Tekken Tag Tournament 2 received the patch 1.03 update this week for both consoles in most regions. Harada confirmed on Twitter that all regions have now been updated and are able to download the patch upon launching the game.

This fixes a few glitches, removes "all" from the Saudi Arabia stage and has a ton of online improvements.
Changed “RANK MATCH” search conditions:
• Removed “Rank ±5 only”, added “Rank ±2 only”
• • By selecting “Rank ±3 preferred”, “Rank ±2 only”, or “Rank ±3 only”, it’s now easier to be matched with players near your rank.
• When setting a win limit in “PLAYER MATCH”, the player who reaches the win limit is now moved to the end of the match queue.
• When entering the WORLD ARENA lobby, the period for the next TOURNAMENT is displayed. (Not displayed during an active TOURNAMENT period)
• When requesting a free battle in WORLD ARENA, and when finding an opponent in RANDOM MATCH ZONE, a distinct alert noise sounds.
• When downloading replay data from TEKKEN CHANNEL and LEADERBOARDS, the download number is now displayed.

Changed the following in-game content:
• Adjusted Alisa and JACK-6 tag throw throw escape.
• Adjusted the behavior of Alisa’s “Hertz Blade Aegis” when used in an juggle combo.
• Changed the wall hit damage for P.JACK’s item move “Claw Crane” (u+1+4).
• Changed the behavior of Sebastian’s Stone Garden (d/b+4, b+1) when used during a Tag Assault.
• The use of "Allah" in the Saudi Arabia stage has presumably been removed.

During a pre-Tokyo Game Show event at Namco Bandai's headquarters in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Katsuhiro Harada the producer of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 demonstrated a few of the Wii U's touch screen cuts. Similar to how other games are such as Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Street Fighter X Tekken on the PS Vita or Super Street Fighter 4 on the 3DS where you tap the screen to get certain moves to come out.

Harada noted that some moves such as the Electric Wind Godfist will not be executable as shortcuts though.

It is also being reported that the Wii U version also is having distinct frame rate issues that were easily noticible during the matches. It's uncertain if this will be in the final build of the game however.

This week marks the release of the long awaited fighting hybrid game, Street Fighter X Tekken Mobile. We published our review earlier today, praising the game's single-player game along with a fair few regrets about the online performance. If you're struggling to get to grips with the basics, here's our guide to landing a few solid blows.

What moves can my character make?

The list is far too extensive to put here, but if you want to see what each character is capable of, hit the pause menu at any time and select Command List.

A little knowledge only goes so far though, so it's well worth putting a character through its paces in the Training section of the single-player game.

Which characters should I choose?

Much will come down to personal preferences (not to mention mastery over so many years), but when picking your tag-team it's important to choose characters that compliment each other so that you're ready to handle any match-up.

A good fast brawler is useful for close-up encounters, but you might want someone a little zippier to go up against equally agile opponents.

To read more, please visit Modojo.

Namco Bandai has released a new update for its flagship fighter Tekken Tag Tournament 2.

The update includes three new brawlers, namely Slim Bob, Miharu Hirano and Sebastian, plus four new stages in the shape of Chile, Poland, Saudi Arabia and Russia.

Tekken series boss Katsuhiro Harada previously commented on his dislike for offering new characters and related bonus content as paid DLC, and pleasingly he has kept his promise by offering the update completely free of charge.

This is in strike contrast to Capcom’s Street Fighter franchise, which has been supported by a wealth of paid DLC over the past couple of years.

Tekken Tag 2 features the most extensive fighter roster in the beat-‘em-up’s lengthy history, with over 50 characters up for grabs in the console version. In addition, the scrapper also includes new Tag-based techniques, such as the ability to attack an opponent simultaneously with your partner. .

Namco’s Tekken series is making the leap to the Wii U. The fighting game favourite is one of the first big games slotted for the console. But does it pack enough punch on the Wii U?

To cater to Wii U players, Nintendo and Namco have tailed the Wii U edition with loads of platform specific goodies, such as clothing and Nintendo music.

New to the Tekken series and only on the Wii U is the “Mushroom Battle” mode, in which players can gobble up various mushrooms as power-ups: the Red Mushroom makes you grow one size larger, the Yellow Mushroom makes you grow to “mega size”, and the Purple Mushroom shrinks you.

