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Dead
or Alive 2
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Stats
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Genre:
Fighting
Release
Date:
Available
Publisher:
Tecmo
Developer:
Tecmo
ESRB:
Everyone
System:
Dreamcast
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The Dreamcast receives yet another amazing game with
the addition of Dead or Alive 2 to its library. The
game, which was developed by Team Ninja (what a cool
name), a division of Tecmo (also the publisher), was
originally released in arcades. Most arcade goers will
remember the original Dead or Alive for its unusual
application of physics to a particular body part. I
admit, I was only compelled to play Dead or Alive in
the arcades because the women were particularly bouncy,
not bouncy as in always jumping, but bouncy around their
chest area. It was something I had never seen before
[Ed. Note: Mack needs to get out more often.]. I played
it a couple of times trying to get the most bounce for
my twenty-five cents, usually getting as far as the
fourth computer controlled opponent. What I didn’t realize
was that the fighting mechanics it had were deep. The
same holds true with the second installment, although
the ‘bounciness’ factor has been toned down a bit. In
Dead or Alive 2 you are treated to 12 unique characters,
each with their own distinct fighting style, amazing
fighting grounds, and four player fun. Oh, I forgot
one big thing: the breath-taking graphics.
When you boot up Dead or Alive 2 you will be treated
with an introduction to a fight scene. At first glance
it may look like it is pre-rendered, but when you start
playing the game you quickly realize that it is done
in the game engine. The game comes with all seven modes
unlocked so you don’t have to play through the single
player mode to unlock any of them. The first mode on
the list is the single player, or story mode. Like what
the name implies, this mode will take you through the
story of each character, and in the end a fight to the
death with the final boss. The overall story for the
game picks up where the first Dead or Alive left off.
After the first Dead or Alive Worldwide Combat Championship,
the sponsor for the tournament, Fame Douglas, is killed.
As a result the world is in chaos due to the lack of
a great leader. The second Dead or Alive Worldwide Combat
Championship is scheduled to take place despite this.
To make things worst Tengu, the new promoter, is responsible
for Douglas’s death. He is not only corrupt, but is
pure evil. I was somewhat disappointed with this mode.
The biggest problem I had is that it is short. By the
time I was just starting to realize the character’s
story I was already fighting the last boss, who happens
to be the new promoter. To make the story mode more
entertaining I recommend reading the different character
bios in the instruction book. Other modes included are
survival mode, team battle mode, and sparring mode.
Survival mode gives you a chance to see how many computer
controlled opponents you can defeat with only one life
and no continues. To gain back some life you must accumulate
a certain amount of points during a given fight. In
team battle mode each side picks the number of characters
they want on their team. Then each character fights
until they are defeated, at which time the next character
jumps in to finish off their opponent. The first person
to knock out their opponent’s entire team of characters
wins. Sparring mode is another fancy name for practice
mode. You can set the computer to do anything you want,
from crouching to certain button combinations. This
helps you study the other fighter’s combinations while
formulating how to defeat or defend against them. I
was let down to see that a second player could not control
the dummy like in Tekken. This allows players to go
at it with out worrying about life-bars. You can, however,
set the dummy to be controlled by the varying computer
levels of difficulty.
Wait! There is one mode left! I have saved the best
for last, tag battle mode. This is unlike any tag battle
mode I have ever played. In my opinion, it is better
than the one found in Tekken Tag Tournament or Marvel
vs. Capcom. I know I will probably get blasted for this
comment, but first hear me out. I found that the tag
option in those games only enhances the game in that
you have two characters to fight with. Sure you can
call the other character for a brief moment to join
you in a combo attack, but Dead or Alive 2’ s tag battle
mode actually gives you the feeling that both fighters
are acting as one team throughout the entire match.
Here is an example of this. One fighter starts a combo
and does not finish it, then the next character jumps
in to continue with the combo. This can go on until
the enemy is down on the ground. It may not seem that
important, but when you play against someone who can
do it properly, you will either get wasted every time,
or will be learning how to do it. You can also initiate
tag-out combos. This is when one character holds or
throws the enemy while the second character steps in
to either help them slam the opponent or hit the opponent
in the event of a throw. This also makes the game play
even faster, by allowing the teams to damage the opponent
as a result of a team combo or a tag-out attack. There
is only one big drawback to this mode: there is only
one stage. I wish Team Ninja had made it possible to
fight on the other stages, since most of them are better
looking and more exciting to play. Lastly, you can have
up to four players participating in this mode. You have
the option of one vs. the computer, two vs. the computer,
two player versus, and four player tag mode. I remember
a time in the arcades, while I was playing Marvel vs.
Capcom, when I was playing with my friend against two
other people we met. That was such a blast! Since I
was an expert with one character and my friend was an
expert with another we were able to switch off during
tags. Now the full potential of this feature is realized
in Dead or Alive 2. Along with tag-out combos and team
combos, the second team member no longer just watches
while they wait their turn.
