DOA2: Hardcore

"A so-so DC fighter bumped up to respectable in a PS2 re-release"

I'd be hard-pressed to name a fighting game which was a greater all-around disappointment to console gaming world more than Dead or Alive 2. From ''rock paper scissors'' to the overemphasis on ''girls'' (has there ever been another mainstream fighting game where the females completely took center stage?) to the admittedly simplistic gameplay to the lack of things to play for (especially the costumes...and if there's another fighting game of *any* stripe which inspired such passionate debates over *clothing*, I'm unaware of it) to the bare-bones Story mode, it seemed like there was something to aggravate everybody.

Well, I played the original on Dreamcast without any big expectations, and I took on the new-'n-improved version for Playstation 2 not expecting a massive improvement. And while there are some noticeable improvements over the original, I'm glad I didn't set a high bar.

Gameshark codes used: Infinite health and no health...that's all there was.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS - As far as I could tell, there haven't been any gameplay changes, so if you played the regular DOA2 (or even DOA1), Hardcore won't give you trouble. I never particularly cared for this system because too much depends on luck and the computer can play incredibly cheap anytime it wants. There are a number of new stages, which all look very nice. There are some hidden areas as well; I found one, purely by accident, by knocking Jann Lee through a wall in the Japanese Tower stage.

Besides the stages, the other major addition was the new outfits. I *overwhelmingly* recommend getting a copy of the EXACT requirements for these outfits before actually trying to get them, because you have to get them in order, and unless you know exactly what the prerequisites are, you'll probably never succeed. Also, make sure you're using the default settings for whatever mode you have to play.

This isn't a terribly deep game. There are essentially 6 tactics: 1) If the opponent's doing nothing or holding, throw. 2) If the opponent's attacking, hold. 3) If you don't know which hold to use, block and look for an opening. 4) If the opponent's trying to throw, beat him/her senseless. 5) Mix up your attacks so you don't get predictable. 6) Use the background elements, especially ''danger zones'', at every opportunity. That's it. If you get even half of this down, that's almost good enough to beat every challenge in DOA2H.

Oh yeah...Bayman's back and Tengu is now playable. Bayman, IMHO, is one of the coolest characters in DOA, and he really kicks butt if played right. Tengu is the Rugal Bernstein of DOA; he's powerful, but it takes some time to learn to play him effectively. Both are pretty easy to unlock.

MODE-BY-MODE RUNDOWN - Some of the characters in Story mode have branches which lead to different battles (and some entirely new intro sequences, which are a welcome addition). Characters with very few intros in the original DOA2 do not have branches.

Story mode is easy in the early stages, but it can get challenging near the end, and beating it without continuing (a requirement for several costumes) is a tall order. This is the only mode where you'll fight Tengu, who's now a very difficult opponent. In fact, the AI all around seems to be harder overall than in the original (haven't played the original in a while, so I don't know for sure).

Time Attack is nothing special. IMHO, it's the easiest of all the modes.

I never could do the fancy team-up attacks in Tag Battle worth a damn, so I can't really report any major changes, except that there are now five stages (all of which look great).

Survival...hard then, hard now. You'd better get good at this, because many of the costumes require you to put in a mighty impressive performance in this stage. Fast reflexes and skill at holds are an absolute must. For the record, it is possible to win this mode; it happens after you beat the 100th opponent. If you actually accomplish this, consider yourself a master, because that's exactly what you are.

Team Battle is the same as in numerous other fighting games; nothing special to report.

In all, this is a good variety of modes for nearly every occasion. I'm kinda disappointed that Bayman and Tengu aren't available in Story mode. I mean, really, Tecmo, how long would it have taken? But I'm happy enough to be able to play them at all that I'm not holding this against them *too* much.

MISCELLANEOUS INFO - The new duds aren't much to write home about, but I found it a fun challenge trying to get them all. The *reason* I couldn't get them all was because the last one for each character requires a special item which pops up in Survival Mode COMPLETELY AT RANDOM. I only managed to get it for Zack, Kasumi, and Bayman. It didn't appear at all for anyone else, even after repeated clearings of Survival. Exasperated memo to Tecmo...don't you know that the most irritating feature of any RPG is the randomly-dropped item?? Wouldn't it make sense *not* to have this feature in a fighting game...especially when it's possible to go through all 100 stages without it popping up once?? There are times when I honestly wonder where all the common sense went in this industry...

The only other major addition was the English voices, which were well done. Ein, Zack, Jann-Lee, Lei-Fang, and Bayman sounded *much* more natural in English than in Japanese. Tina and Bass were a little weird; I never got totally used to the Southern accents (''Ah won' have enneh murrsee even fer a beginnah!''). Kasumi and Ayane were blah, but IMHO they're kinda blah in any tongue. Leon's voice was very deep and guttural, almost menacing...just what you'd expect from a bitter, hardened mercenary. Cool. I also liked Helena's, very mature and womanly...something of a rarity in DOA. Gen Fu was a downer; he had that ''always ticked off about something'' tone that never sounded right. Tengu was a considerable improvement, coming across as a real heavy instead of just some generic Japanese villain. I do have a very minor gripe, which is that many of the Japanese colloquialisms don't make a lot of sense in English (especially true for Ein). These should've been changed or removed entirely.

There's an in-game gallery that's easy to unlock which has pictures of Kasumi, Helena, Ayane, Lei Fang, and Tina. (As if you needed any more proof that women rule here.)

For the record, breast bounciness was very natural no matter what options settings I used, so don't get any funny ideas. ;-)

RECOMMENDATION - This is one of those fighting games that's a lot more fun for two players than it is for one. If you have a lot of friends who like this game, it's probably worth buying. Otherwise, with the limited engine, it'll get old fast. Even if it's just you, however, it's still worth a rental, if only to see all the enhancements. Be prepared for a long, long haul no matter what if you're insistent on unlocking all the costumes.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 01/17/02, Updated 01/17/02