E3 2012 hands-on: Tekken Tag Tournament 2 proves two beatdowns are better than one

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 caused quite a stir at the NAMCO booth during E3. The tournaments surely helped, as did the gentleman walking around with a truck rim hanging from his neck attached with a thick chain while surrounded by a bevy of skimpily dressed booth babes. However, it was the arrival of hip-hop artist Snoop Dogg on Tuesday to premiere a new video tied to the project, as well his guest appearance in the game which had the crowd in an uproar.

Though many people seemed to be excited about the newly announced Snoop Dogg level -- and the inclusion of his music -- I found it to be more gimmicky than anything. I played in the Snoop Dogg arena which features him sitting on a throne surrounded by two ladies. In the background you can see him cheering the fight on. When I asked if he would be a playable character, the answer was a solid, "No."

Despite the less than impressive celeb appearance, the game's action was fast and furious with high flying kicks and rock solid punches dominating the fight. Having a second character on your team really helped keep the flow of battle at an all time high, and having the ability to swap in and out your tag-team partner on the fly was great, but if you feel like a badass you can go it alone as well. Special combos allowed both of your team members to be in the ring for a short period of time to put in some heavy duty body work on an unsuspecting opponent.

Up to four players can join in on the action, with a battle royale type of gameplay promising to deliver a chaotic, if not an utterly satisfying, beatdown. There will be both online and offline components with the offline portion pushing hard on delivering the old school arcade feel.

Players will also be able to customize characters in the Fight Lab which for the first time delivers the ability to create your own move set for your customized character. This allows you a wide range of freedoms to determine which moves best suites your fighting style.

Look for Tekken Tag Tournament 2 to slap you upside the head this September on the PS3 and 360.