Dead or Alive 2

"Is DOA2 better than SC? Actually, they're pretty much equal (in other words, this fighting game rocks)."

I don't see why so many people call Dead or Alive 2 a ''Soul Calibur Killer.'' They both rock and both of them deserve to be in your DC library. With that out of the way, DOA2 is superior to DOA due to awesome new gameplay depth, bigger fighting areas and more moves than ever.

Story: 6
This time the story is standard. Evil being corrupting the true spirit of the tournament and he has to die. During story mode, most of the cutscenes are actually pretty cool, but all of the endings except one are downright horrible. Kasumi doesn't even have an ending!

Gameplay: 10
Then again, who plays fighting games for their story anyway!? DOA was already awesome and this sequel only makes the game even more fun to play. First off, the stages are simply amazing. No more are you limited to a square arena where you lose if you fall off the edge; you fight in towers, opera houses, ice caverns and many other places. There are almost no stages that only have one floor. Not only can you use the terrain to your advantage, you can also knock people from high platforms to cause extra damage (it also looks cool as hell :) ). Are damage zones still here? Yes, but they're not in every stage (after all, not every building is equipped with Danger Zones, hehe). Instead of the floors being boobytrapped, the walls are. Some of them have electricity shooting through them while others have sensitive bombs inside them. No matter what type of Danger Zone, the effect is always the same: BOOM!

One of the most important things added to this game is the ability to sidestep. This way, fighters can utilize their terrain for defense (moving behind a pillar) or offense (positioning yourself so you hit a fighter out a window/off a ledge).

Sometimes you or your opponent can score critical hits. An attack becoming critical happens at random. It adds a nice amount of suspense to the battle; attacks that are powerful already can become downright devastating when they are lucky enough to become critical.

Like said above, all of the fighters, old and new, have a lot of new moves. They also have many more combo possibilities. Experimenting to find the most powerful combos for each character is fun in and of itself.

Speaking of new characters, here they are:

Helena: This is one opera singer you DON'T want to mess with. She can be offensive, defensive or a combination of both. Also very good at stopping jumping attacks.

Bass: Tina's dad. Like Tina, he is mostly a thrower/brawler. His throws are the most powerful in the game, but he doesn't have the mobility of Tina.

Leon: Almost a pure brawler. He can be effective when used right, but fighters which can do more than just one thing well will have the advantage.

Ayane: Fast AND powerful. She can pull off very impressive comes from behind due to the fact that she can surprise her opponent in so many ways.

Ein: OW. He hits you head on and he hits you HARD. Trust me, don't go toe to toe with this guy. He also seems to be better than most other fighters at counterattacks.

All of the standard gameplay modes are here: Story, Time Attack, Survival and Practice (Sparring). One mode is far from standard, however: the Tag Battle mode! Pick two fighters and compete in a XMen VS Street Fighter/Tekken Tag type style. This mode redefines the phrase ''double teaming.'' If you pick the right pair of characters, you can tag them in and out chaining together insanely long combos that can take off more than half of a fighter's life bar! As if DOA2 wasn't already fun, this mode adds a whole new dimension to how you can play this game.

No, there aren't many hidden secrets, but there are a few which are interesting to find. For instance, watch the intro and you'll be able to see Ayane cast an ice spell on Kasumi. Can you make her do that in the actual game? Hm...I wonder... :)

Graphics: 10
Simply scrumptious. 60 full fps of detailed backgrounds and fighters. The DC's texture RAM must be practically full due to the high quality textures this game feeds it. This game also gives the DC's poly pushing power a workout; the fighters are as large and as fluid as ever. Ambiance effects like wind also add to the visual splendor of this game.

Sound/Music: 8
The sound effects and voices are top notch. From the pre match taunts to the explosions of the damage areas, everything sounds crystal clear. The music is also crystal clear, but unfortunately not all of the songs are good. About 60% of the songs fit the fighting mood of the game halfway decently. Nothing that you'll wanna listen to outside of the game at all.

Control: 10
Tight and responsive like all fighting games should have. If you can't pull off a move, its not the fault of the game's controls. :P

Replay Value: 8
The endings mostly suck, but the gameplay modes will keep you coming back for more, especially the Tag Mode. This is a great game to play when you're having a large gettogether because of the sheer number of ways you can play.

Bottom Line?
No matter how many more fighters come out for the DC, this will always be one of the best. Awesome graphics and sound effects aside, what truly makes this game great are the expansive stages, the new combo system and the always fun Tag Mode. Even though this game doesn't have that many hidden secrets, the fact that it's just plain FUN more than makes up for that, which is why I give it a 10.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 10/02/01, Updated 10/02/01