Dead or Alive 2

"Bootylicious?"

Dead or Alive 2: the title brings back memories... I remember how long it took that game to hit the arcades and the Dreamcast. No doubt, this game was a highly anticipated title. I have to say that even I was somewhat excited about it because I liked the first installment. On Playstation, DOA was rather innovative with its danger zone, its hold button, and let's not forget the main attraction of the game: ''realistic breasts'' (even though my personal experience tells me that they do not exactly bounce like that in real life). Despite the small number of fighters, the game was interesting and seemed somewhat technical. Therefore, the announcement of the return of Kasumi made both pre-pubescent adolescents and fighter fans very happy.

Then it was released.

You may be aware of the fact that this game is very controversial. It seems it’s one of these ''like it or hate it'' games, and I have to admit it is not one of my favorites. Please allow me to tell you that this Dreamcast port is obviously no SoulCalibur-killer. It severely lacks fun and character, two things extremely important in the gaming world today. However, it does have some redeeming qualities that you may enjoy...

Gameplay 6

This 3d fighter, contrary to its main concurrent on Dreamcast, is all about bare-hands fighting. You have only 12 characters and a butt-ugly boss, but most of them have different fighting styles: Tina and Bass are pure wrestlers while Hayabusa is your usual ninja and Ein seems to use a derivate of karate... Their move lists are also marked by variety: it should definitely take you a while to master everything the game has to offer. The engine works on a simple layout: punch, kick, counter and throw. The fights are fast-paced, and the danger zone has disappeared: you can now be ejected from the arena, and the fight will go on in a farther place. This is an excellent feature that makes the fights look much more dynamic than in the first game.

Dead or Alive 2 also plays rather well: the controls are top-notch and the engine seems flawless at first sight. The new counter button has been implemented to supposedly prevent players from mashing the buttons and win. In theory, this is a great idea: once your opponent starts mashing, you counter to stop the string and start your own combo. Alas, this feature is quite easy to abuse, on regular settings at least, because it does insane damage: some players will try to counter all day, and worse, will succeed most of the time because the counter animation is short and only leaves you open for a short time. This is where throws come into play: if someone tries to counter all day, why not throw? The problem is that throws aren’t the finest part of the game. It’s almost impossible to throw your foe when he’s attacking, even when he’s trying to perform a slow ass attack. DoA2’s gameplay is solely based around counters: if you hate performing a nice combo just to see it countered by a beginner, this game is obviously not for you.

To be honest, putting the settings on arcade mode helps a bit: it prevents the players from mashing the buttons, and the game suddenly becomes more technical (read: more fun). But the gameplay remains roughly the same: trying to mix-up your attacks to trick your opponent and avoid being countered. While this concept is an accurate reflection of part of the essence of certain martial arts, it single-handedly kills the purpose of having so many moves per character and doesn’t necessarily make a good videogame.

Graphics/Animation 9

Dead or Alive 2 looks insanely good. It’s up there with SoulCalibur and Tekken Tag Tournament, without a doubt. The characters all look great and are very detailed: their clothes being the most impressive technical aspect of the title. The introduction of the game is quality, and so are the in-game cut-scenes that use the engine of the game itself. The characters express feelings through their different facial expressions. This version of DoA 2 looks slightly better than the Playstation 2 version: what it loses in colors, it more than makes up in the clearness of its visuals (no jaggies!).

One thing is for sure though: the backgrounds are a fine piece of work. They are varied and look, simply put, perfect. Seeing Tina being knocked off through a church window but still fighting is a blast.

The animation is perfect and really fast. I like the way Tecmo represented many fighting styles, and the fights look quite real. On the other hand, it lacks a little craziness or perhaps more flashy special effects to really blow the player’s mind. Sure, the different camera angles are nice, but I would have liked to see more emphasis put on the violence of the fight instead of Kasumi's panties.

It seems Tecmo wanted to use sex as an argument here, but it doesn’t necessarily work.
Not because it’s not good to see fine girls in fighting games –such an affirmation would probably be hypocritical- but because I think the game doesn’t need this kind of publicity. While many bought it solely for the bouncing feature and were content with their purchase, I saw the slutty looks of the girls as a definite turn off that made DoA2 look like a cheap product to my eyes, along with masterpieces such as Strip Fighter and Cat Fight. DoA2 lacks character compared to SoulCalibur: the characters look perfect, but are not exactly charismatic, perhaps precisely because they look so perfect. In time, the player feels like he’s playing Super Barbie Fighter Turbo.

Sound 6

The music screams average. I don’t think that Metal fits fighting games at all, and DoA2 isn’t going to make me change my mind. It’s more annoying than anything, taking a predominant place that could have been simply left to the voices. Dead or Alive 2's soundtrack isn’t up to par with the most epic fighters out there, but then again this trend goes with the whole “casual” feel of the game. Sadly, the truth is that fighters often have run-of-the-mill tunes, and this one is no exception.

The voice acting and sound effects are remarkable good and I like how Tecmo decided to keep the Japanese voices and only use subtitles in order to try to capture the ambience of the original version. The fighters occasionally scream while fighting, and despite Jann-Lee’s annoying yapping, there’s no doubt that the sounds are quite realistic overall.

Story 4

Well, now I wonder what's worse: having a pathetic, nonsensical and laughable story or no storyline at all? Tecmo's effort needs to be acknowledged: all the characters have a personal background and dedicated ending, but the cut-scenes look extremely corny and shine by their total lack of emotion (which is a shame, because the characters themselves are very expressive). I did not care for any character of the cast, and that somewhat ruined a part of the game for me. Let’s keep in mind that the importance of the plot is relative for a game of this genre, though.

Replayability 7

There are many hidden costumes to unlock and they look either sexy or funny (and that’s a good thing!). However, there is no raw replay value as there are no hidden characters, stages or modes... Just don’t expect any extras and you will not be disappointed. Although the hardcore version features more costumes, it’s really a minor difference.

Playing against the computer is a nightmare. He can counter strings that are simply impossible to anticipate and the AI seems to be just plain cheap. It was certainly a painful experience for me, and I'm no rookie.

But everyone knows that fighters live and die with their versus mode. What's more, there’s an amusing tag team mode a la Marvel versus Capcom that allows four players to play at the same time. But will you find many people who are willing to master this game despite the annoying quirks of the engine? Intermediate and beginner level fights are particularly boring and repetitive due to peculiar counter system. If you have access to good competition, then perhaps you should give DOA2 a try, because only then it’ll start becoming interesting.

Rent or buy?

Rent it first: it's an order. I have seen too many people get this game, thinking that they finally got the best fighter on their lovely Dreamcast just to be solely disappointed when they popped the GD in their system. This game isn’t necessarily bad, but it’s rather peculiar. If you don’t care much for the engine, you will surely end up not playing it at all, like me. My opinion is that this game's engine is underrated, in the sense that it is not a button masher at all. But when I see people drooling at it just because of the female characters' wondrous chest area, I wonder if there is something wrong with the gaming industry nowadays.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 07/30/01, Updated 02/02/03