Dead or Alive 2

"Dead or Alive isn't just a gorgeous fighter, it's also one of the best."

Introduction
Although there is only one aim in a fighting game- Defeat the opponent and advance to the next round- a new fighter can really show off some of the best qualities a console has. Dead or Alive 2 is just one of these very titles and they show the capabilities of the Dreamcast and its potential.

Story 4/10
Story is shown through visually stunning cut scenes. Each of the fighters have little tad bits in which they speak. The story though is disjointed and doesn't really piece well together. Its about fighters who battle through a tournament in order to become the best fighter in the world. The thing is though that all the characters have other reasons for actually fighting in the tournament. Leon (for example) is told by his one true love that she will only love the world strongest man, and so Leon enters the tournament in order to prove that he is the strongest in the world, therefore taking her love.

Gameplay 10/10
Dead or Alive is very entertaining. The multi tiered levels are fantastic and add so much more to a fighting game then the bland one single tier most fighters use. DOA 2's locations are grand and large. Dragon Hills is made up of numerous rooftops and a large temple with stairs. Every arena bar a few are fantastically designed and allow the genre to evolve.

DOA 2 features ultra fast gameplay and moved a lot faster than any other fighter of that time. The game uses a counter attack system that allows gamers to anticipate an opponents strike and counter attack it with ease by pressing backwards and the a button at the same time the opponent strikes. There are three counter types from high, low and middle hitting range attacks and if you manage to pull off a counter, a sweet cinematic attack will be show. DOA 2 features some of the most brutal moves ever devised, they are a pleasure to pull of and are very impressive. Every character has these moves (my favorite DOA fighter Ein/Hayate has some crazy moves) and just watching someone perform them compels you to play longer.

I've had three separate copies of DOA 2 and the only problem I had found with the gameplay, and one problem that occurred in all copies I brought, is that after playing for a while the battle start up times are extended, the game sometimes stalls before the start of a battle and after a battle too.

One thing to point out is the difficulty of the computer AI. They will counter attack most of your moves and you'll rarely attack any of theirs. Try playing it on the hardest difficulty setting for a severe punishment.

Visuals 10/10
They're absolutely gorgeous and are some of the best I've ever seen on the DC. Multi-tier levels are enormous, very detailed and your characters can go anywhere. Stages are varied and are all unique. Characters have expressions and are superbly detailed, and of course Temco made the girls look fantastic. There are also a fortune of unlockable costumes, from school uniforms, to tight leather outfits and gives you the impression that the people at Temco are bordering on perversion, but it looks like they know what gaming geeks get off on. The characters look fantastic nonetheless. They even pay homage to Shadowman.

The cut-scenes that piece the story together are visually stunning. They're like little cinematic movies and really impress.

Audio 8/10
Dynamic Japanese rock themes that are superb. Hayabusa and Hayates themes are so full of life really get the heart beating. The music suits the pace of the game extremely well and there is never a problem. The Japanese voice acting isn't too bad either, but what I found bizarre and kind of droll was that even American fighters like Zack spoke in Japanese. Why do they do that in fighting games?

Replay Value 7/10
Well DOA has a large amount of costumes to unlock for each character (the girls more than the guys) I've heard rumors of hidden characters, but I've yet to unlock any of them and I've played DOA2 a lot. The Versus mode never grows dull the game is so much fun.

Conclusion
Dead or Alive is my most favorite fighting series. Not only does it look fantastic; it plays awesome too. The whole package is so well-rounded that none of its flaws matter. Sure it needed a few more unlockables, i.e. more characters, more levels, but DOA is so much fun and has so many modes of play that nothing else matters. DOA is the king of fighters.

Pros and Cons

+ Superb Visuals
+ Multi-tiered levels are an interesting gimmick and are superbly made
+ Tons of modes and costumes
+ Brutal counter attack moves are a feast for the eyes and are a pleasure to pull off on another.
- The game stalls in parts
- No unlockable characters or arenas
- The computer can counter attack pretty much every one of your strikes.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/31/09, Updated 04/21/09

Game Release: Dead or Alive 2 (EU, 07/14/00)