carl_lazarevic's Full Review: Dead or Alive 4 for Xbox 360
It's a shame really, such a trivial little thing can ruin a reputation for so long. It was around 10 years ago that game developers Tempco got desperate in their attempts to compete with beat-em-up giants Namco and Sega. The game in question was Dead Or Alive, an interesting little fighting game that combined the Virtual Fighter engine with a complex countering system, the first, very basic, interactive arenas, and some lightning fast gameplay that would have gone completely unnoticed if not for the fact that Temco decided to include some giant bouncing breasts. (sadly you did read that correctly) It was nothing more offensive that the average Carry On joke really, and when they combined it with a series of unlockable thong bikinis it did sort of sell well to teenage boys. Unfortunately, I was one of the few teenage boys who really did want the game for the fighting, but my parents were having none of it.
Now Dead Or Alive has reached it's fourth incarnation. Team Ninja have worked tirelessly in perfecting the gameplay to appeal to hard core gamers rather than button bashers. The bikinis themselves have been gone since game 2 (they did return for a little Volleyball on the beach, but that really was just one for the teenage boys) and the bouncing breasts have been reduced to a barely noticeable in joke. It's too late now though, the damage has been done, and everyone now assumes that all Dead Or Alive players are dirty old men looking for a few cheap thrills from a high definition game. Shame really as Dead Or Alive really does deserve to be the gamers choice. It's faster paced than Virtual Fighter, more Tactical than Tekken, and punishes random button bashing fiercely.
The basic game mechanics are the same as previous titles. One button works for punching, one button works for kicking, a third button works for the basic throws, and the final button is the "free button" that when used correctly produces a devastating counter attack. This is where the Dead Or Alive series differs from other fighting games, because while new players can still produce some effective combos with random button bashing, the more experienced players will still win out by grabbing a leg mid combo and stamping on their opponents face. The trick is to know where the attack is coming from. In Dead Or Alive 4 this is even more important as the counter system has been honed to the point where you will only succeed if you hit counter at the exact same second as your opponent hits attack. The only way to do this is to keep your head clear. Try to observe your opponents playing style, look for repeat attacks/combos, or any holes in their offense, and then utilize them to your advantage.
Of course your opponent is going to be making the exact same plans, and so a skillful offense will be just as important to master. You need to mix it up a little. You can use combos, but you can't really rely on them alone. Try to switch between a characters different fighting stances; try to fake out your opponent by stopping mid combo and hitting them as they counter thin air; heck if you see an opening try throwing your opponent with the occasional "cheap" move, but again don't expect to abuse these moves as every move in the game is counterable if you have both the skill and the patience. You've probably heard others slating the game for the inexperienced players who abuse these moves for a cheap win, and I can assure you that anyone losing to them is losing because they are not good enough to stop the move, not because of any advantage a poor player has with these moves.
If all of this sounds a little complicated to you then I can assure you that it is, at least at first. Therein lies the beauty of Dead Or Alive 4. The only way to understand the depth of the game is to practice it, and eventually anyone can go from defense to offense with the lightning speed of a Jet Li movie.
In terms of the overall package I would definitely say that Tempo have done a decent job here. The basic mode is the story mode where you choose your fighter, battle your way through a string of opponents until you reach the final boss. Midway through each character will have a selection of cut scenes telling their story, and at the end it all gets tied up in a nicely shot CGI sequence. Some of these can be cute, others such as Zac's are hilariously surreal, but when you reach the main players (Ninjas and the like) you will see the amount of heart that has gone into the Dead Or Alive back story, and the efforts put in to tieing it up here.
Other game modes include the classics survival and time attack; in both single and tag team forms, team battle and a sparring mode. It's nothing you haven't seen before but the X-Box live achievements do add a significant replay value to most of them. What impressed me the most with the single player though was the advanced A.I system. Finally the computer will try to learn your attack patterns, counter you with increased regularity, and if given the opportunity will juggle you (hit you into the air and then keep hitting) until the cows come home. It forces you to put the same skill and care into a single player game that you would have previously put into fighting other humans.