The Mushroom Battle opens up new gameplay dynamics. According to Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada, the mode isn’t balanced any differently if you don’t use the mushrooms; however, if you do use them, it opens up a new style of play.

The Mushroom Battle mode is a new spin on Tekken. When you grow larger, it makes high kicks often meaningless against smaller players. It looks, and perhaps sounds, gimmicky. It’s not, as it was surprisingly enjoyable to play, mixing up elements of strategy, technique, and just dumb luck.

In a roundtable discussion, Harada said that the mode wasn’t originally inspired by Nintendo. While developing Tekken Tag 2, developers were messing around with a slider, making some characters smaller and other characters huge. They thought it was interesting, but it wasn’t until they started working on the Wii U version that the idea hit to use the mechanic with Mario’s iconic mushrooms.

Whether or not there’s an online version of the Mushroom Battle is still TBA. Harada stressed that the game’s online would be comparable to the Xbox 360 and PS3 regarding lag or the lack thereof.

While demoing Tekken Tag Tournament 2 for the Wii U, Harada used the Wii U GamePad, saying that he found it comfortable. During my hands on, I used both the Wii U GamePad and the Pro Controller, preferring the Wii U GamePad — even though, the thing is very, very wide. There are shortcuts for attacks on the Wii U GamePad, and use them in succession to unleash combos. These shortcuts are aimed at players new to Tekken.

During my hands on, the Pro Controller didn’t feel very responsive; it’s too light; what’s more, the buttons are mushy. The controls didn’t feel tight, and that felt more like a hardware issue. Harada, however, said they are in talks to bring a fight stick out for the game, which should please hardcore fighting game fans. Namco’s hoping that the Tekken Tag 2 on the Wii U will, too.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition will be available on 30th November in the UK, developer Namco has confirmed. That's Wii U release day.

Three other Namco games will also make Nintendo's big launch, including Japanese blaster Tank! Tank! Tank! and cartoon tie-in Ben 10: Omniverse.

Then there's colon-challenged mini-game compilation Family Party: 30 Great Games: Obstacle Arcade.

The four supplement the seven retail titles Nintendo previously announced for the Wii U launch: Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, FIFA 13, Mass Effect 3: Special Edition, New Super Mario Bros. U, Nintendo Land, Rayman Legends and ZombiU.

Downloadable titles Trine 2: Director's Cut, Toki Tori 2 and Nano Assault Neo will also be available.

Namco recently revealed that you'll be able to dress as Mario and Zelda in Tekken Tag Tournament for Wii U.

Players who pick up Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Wii U Edition will be able to dress up their characters as both Mario and Luigi, according to Eurogamer. In addition to these beloved heroes, fight game enthusiasts will be able to stuff their brawler into Bowser, Link, and Zelda costumes. Since these industry icons are exclusive to Nintendo’s consoles, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 owners probably shouldn’t hold their breaths.


CVG reports that the latest installment in the Tekken franchise will also feature Nintendo-oriented power-ups — keep an eye out for Mario’s magic mushrooms during showdowns — which are exclusive to this particular version of the game.

Although the idea of seeing your favorite Tekken characters dressed up as Mario and Luigi may sound appealing, early reviews of the mode haven’t been overwhelmingly positive. Shack News writer Andrew Yoon described his experience with the exclusive mode as follows:

“Perhaps my biggest gripe with Mushroom Battle Mode is that the fights are much too short. Given how absurdly powerful some of these characters can become, fights can be over as soon as they start. Also, there’s no tagging in this mode, meaning fights are (essentially) half as long as they could be.”

Of course, the Wii U isn’t the only console with exclusive content. According to Gamenguide, those who pre-ordered Tekken Tag Tournament 2 were given access to “The Snoop Dogg Stage” and “The Big Bikini Bundle”. As of this writing, these additions haven’t been announced for the Wii U. Then again, console owners are getting Mario and Luigi costumes, so, chances are, they’re not crying too much over missing out on Snoop Dogg’s arena.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Wii U Edition is scheduled to arrive for the console sometime after November 18. Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 owners, meanwhile, can pick up their copies of the fighter right now. The trailer for the title has been embedded below.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is filled with more. More characters. More in-match participants. More button smashing.

More lunacy.

