Beware! Bouncing breastage! A Prequal to the Dreamcast smash
Written: May 21 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: graphics, gameplay, amusement value
Cons: very limited selection of fighters, bland arenas, and a boring music
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| Vash's Full Review: Dead Or Alive for PlayStation 1 |
What? A game based on Sega’s Model 2 board on the PSX? How can this be?
Well, to be honest, I was equally surprised to hear about the conversion from the near-perfect arcade translation on the Saturn to the PSX. This would be a true test to see which system reigned in the three-dimensional combat arena. People claimed that it couldn’t be improved; that the Saturn had finally won in a last-ditch battle. They said that until they saw the newly coded Playstation version, that is.
Dead or Alive (DoA) didn’t get a whole lot of hype for its PSX release, unfortunately. Probably because of the news that the king (Tekken 3) was scheduled to move in. However, by overshadowing DoA, Tekken-hungry people (such as myself) might have missed out on one of the best fighters the Playstation has had the honor to have. Hopefully, after the whole Tekken ordeal (which I believe it deserves), people will start to notice this game again. It certainly merits the attention.
But, you ask, how does DoA distinguish itself among the plethora of 3D fighters already out on the Playstation? Those without a significant history to them usually end up as justly deserved bargain bin fodder (Iron and Blood and Killing Zone to name two early attempts), and many more embrace the virtues of mediocrity (Star Wars: Masters of Teras Kesai). If a fighter isn’t by either Namco or Capcom, how would you hope to survive? By supplying bone-crushing gameplay and exquisite graphics. Add a whole different personality to the game and you’ve got DoA in a nutshell.
Visually, DoA is stunning to behold. Moving at the now required 60 frames-per-second, the game is vibrant and alive; a living, breathing manifestation of pixels and palettes. Because of the fluidity of the animation, many will forget the low-detailed textures used on the characters. That, unfortunately, is the major drawback upon initial contact with the game. Unlike Tekken, Tecmo opted for garoud-shaded, simplistic designs. This allows for even smoother animation than Tekken, but also makes for a less interesting visual appeal.
However, this is only on the surface. Once in motion, the subtle details begin to leak out. For example, shirts, pants, skirts, and jackets are all separate from the main body. This means that they move and wrinkle like a piece of clothing would, not something painted to your back. A large improvement over the rather static costumes of Tekken (with a few incredible exemptions). My only problem is that while the movement and flow of the outfits is excellent, there tends to be major clipping problems when the costumes get too close to each other. It can be a distraction if you’re looking for it, but otherwise you can also choose from 14 outfits for the females, and 5 for the males to eliminate the potential problem. These costumes help give personalities to the typical arch-types found in every fighting game (Bruce Lee-a-like, Big guy, Ninja-girl, etc…).
The most infamous aspect for DoA has also survived. If you aren’t aware of what that is, then you are in for a treat (well…at least for the first viewing). Gravity-defying breast movement! All the female characters have an over-abundance of chest that tend to shake and wobble more than a giant cube of Jell-O. When you first witness it, it’s hard to believe. Many of my friends have literally dropped their jaw Tecmo’s pure audacity. After awhile, however, the effect loses its amusement factor and merely becomes a distraction. Luckily, you can turn it off. There is, however, no end to the rather revealing costumes for the females. I guess most video gamers are guys. ^_^
Like a good fighter, DoA uses its splendid graphics to enhance the feel of the game rather than as its only saving grace. The true backbone lies within the derivative yet innovative fighting system Tecmo has created. Derivative because its foundations are built on the Virtua Fighter concept. There are three buttons, just like VF, but with a twist. Instead of punch, kick, and block, DoA has punch, kick, and hold. This button is pretty much a reversal move. You can intercept incoming attacks and, depending on the character, either deal back a little damage (like a little b*tch slap) or push it away, giving you a moments advantage. Amazingly enough, this speeds up gameplay considerably. With everyone being able to counter, there are times when nothing but reversals happen for 10 seconds. But because everyone can do this, players have to think on their feet even more than before. Timing is crucial, and unlike Tekken, learning how to react and going on the offensive is the key. Blocking (just hold back on the direction pad) will get you thrown. Another factor is the high damage that everyone’s moves do. Simple 2-hit combinations can take upwards of twenty percent of your life. Throws, especially the multi-parters, can effectively whittle away over ninety percent! All these make the thirty-second rounds seem too long! It’s possible to perfect someone in seven seconds!
