Tekken Tag Tournament

It was released as an arcade game, before becoming a North American and European launch title for the PlayStation 2 in 2000. The arcade version ran on the same Namco System 12 board with a 32-bit engine as Tekken 3, while the ported home console version received upgraded graphics. A follow-up, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, was released in 2011. A remastered version of the game titled Tekken Tag Tournament HD was released for the PlayStation 3 in November 2011, as part of Tekken Hybrid.

• Title — Tekken Tag Tournament • Developer — Namco Namco Bandai Games (PS3) • Publisher — NamcoNamco Bandai Games (PS3) • Director — Masahiro Kimoto Katsuhiro Harada Yuichi Yonemori • Producer — Yasuhiro Noguchi • Composer — Akitaka Tohyama Yuu Miyake Nobuyoshi Sano Keiichi Okabe • Series — Tekken • Platforms — Arcade, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 • Released — ArcadeJuly 1999PlayStation 2 PlayStation 3 • Genre — Fighting • Modes — Single-player, multiplayer • Arcade System — Namco System 12

Continuing the fighting mechanics from Tekken 2 and 3, Tekken Tag Tournament sees players battling in teams of two characters. At any point in the match, the player can hit a tag button to swap out with their other fighter, allowing the resting fighter to recover some lost health. The tag can be implemented in many ways, such as in between combos or utilizing special throws. At times when a resting fighter's life bar is flashing, that character can be tagged in to be given a temporary boost in strength. Unlike other tag games such as Capcom's Vs. series, players are defeated when only one of their fighters loses all of their health, requiring players to be strategic about tagging their fighters. In the event of a timeout, the team with the most accumulative health remaining wins the round. The game features over 35 characters that previously appeared in Tekken 2 and Tekken 3. In addition, there is a boss character, Unknown, who is similar to Tekken 3s Mokujin in that she can randomly imitate any character's fighting style at any time during the fight. The PlayStation 2 version added enhanced graphics and various modes, including 1-on-1 mode, in which players only choose one fighter each, and Team Battle, where players choose up to eight battles and play with the tag rules, with each new character replacing the one that was defeated (the remaining fighter must fight on his/her own). Also featured is the "Tekken Bowl" mode, a bowling minigame where each character has different attributes. The arcade and console versions of Tekken Tag Tournament differ slightly. The arcade version ran on a 32-bit engine, utilizing the graphics engine of Tekken 3. These graphics ran using the Tekken 3 PCB, based on the PlayStation hardware. The console version ran on a highly updated engine, utilizing the PlayStation 2's graphics processor. The game does not run on a 32-bit engine, instead running on a new and updated engine highly similar to that found on Tekken 4. The background designs and BGMs differed too, as the console version has new updated tracks, while the arcade version was based on MIDI tracks with an instrumental backing. Unknown is not playable in the arcade version, but she is in the PlayStation 2 version. The arcade version also allows players to only select the alternative colors that have been added to the costumes at first, while the normally colored ones are unlocked when the bonus characters are. There are also crucial differences concerning the playability of the characters, as some moves or attacks are much more efficient in the arcade version than in the console version and vice versa.

As the game was made to be a compilation of previous games, it includes nearly every character from the original PlayStation trilogy games (from the original Tekken up to Tekken 3), including those who were absent from Tekken 3. All of them have improved appearance and movesets to make them on par with the Tekken 3 characters. Jack-2, who was a costume swap for Gun Jack in Tekken 3, is now a separate character from his successor. Additionally, the game adds two new characters, both of them being mimic characters: Tetsujin and Unknown. Unknown also serves as the final boss of the game. Both characters seldom appeared in future games, with Unknown resuming her role as the final boss in the sequel Tekken Tag Tournament 2, while Tetsujin was featured as a boss in the free-to-play Tekken Revolution and the mobile game Tekken. The only characters absent from the game that were playable in previous entries of the series are the original Jack, the first King, the first Kuma, Marshall Law, Dr. Bosconovitch, and Gon (who was a guest character in Tekken 3 and who did not appear in any subsequent games because Namco's contract only allowed them to use Gon in Tekken 3). All characters are available from the start in the PS3 remaster.

• Tetsujin: A metallic version of Mokujin. • Unknown: A mysterious woman controlled by the "Forest Demon" who resembles a wolf. She looks like (and is confirmed in the sequel to be) a corrupt version of Jun Kazama.

Unlockable Unplayable in arcade version Costume/palette swap

The PlayStation 2 version had reworked upgraded graphics over the arcade original, and it was first demoed at the Tokyo Games Show alongside Namco's Ridge Racer V. Tekken Tag Tournament was released just weeks after the PS2's Japanese debut, but was otherwise a launch title in North America and Europe later in 2000.

• Illustration — North American box art Tekken Tag Tournament HD is a remastered version of Tekken Tag Tournament, released in November 2011 for the PlayStation 3. The game comes on the same Blu-ray Disc as the 3D movie Tekken: Blood Vengeance and is accessible if the disc is loaded on a PlayStation 3 (the entire package is referred to as Tekken Hybrid which also includes Tekken: Blood Vengeance and a demo version of Tekken Tag Tournament 2). It is based on the PlayStation 2 version and features updated HD visuals and Trophy support. A limited-edition version of Tekken Hybrid was released alongside the standard version, which included an art book, selected soundtracks of both Tag Tournament and Tag Tournament 2, and PlayStation Home content.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2, was announced at the Tokyo Game Show 2010 on September 18, 2010. The game expanded on the original's tag mechanics, allowing for more flowing tag combos and combined moves, inherited some gameplay mechanics from Tekken 6, and featured characters from more recent Tekken games. It was released as an arcade cabinet in Japan on September 14, 2011, with an "unlimited" revision following on March 27, 2012. PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in all territories in the week of September 11, 2012, and a Wii U port followed in November 2012. A free Tekken Bowl app based on the original Tekken Tags bonus mode was released on iOS on July 23, 2011.