team because teams share life bars. Now then, without further ado, let's get to the review. Graphics-10/10- The in-game graphics are among the best ever in a fighting game, they are quite simply stunning. The character models are bursting at the seams with detail, everything from muscle definition to hair movement is represented beautifully and realistically. The animation is another graphical high-point, it is very fluid with nary a hint of choppiness, the only qualm I have with it is that the animations are all recycled from previous Tekken games, Namco could have added more in this respect. The in-game environments also look wonderful, they are full of life and activity (i. e. people cheering for you), there are also little environmental touches that add quite a bit to game (i. e. the grass moving, or the reflections of the characters off of the rain-soaked street. The only real downsides to the graphics are the blocky background characters and the recycled animation. Pros- Brilliantly detailed character models. Great animation. Beautiful, lively backgrounds. Cons- Although it is great, the animation is recycled from earlier games in the series. The background characters are blocky. Sound-8/10- The sound is great, the hard-hitting music fits the game's theme perfectly and gets you into the mood to play the game. The sound effects are excellent, they fit their actions perfectly and are quite loud, they really get the point across for the pain of the moves; the only downside to them is that, like the animation, they are recycled from earlier Tekken games. Pros- Hard-hitting music that fits the game's them perfectly. Sound effects are loud and get the point across. Cons- The sound effects are recycled. Gameplay-8/10- It's you and your partner against another team, the first to deplete the other team's life bar wins. The entire tag concept comes off as a novelty to me, It's nice and all, but it lacks the polish of a traditional 1 on 1 fight. Thankfully, Namco included the ability to play in a 1-on-1 fight, thus appeasing some of my qualms with the game. This game also features a ton of modes, here's a description of each. Arcade- You and a partner fight other teams. 1-on-1 Battle Mode- A classic fighting mode, it's only you against a set of opponents, just like the other Tekken home ports. Time Attack Mode- Fight against the clock until you beat the game. Survival Mode- Defeat as many opponents as you can before your health meter runs out. Vs. Battle Mode- a 2-4 Player mode, 2 fighters fight at one time, the first to deplete the other's life bar wins. Team Battle Mode- Create teams of up to 8 characters on each side. Practice Mode- Study a character's fighting style by beating up a dummy. Fair Play Mode- Allows multiple players to choose sides in in Time Attack, VS, Survival, and Arcade modes. Theater Mode (secret) - Allows you to watch any unlocked cinemas. Tekken Bowl (secret) - Allows you to pick a partner and bowl using the Tekken characters. Pros- Great game engine. Tons of modes insures that you won't get bored for a while. Cons- Tag concept is a bit of a novelty. Control-9/10- As with all Tekken home releases, X and O control your lower limbs, while Square and Triangle control your upper limbs. Basic throws are achieved by pressing X and Square or Circle and Triangle simultaneously. The control is always very responsive, with nary a hint of Sluggishness. The buttons do not use the analog feature, but this doesn't bother me, the game simply doesn't need them. Pros- Super-responsive control. Cons- None. Challenge-5/10- The AI is very stupid, even on the Hard difficulty level you can beat the opponent using only a few basic techniques. Replay Value-10/10- There is a ton of stuff to do in this game after you beat it. There are numerous secret modes and characters to unlock, and if that doesn't satisfy you, try to beat your top score. Pros- Lots to do. Tons of secret stuff to unlock. Cons- None. Presentation-10/10- Just like all the other Tekken games, silky smooth presentation capped off with excellent Generated movies. Overall-10/10- This game combines brilliant graphics, great music, perfect control, and ighly addicting gameplay to form one of the best fighting games to ever be released for a ome console. Pros- Great graphics. Great sound. Perfect, super-responsive control. Addictive gameplay. Cons- May get old after a while. Buy or Rent?-Buy- This is a great game, if you've ever loved the Tekken series, rush out nd buy this game immediately, it is a classic and deserves to be n any PS2 owner's collection. If you're not a fan of the Tekken series, rent it to see if you like it. Final Thought- If you're a fan of Tekken, buy this game without hesitation, if you're not a fan of Tekken, skip it, it's probably not going to change your opinion of the series.