Games on the PlayStation 2 are going to look better than games on the PlayStation. I'm sure it would be possible to make a bad looking game on the PlayStation 2, but you'd have to work hard at it. The PlayStation 2 also has immensely greater computational power than the original PSX. Tekken Tag Tournament puts this to use in certain stages, where the backgrounds are richly animated. In several stages, there are fully polygonal computer controlled characters in the backgrounds. The backgrounds are rich, the costumes are nice, and the graphics are, as expected, beautiful. The music is nice - filled with techno, much like earlier Tekken games.

If you like the Tekken series, you'll find that Tekken Tag Tournament is the best looking one yet, although it doesn't provide a whole lot of improvements other than that. This latest Tekken still has the uncanny element of not being able to reach the background no matter how far you go. But if you can overlook that, it's a very fun game. As far as gameplay goes, there's not much new added to the mix, other than being able to switch out fighters in the middle of a match. This can be quite entertaining, however, during Pair Play matches. In these, the tag-team feature actually acts as a tag team features. That is to say, one player plays the first character, and when that player tags out, player two controls the second character. The player not currently fighting is allowed to "recover" to a degree. This provides a welcomed 'cooperative play' mode that allows for a great time without getting (too) upset at your friends.

If you're familiar with fighters, you'll find that Tekken Tag Tournament is not all that difficult in one player modes. The challenge comes in taking on friends (and rivals). And, of course, the difficulty then depends on how good your opponent is. There are enough good moves here for your average 'button mashers,' but there are some more impressive combinations to be pulled off by a pro.

Tekken Tag Tournament is the next Tekken game. It's good. It's not, however, going to revolutionize the video game industry. If you love the Tekken series, then you'll want Tekken Tag Tournament for your PS2. If you want a fighting game that really shows off the PlayStation 2, DOA2 might be a better choice. If you're like me, you'll want them both.