jeremy1456's Full Review: Dead or Alive 4 for Xbox 360
My first experiences with the Dead or Alive series came with part 2 on the Dreamcast. I had long begun to skip out on fighting games until this point, and you could say that this is the game that brought me back in. Since then I've picked up it's sequel, and semi-sequel which both appeared on the Xbox console. After playing more modern fighting games I fell out of most of the interest I once held for this series, mainly because of the blasted counter system which made many of the fights defensive affairs which could prove to be very boring sometimes. What's more is that DOA has had a rough time evolving, as each game feels similar to the extreme. This was a bad case even for a fighter, as this genre is the least evolved as time has passed. Still, something inside couldn't prevent me from missing out on Dead or Alive 4 as it has recently seen release on Microsoft's next generation console; the Xbox 360, and so I gave it my rental dollar. Have the problems with Dead or Alive 4 been fixed with a move to more capable hardware? Read on to find out.
In the world of fighting games each series has been known for one thing or another. This ranges from Soul Caliber's weaponry based fighting, to Virtua Fighter 4's ultra-deep and realistic engine. What had Dead or Alive always been known for? Ultra detailed breast physics on it's cast composed mostly of voluptuous fighting women. Sure there's a lot more to the design than that, but if ask any casual fan what they think of when they hear "Dead or Alive" in reference to video games, and you'll probably get a mention of boobs. Tomonobu Itagaki, the head of the Tecmo division responsible for Dead or Alive often speaks about how me wants to make beautiful games, and truly everything he makes does have a high level of graphical polish. He proved exactly this when his development team released Dead or Alive: Extreme Beach Volleyball a few years back, and this was a terrible game but had excellent graphics. Hard to believe after releasing a game like that Itagaki still has the gall to diss Namco's Tekken series.
Gameplay
Dead or Alive 4 will be at least a little familiar to anyone who has ever played a 3-D fighter before. Tradition has two fighters in an arena bashing each other until one of their health bars reaches zero, which ends the match. Basically it's a last man (or woman) standing type of scenario, and Dead or Alive 4 stays true to this traditional setup. Upon defeating an opponent for good (winning the set amount of matches) you will then move to the next opponent, given that you are playing story mode. Pretty standard stuff as you would expect, but one thing that makes Dead or Alive 4 really stand out is the fact that it has more than the usual amount of options to choose from. One drawback to the options is that this is one of the areas where DOA hasn't really evolved, as the only real major incorporation was an online mode from Dead or Alive: Ultimate.
Dead or Alive 4 features a fantastic 22 overall fighters, with 6 of them unlockable. There are a few new characters this time around, including a Spartan from the Halo series. Admittedly it's a bit weird to hear it's voice (which is unfittingly female, given that I was expecting this character to sound like Master Chief), but personally I find this to be more of a throw-in. I didn't find the slow Spartan to be particularly fun to play as, but it's a cool little novelty for big Halo fans. The other new characters to the Dead or Alive world consist of a generic Japanese girl named Kokoro, a masked lucha libre wrestler La Mariposa, and the one new male character Eliot. Personally I found Eliot and Mariposa to be pretty good additions, but Kokoro just seems a bit too typical even though her fighting style brings a few new antics to the series.
One thing I've noticed of particular improvement is the countering system. This was a big problem in Dead or Alive 3, and against a human player with great practice in this field, a match could quickly turn into a cheap wait for the opponent to attack fest. I got to be pretty good with counters in Dead or Alive 3, but I have much difficulty performing them in 4, because the window of opportunity has decreased. It seems that Team Ninja heard of the outcry, and attempted to make things right. That's not to say that it's impossible to carry one out, but even those who were once masters will need to practice. Speaking of practice, Dead or Alive 4 is much more difficult than any others in the series before it. Movesets and damage values have been changed thus requiring veterans to learn the new mechanics. The AI has also been upped in skill, and the game's lowest difficulty value is now normal. Veteran and newbie alike will require much practice.