The sequel to 1999’s Tekken Tag Tournament is a noncanonical sidestep in the constant battle that is Namco Bandai’s bare-knuckle 3D fighting franchise. So this 55-combatant (not including downloadable entrants), storyline-cracking free-for-all is technically nothing but an illusive blip on an already convoluted Tekken timeline — and a figment of chief producer Katsuhiro Harada’s already insane imagination.

But after stuffing myself with repeated trips to this buffet of brawls, I’m left wondering if Namco’s more friendly approach is the best direction for the series.

WHAT YOU’LL LIKE

Become the ultimate Don Armor King

In TT2’s fantasy world, you can put on the dream fights you’ve always wanted to see. You have a ridiculously dense (and in some cases, just plain ridiculous) roster of ruffians to rumble with, either solo or in tag teams. The franchise’s warring Mishima and Kazama clans are at your disposal, along with pretty much every other mainstay from Tekkens No. 1 through 6.

Gameplay is as tight as Nina Williams’ outfit

Tekken’s responsive and fast-paced controls are in full effect here. Fights are as frantic and fun as you would expect. The core mechanics introduced in the last Tekken release are back with a tag-team focused twist. Destructible, multitiered environments return, as well, making combat especially dynamic and dangerous.

Fight Lab is a useful, albeit bizarre new addition

Series newcomers and veterans alike can benefit from the Fight Lab. The all-new mode is a glorified tutorial, complete with a wacky storyline featuring Violet, the millionaire philanderer alter ego of playable pugilist Lee Chaolan. As you progress through the Lab’s brief campaign, you’ll help Violet program his prototype Combot. Each chapter highlights a specific gameplay mechanic, culminating with a boss battle.

By the end of the experience, you’ll have worked on offensive and defensive basics while learning essential tag-team techniques. And you’ll probably have scratched your head a few times at the completely random narrative interludes. As a bonus, you’ll be able to program the Combot for customized training sessions.

Flying sumo wrestlers are surprisingly charming
The King of Iron Fist Tournament has always had its quirky undertones, and the latest edition is no exception. After all, you can pair a boxing-glove wearing velociraptor with a living, breathing block of wood. And the goofiness doesn’t stop there. The aforementioned Fight Lab mode includes challenges that involve avoiding scud-missile-like flying clones of sumo wrestler Ganryu and defeating a giant, loincloth-wearing version of kung-fu fighter Feng Wei.

You’ll even see a few silly and not-so-subtle tributes to a certain 2D fighting series that I’ll refrain from naming. All of these lighthearted touches are quintessentially Tekken, and I’m glad to see the developers having so much fun with their work.

And who doesn’t love getting to fight in Santa’s Village?



WHAT YOU WON’T LIKE



New challengers might have trouble getting ready for their next battle
TTT 2 is for the hardcore Tekken fan. I’m talking about a person who’s debated the superiority of Japanese-style arcade sticks and scoured message boards for animation frame data to gain an edge. If you don’t have an opinion on such matters, then you might never end up playing Tekken Tag 2 at a high level because it requires that much dedication to master.

In traditional Tekken releases, you fight in a straightforward, 1-on-1 matchup. For most players, that’s hard enough. TTT 2 throws in the tagging mechanic, which adds an additional layer of complexity to the proceedings. Each fighter has specific launcher moves and bound hits that help extend combos and initiate tag-team focused salvos, which means a whole new set of timing-based maneuvers to memorize.

While most fighting-game fans love this type of depth, it leads to a somewhat steep learning curve for less experienced contenders.


You’ve probably played through most of this before
The sheer number of online and offline fighting modes — along with the brand new World Tekken Federation community-centered website — might seem intimidating at first, but after some hands-on experience, most of the options prove to be pedestrian and somewhat shallow endeavors. And many of them are familiar to fighting-game fanatics like the typical arcade and ghost battles, ranked and non-ranked online fights, time trials, and so forth.

Surprisingly enjoyable pursuits like the beat-em-up inspired Tekken Force are absent here, replaced with the less developed Fight Lab. And, unlike in previous years, you won’t find offbeat time killers like Tekken Bowling.

CONCLUSION

While Namco Bandai went out of its way to pack Tekken Tag Tournament 2 with an impressive number of characters and features, I came away from the game with a somewhat indifferent feeling. This is the Tekken I fell in love with, the Tekken that conditioned my thumbs as a teenager, and the Tekken that continues to put a smile on my face. But this is also the same Tekken I’ve played over and over again, even with the tag wrinkle taken into consideration.