Of course the real depth to this new Dead Or Alive game will only ever be found on X-box live. See I never had this on my old X-Box so I had no idea what I was missing out on. However it'll be the Internet play that ultimately decides your future with Dead Or Alive 4. Like all beat-em-ups this game is primarily a multi player game, and with the ability to play it online you can now find a wealth of human opponents without trying to talk all of your mates into getting together to play games. Ultimately the online portion of Dead Or Alive will be where your practice will come in handy. The problem is that you'll need a lot of practice. Team Ninja have never been interested in producing games that anyone can play, they like to challenge the elite of gamers above anyone else. That's not to say that regular people can't enjoy Dead Or Alive, I certainly do and I'm still a grade C gamer (whoops just lost like 30 matches in a row to a better guy, now I'm a D). It's just that you need the right attitude going in. Try to be the best and you better be the best or you'll hate the game, but make it a point of searching for players in your skill range and you'll most certainly have fun, so long as you don't expect any of the victories to be handed to you.
That's not to say that the online portion is perfect. Far from it. As with any game this fast paced a very fast connection is a requirement if you want to avoid getting lagged. You're best bet is to search for players that live in the same country as you, and pray that nobody with a poor connection enters the lobby from further afield. Still, the amount of lag is no where near as bad as it could be, and if you don't mind being choosey about who you play it shouldn't be a problem.
The other aspect of the game that demands consideration is, of course, it's cast of characters. Personally I was well pleased in this regard. There are initially 16 characters to choose from, with a further six you can open up later. Yet all of these characters remain balanced in their own respective fields. You have the fast combo heavy ninjas like Ayane, the more balanced characters like Jan Lee, and of course the big power hungry brutes like Bass. For first time players it will appear that only a few characters are worthwhile, but once you start getting better and developing your own style you'll find different characters to be perfect. I've even seen people become unstoppable with Bass, despite the general consensus being that he is useless. All in all this would have to be the most balanced cast of fighters since the original Street Fighter 2.
Shame that the same can't be said for the games arenas. Now I missed Dead Or Alive Ultimatum on the Xbox (only DOA fighter I didn't play) and as a result some of these advancements are new to me. I still like the way Tempco allow you to interact with the environment. For instance, my favorite stage features a fight on a rope bridge, but you'll quickly find yourself kicking your opponent off the bridge, causing them to crash down hard on the bottom, and continue the fight in the river below with all sorts of tree branches and stones to throw each other against. Other levels feature shops where you can throw each other through displays, and even a big mansion full of endless windows . I like this because, again, it forces tactics as you try to move the fight in the right direction to get your enemy into a danger zone, while trying to avoid getting cornered if you miss. Sadly, there are a few levels that feature random environmental damage. You know getting hit by a car on the road, or attacked by a wild animal in the jungle. In single player it's a cute enough gimmick, but in multi player I find it does cheapen things. I've had matches where I'd be playing against a clearly better opponent, and just as he goes to finish me he gets hit by a car and I steal the victory. I've never lost a match in this way, but whenever I win like it I never feel satisfied.
Aesthetically though the game is a tour de force. The graphics in this game have to be seen to be believed. Some people gripe that the character models look very last gen, which is not really true at all. In terms of the slightly detailed, anime nature of the characters there's not that much more you can do. However in Dead Or Alive 4 the other areas have been improved upon 10 fold. Clothes sway realistically in the wind, hair flows as the characters fight, and the texture mapping on these costumes is unbelievable. In the environments you will see some wonderful lighting effects, the best water effects ever, and again the detailed textures used to create the various arenas so realistically. Thanks to the slightly smaller levels the draw distance is never a problem, and clipping is limited to a few pieces of hair that you will never be able to notice during the high speed bouts.
In the audio department you mostly get what you'd expect. The over the top grunts go hand in hand with the over the top ninja fights perfectly. Appropriate characters like Zac and Bass have the requisite hilarious voices, and everything you would really expect to hear is present and correct. Then the music kicks in. Tempco have gone to great lengths in order to fit the music with the game, even getting the rights to songs by Aerosmith for the main theme and ending scenes. Even the lyrics are important if you want to understand the story, and the necessary emotions, whether they be laughter or tears, are always provided by the perfectly selected music.
All in all I would definitely recommend Dead Or Alive 4 to anyone who is serious about their gaming. It's hard, but the rewards for perseverance are well worthwhile. Of course if you don't think you'll be putting the time in to learn the game then I wouldn't even recommend renting it for the perfect presentation, because you, and most people admittedly, are not part of the games target audience.
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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