Dead or Alive Ultimate

"The classic series returns"

I was a huge fan of the Dead or Alive series ever since DoA 3 came out for xbox (so haven't been a long running fan) and was very excited to hear about Dead or Alive Ultimate (formally Dead or Alive Online)

Graphics: 10/10
One word... whoa! The graphics are amazing. When I say amazing I don't mean there pretty cool, I mean they make Halo 2's graphics look like Metroid (NES version) The cinema scenes are beautiful, and the gameplay graphics are just so amazing. You will see foot prints in the snow, cracks in rocks and shattering glass is just so cool to look at. Wow! (I'm not trying to say that sarcastically)

Sound: 8/10
I not awestruck by the sound but I enjoy it. The voices overs are in japanese (I think) so I can't judge how good they are. Luckily unlike DoA: hardcore there not in english which sounded... well there better in japanese. The music is pretty standard, besides a few tracks, so you won't be humming any of them in the shower. The sound effects are pretty cool (like hitting an elephant and hearing it yell) and they all sound realistic which is a rare thing.

Gameplay: 9/10
I have heard people critize the fighting saying its nothing special, but on the contrary the fighting system is very robust. Theres a ton of combos so I hope you have a good memory and theres 12 characters (plus three unlockable ones) and included is the original Dead or Alive! Don't get too excited this isn't your playstation one it's your saturn one. So there isn't a ton of costumes for the characters and it's missing a character (can't remember which one) but I'm happy that they even included it. On top of that its online. The online is very fun but it won't hold your interests for a long time. After all it is a fighting game so it's not as addicting as Splinter Cells multiplayer.

Replayablity: 8/10
As I mentioned its online but won't seriously addict you (I'm not sure if thats correct english) It has 3 unlockable characters, 137 unlockable costumes and the original Dead or Alive. But, even with that single player starts to get kinda dull after a while, and you'll eventually get bored trying to unlock everything.

Something I didn't mention:
It's a remake of Dead or Alive 2 so if you were a huge fan and you were expecting a new storyline then you will be disappointed.

Rent or Buy: Buy
It would be easier to read what I wrote above but oh well. With cool online play, great graphics, pretty cool sound, and fun gameplay it's a no brainer.

- Thanks to tecmo for this amazing game
- the people who cared to read this (all two of you... I hope)
- and of course me (the guy who likes to use parentheses)

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/22/04