I just feel the experience needs reinvention. And I’m not talking about more exclusive Snoop Dogg (or Snoop Lion) tracks and swimsuit costume packs.

Tekken doesn’t need more stuff. It needs more focus. Like the archetypical weathered warrior, the franchise needs to look within to find inspiration.

Score: 78/100 C
Good

It's been 10 years since the original Tekken Tag Tournament first saw the light of day, but the game has retained a cult following amongst fighting game fans. Namco Bandai now had a follow-up ready, with Tekken Tag Tournament 2 bringing the tag mechanics of the first game to the current generation of consoles. They also have some new tricks to roll out, namely in the form of some new online features.

Tekken Tag Tournament was mostly known for throwing the Tekken storyline out the window and the sequel is no different. This allows for the game to use the full roster of Tekken fighters. Players can welcome back characters like Prototype Jack (Tekken 2), Michelle Chang (Tekken 3), and Alex (everyone's favorite dinosaur with boxing gloves from Tekken 2) to join series favorites Heihachi, Kazuya, and Jin. Overall, the roster will launch with over 50 fighters.


Tekken Tag Tournament 2
The tag mechanics in TTT2 work the same way as their predecessor. Players select two fighters or two friends can play co-op with each selecting one fighter. Rounds end when one character is defeated with games typically played in a best-of-five format. While tagging out can be done at any time, skilled players will be able to use tags to perform double-team maneuvers and combos. I went into this preview as a Tekken novice, so I wasn't sure I'd see everything I was looking to see. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your perspective), I was playing against former tournament fighter Rich "Filthy Rich" Bantegui (sitting in via teleconference), who was more than happy to take me through a tour of the hard-hitting combos TTT2 had to offer.

Bantegui's team of King and Armor King started things off against my pitiful duo of Kazuya and Yoshimitsu. Bantegui tossed me around with Tekken's normal array of throws, juggles, and breaks. The show really began when he showed off combos that included Armor King tossing me over into a King powerbomb and a double DDT from the Kings. I also found myself getting juggled repeatedly between the two partners, as Bantegui demonstrated the ways that Tekken fighters can use the tag system to complete multi-hit combos.

TTT2 will contain unprecedented online features. Online play itself utilizes the net code from Soul Calibur 5. The preview build I tried out was connected through a Verizon MiFi hotspot and still proved to be a lag-free experience. In terms of supplemental content, every single online match will be recorded with players able to watch replays of their matches at any time through the Tekken Channel. Replays will prove informative, as well as entertaining. These replays will display details of how much damage certain combos dealt out and when certain counters were used. Players can either choose to study these replays for future reference or save particularly entertaining ones to re-watch later.

So did I learn anything else from my crushing defeat at the hands of Filthy Rich? With the new World Tekken Federation service, I can say that I did. Almost immediately after my humiliating loss, I was taken on a tour of the website that would house the WTF. The stats from my previous battle were already uploaded in full detail. I could then study Filthy Rich's profile to see his favorite teams, his number of throws used versus throws broken, moves and counters used, and other details that would help me better prepare for a rematch. Data from both the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions will be saved to the WTF and players can view the stats from each console version at any time. Players can also customize their WTF profiles to include dual-layered team emblems that will show up in the game. The WTF will launch alongside TTT2 as a free service.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 looks to retain everything that made the original so much fun while also including new online components that promise to innovate for both casual and tournament play. The battle begins September 11 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Games aren't standalone products, folks. They're services. From Call of Duty Elite to Resident Evil.net, publishers are looking to expand game connectivity by offering online stat-tracking services. Namco Bandai is ready to jump into the fray with the World Tekken Federation, the first stat tracking service created for a fighting game.

Set to launch alongside Tekken Tag Tournament 2 for both Xbox 360 and PS3, the World Tekken Federation service will allow players to follow their own progress online with stats detailing wins, losses, percentages, characters used, etc. WTF stats will update in real-time, offering players an opportunity to analyze what teams work best for them. The WTF will also allow players to scout out the stats of other players all around the world, which promises to have ramifications for players of all skill levels. Tekken tournaments will be a little more interesting now that participants can study their opponents' teams and strategies at any time.

The World Tekken Federation will be free when Tekken Tag Tournament 2 launches on September 11 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.