Dead or Alive Ultimate

"It’s no Tekken, but the online play really helps"

I have been a big fighting game fan for a long time, it goes all the way back to the days of SF2. As the years have gone by the games have progressed, now we have such incredible fighting game series as Virtual Fighter, Soul Calibur and Tekken. But this isn't a review of one of these amazing fighting games; this is a review of DOA: ultimate.

Graphics (10/10)

There is little to say here because this game is just beautiful. Flat out. There is nothing in this game that does not look amazing. Team Ninja really went out of their way to make an amazing looking game.

Gameplay (6/10)

If DOA: ultimate was a girl, she would be the prettiest girl in town; she would also be fairly dimwitted. The big problem with the DOA series is it lacks any serious depth. It can be fun, with its fast and furious action. But that doesn't change that fact that it all feels very limited.

The counter system is the unique feature of the DOA games, but it often comes off feeling clumsy. The only true bonus of this feature is the ability to punish people who keep using the same moves, or follow a set pattern. When I say punish, I mean punish. The damage given out by a counter is huge. In the end I have never felt that counter system was terribly deep, and I have always thought it was always a minor feature. While it doesn't detract from the game it really doesn't add much.

The attack moves in DOA: Ultimate is also pretty sad, you have a punch attack, a kick attack and a power attack. Opposed to DOA's rival Tekken which has three punch attacks and 3 kick attacks, this is a huge step back. Why do you need a whole button dedicated to throws? I feel that this game could have benefited greatly from at least one more kick and punch attack. Because as is you really don't have a lot of options, and the little you can do is rather simplistic and easy. While this might seem fine at first it means it takes no time at all to master characters. The difference between a newb and a master is a couple of hours in the DOA world.

On the plus side I really love how the environment is so interactive; it really adds some spice to the fights. This game is also a pretty good game to play when friends who don't play fighting games much come over. It won't be so hard for them to learn, and the fast and furious gameplay also makes for lots of fun in small doses.

Sound (6/10)

Not a lot to say about the sound, punches and kicks sound fine. The characters grunts and groans sound good. But the background music is very forgettable, if not annoying at times. What really forces me to dock points on sound are the voices. Why does EVERYONE speak Japanese? DOA has to take a step forward and let people talk in their natural languages. The better fighting games do this; it is time for DOA to do it as well. Because it just looks ridiculous when everyone speaks Japanese despite the fact that they are supposed to be from other areas around the world.

Presentation (3/10)

Why are these people fighting each other? Where is the story? Why does every girl dress like a total skank? The story on this game is just horrid. Like fighting games often have crappy stories, but they didn't even try with DOA.

Internet Connectivity (10/10)

What really saves this game is the ability to play online. I mean it is a hell of a lot of fun. It does lag every once in a while, but I have not run into it very much. After playing DOA online I think every fighting game should have an online mode. Just great!

Conclusion (7/10)

It may not be the best fighting game around, it does have plenty of flaws; but online makes it worth a purchase. The DOA series has a long way to go before it can compete with the big guys, but at the moment it does have something they don't. So if you plan to go online then this is a big buy, if you don't have LIVE then I think you should go grab Tekken or Virtual Fighter. Unless you don't have a PS2 in which I guess this is your best option for offline play as well…

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/23/06