The
good stuff doesn’t stop there. Along with the standard
punch and kick buttons, this game introduces a new button
to the series, the free button. This button allows you
to enable the free step mode during matches, and it
initiates reversals and throws. With the Dreamcast controller
you have the option of using either the digital directional
pad or the analog stick. If you choose the analog stick,
free step mode will always be activated without pressing
the free button. However, you loose the ability to jump.
With the digital directional pad you have to press the
free button to enable free step mode, but you can jump.
I found that using the combination of both provides
the best success in the game. The analog stick gives
a sense of 3D fighting while the digital directional
pad lets you have the fully array of movements while
on the same line as your opponent. Put together, you
have yourself a true 3D fighting game where you can
move anywhere you want with ease, and have all the maneuverability
necessary to fight. Older games try to fake 3D fighting
by adding sidestepping, but it was too cumbersome to
use and it was only good for dodging attacks. Another
thing the free button does is it allows you to reverse
incoming attacks. There are three different reversal
stances to reverse the three fighting blows: high, mid,
and low attacks. Team Ninja has implemented a special,
simplified version of the reversal system for the Dreamcast.
In the arcades you had to press back then either forward
high, mid, or low on the arcade stick, then the free
button to start a reversal. On the Dreamcast you only
need to press back high, mid, or low and then the free
button. Once you get used to how and when to intercept
an incoming attack, I suggest switching the reversal
mechanics back to the arcade setting, as on the Dreamcast
setting it is too easy to reverse and takes some of
the joy out of combos. Finally, it helps to start a
throw along with the punch button. Using different motions
on the digital pad or analog stick and depending on
the character you are playing, you can get different
throws. Most fighters in the game have a throw combo
that is easy to pull of and most of them are equally
as easy to get out of.
Dead or Alive 2 has to be one of the best looking games
available on any console. If you ever wondered how it
would be like to play a game with graphics as good as
any CG introduction found in Playstation fighting games,
this is your opportunity to find out. I believe that
everything seen in this game is done in-engine. If not,
then the actual game and the pre-rendered stuff are
virtually indistinguishable. The actual fighting plays
at 60 frames per second while the cut scenes are at
30 frames per second. I don’t know the reason for this,
but I do not see why they couldn’t make the cut scenes
run at 60 fps as well. The backgrounds are wonderfully
textured, although they are a half a notch down from
the ones found in Soul Calibur. Dead or Alive 2 also
has true interactive environments. For example, while
fighting in the snow you will be moving up and down
in elevation according to the snow banks, and at the
same time you will see the snow swirling up due to your
foot movements. In some of the levels you can break
through glass, fences, or just plain fall off to a lower
level. In this aspect no other fighting game comes close.
Each character moves very fluidly and is well modeled.
There are no jagged edges found in any of the characters
or fighting grounds.
Your ears will also be catered to in this game. Fighters
have their own distinct fighting sounds. This may be
oft overlooked, but who really fights without making
a noise? For example, Jann Lee will make a Bruce Lee
[Ed. Note: Are they related?] type cry after each of
his power attacks. I found myself shouting out along
with it because the cry the characters make gives you
a sense of the power of the attack. The background music
is also pretty good, but the sound effects usually drown
it out. All of the dialogue in the game is spoken in
Japanese, but to help those non-Japanese speakers there
are English subtitles that accompany the voices.
Control does not get in the way of the exceptional gameplay.
You will not need to do any fancy finger acrobatics
to pull off an attack or a throw. The option to use
either the analog stick or digital pad is a nice touch.
Also, there are only three buttons in the game, so there
is no confusion as to which punch or kick to use, since
there is only one of each. The control lets you tag
in and out in tag battle mode effortlessly, although
it is a challenge to pull off a tag combo. It is supposed
to be like that, as otherwise the game would be too
easy. On the gameplay side, each of the characters has
their own distinct fighting style. There are no clones
found in this game. While playing the game you will
realize that you will have to learn different strategies
for each character. For example, Jann Lee has powerful
attacks high, while Gen Fu has a lot of low attacks.
My only gripe about the gameplay is that there is nothing
to unlock in the game. As a result, playing by yourself
will get boring after the first day.
This game is one of the premier fighting games to appear
on the Dreamcast this year. If it does not beat Soul
Calibur in your minds, it will come a very close second.
With the easy controls, the wonderful graphics, and
the many tweaks and additions, this is what future fighting
games on the Dreamcast will be compared to. I have no
reservations when I say I recommend this game to any
Dreamcast owner.
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Genre:
Fighting
Release
Date:
Available
Publisher:
Tecmo
Developer:
Tecmo
ESRB:
Everyone
System
Requirements :
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