Dead or Alive has made a mark in the industry as one of the most customizable fighters around. Part 4 is no different, as you can select from a variety of costumes and hairstyles. I personally don't spend a lot of time deciding costumes for my characters, but it's still nice to know that the option is there. Furthermore there are is a plethora of game modes. You can practice fighting in spar mode, view fights amongst the computer in Watch, play against a friend in Versus, play through through set matches to get a story ending in Story mode, and much more. Heck, you can even take snapshots and then view them later, which is sure to please the biggest of the DOA girls out there. One disadvantage to the options is that the series hasn't evolved a whole lot in this area, and could stand for some drastically different match types. What could these be? I don't know, but it's not my job to think them up. I'm sure Team Ninja could come up with something if they put their minds to it.
The fighting basics include kicking, punching, and throwing your opponent until their health bar is reduced to nothingness. Beginners often opt to go with the kamikaze button mash style which may be effective against other beginners, but Dead or Alive has always had a pretty elaborate combo system. Combinations of each character's attacks are what you'll need to learn in order to increase your skill. Some of these are easy, but the more sophisticated attacks are a bit longer and require more practice. This system represents the majority of depth in the game, and is one of the main reasons you'll want to stick to one particular character when mastering the mechanics. Some of the characters are more geared toward beginners, with easier movesets and combos, while others are for those already familiar with the design. Either way, it's pretty easy to jump right in.
Now for the reason most will want this game; Xbox Live support. You can indeed take Dead or Alive 4 online, and it's a pretty different experience from playing just against a friend. Based upon your victories and losses you are given a letter ranking, which helps other fighters distinguish players who may be more their speed. Logging on will bring you to a lobby with numerous options for the matches. You can have set matches against certain opponents, and even tag team fights. When in random lobbies with others you will be represented with an avatar, and wait with the others not fighting until your turn comes. You can also watch the current fight, which is very cool. While online the game runs pretty well, and whenever lag rears it's ugly head the game slows down so as not to miss a beat. This may sound annoying, but it's certainly much better than waiting for the game to catch up so you can see what's going on.
Graphics, Sound, Controls, and Replay Value
Without a doubt this is one of the most amazing fighting games I've ever seen in motion. The graphics are admittedly less spectacular on the character models, as they seem only slightly upgraded from the past games. One problem with the characters is that their hair looks just weird at times. Team Ninja tried their best to make the hair interact with the characters, but it looks surprisingly unrealistic and just plain odd in some cases. The spectacular part of the graphics is in the arenas. I found these to be amazing, with a ton of detail, reflections, and stuff going on in the background. There are even interactions that can be had with some background items, which is also cool. I still can't get over how well Gambler's Paradise looks, I mean seriously wow. Kyoto in Bloom is also worth mentioning, with high detail in the flurry of flower petals in the foreground and background.
The music is very well done in the game, consisting mainly of heavier rock based tunes. This is nothing new to the series, but it works decently in setting it apart from other games. Personally the soundtrack isn't something I would listen to freehand, but it must be admitted that everything here is at least high quality. Sound effects are decent, with some fairly realistic impacts and falls. The environmental effects (such as breaking through glass to the lower level) are also nicely done, leaving very little than what's already here to be desired. To be honest I've always found the voice overs for this series to be a bit haunting, and that's still the case here which is pretty cool. Besides haunting, they're also quite well done with some good actors.
Controls are very nice here, and due to the excellent Xbox360 controller I really don't see need for an arcade stick. Each button is very responsive with execution, and this is a definite plus when chaining out the precision based combo attacks. The only real thing to complain about (if you can really call it a complaint) is the increased difficulty with some of the moves via the new movesets, but even still this is nitpicking because it's more of an enhancement than anything.
The amount of replaying you'll do depends completely on the type of player that you are. If you take much pride in mastering the various combos and improving your ranking, than you'll be coming back often. If you're like me and only a casual fighting fan, than you'll probably be bored within a few days. There's quite a bit to do in the game with it's online mode and Vs., but there's no real incentive unless you're already a fan of the series, or you just love fighters. What's more is that the other modes get boring quick, with Time Attack being the main thing that I was playing after the first day. Just between us, I'm glad I only rented it, even though I do think this is an improvement over the previous entries.
Final Recommendation
Like so many other fighting games, I just don't feel Dead or Alive is changing enough from sequel to sequel. This is especially bad when this game costs $60. Unless you're already a fan of the series, I'd recommend just giving this one a rent.
New characters added to the DOA all-star line-up New interactive stages New and in-depth story line and cut-scenes Through Xbox Live, players can simu...More at Amazon Marketplace
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