And for all you peckers out there, air juggles do exist. Tough luck. To be honest, they aren’t quite as blatant as in Tekken so this may please the anti-air juggle crowd. It’s pretty hard to start one off since the only way to really juggle someone is to do an uppercut or some-such move on a counter hit. This’ll give you a chance to smack them really good. As with everything else, damage on a good air-juggle seems exceedingly high. So, while they aren’t as prevalent as in some games, they certainly hit harder than average.
Something that was pretty keen was the inclusion of a danger zone. Rather than the lame-ass ring out system found in Virtua Fighter and Soul Blade (though it was much harder to ring out here), Tecmo used a "danger zone." Outside the normal ring there is an area that, if you happen to get smacked or thrown down, will explode on contact. The damage can be set from none to extremely high and it will "bounce" your character up for more potential juggling. Better than an instant loss (ring out), but still kind of annoying. It’s just something to work around (or…even better…lure your opponents into the zone and punish them!).
Mix that with an unforgiving AI and you’ve got frustration central for the uninitiated. The learning curve is startling high and unsettling for those who are newer to fighters. After playing for about three hours or so, getting the hang of it isn’t quite so hard. It’s those beginning hours, however, that really test your patience. I don’t remember a game that took me damned near 20 minutes to beat on the first try. Especially once as quick moving as DoA. But, if you push past the frustration you will be rewarded with an excellent game. My only real point of contention: no side stepping. However, the hold button almost makes up for it.
Sound and music could’ve also been more inspired. Granted, the hits and voices are well done. It’s just that there isn’t enough variety to push it past mediocrity. The music is also generic and bland. A good soundtrack can add so much to a game (for example…Tekken 3), but a bad one can also take away from the overall enjoyment. Luckily, it’s not bad enough to harm the game. To me, DoA’s sound and music exist because they have to, not because they were labored over.
Something nifty that has come around as of late has been support for the Dual Shock Analog Pad. Much like Nintendo’s highly touted Rumble Pack, the controller allows the user to feel rocking and vibrations when (like in DoA) their character is hit or falls. With DoA, though the two analog sticks are not supported (as well they shouldn’t be; not in a fighter), the "rumble" is. Unfortunately, instead of going at it full tilt, Tecmo has opted for a half-hearted attempt. Sure it does more than a standard controller, but…it just "sorta" shakes. Might as well turn it off.
The most serious flaw is the lack of end animations for beating the game. Sure there’s a story line written in the book, but we never really see the end result! Just a bunch of different costumes. That’s all well and good, but I would like a little more for my effort. Since the opening animation was so well done, it hurts even me even more. Just imagining what they would be like is mind numbing! I guess this simply stresses that DoA was made for two-player action rather one-player. The amount of Easter Eggs (additional costumes and extra config. options) do help people to keep on playing.
Despite some of its flaws, however, Dead or Alive is a fantastic first attempt by Tecmo to deliver a robust fighting game. Like Bloody Roar, the only way this series can go is up. And with such a high starting point, I can only wonder at how good DoA can really get. If you’re new to this genre, I suggest you pick up Tekken 3 or Bloody Roar first, but diehard fans of fighters cannot go wrong with Dead or Alive.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Vash
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Location: Boston, MA
Reviews written: 28
Trusted by: 6 members
About Me:
Vash writes for several magazines - some print, some web. Isn't that special?
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