By Elias Dounis on November 19th, 2004

Dead or Alive 2 first saw its release on the Sega Dreamcast (what’s a Dreamcast?) in March of 2000, then a few months later on the PlayStation 2 in October, and now it’s made its way onto the Xbox... The odd thing with this Xbox installment of Dead or Alive 2 is that this version is appearing after its sequel, Dead or Alive 3, launched with Microsoft’s console in November of 2001, although the changes made from DOA2 to DOA3 weren’t entirely drastic. The difference that is immediately apparent is that DOA3 is actually a tad bit slower than DOA2, and as a fan of DOA2 since it first appeared on the Dreamcast, I can say that the speed of DOA2 is much preferred. However, despite the fact that this is essence a port, or "remake" of Dead or Alive 2, this Ultimate version is indeed an evolution of the series past DOA3 and without question one of the best 3d fighters seen to date, simply because the addition of online multiplayer adds so much depth to the game that most couldn’t have even have known what to exactly expect until they got their hands on the game.

Tittie Infatuation
There’s no denying that Dead or Alive has an incredible amount of sex appeal. You could say that Ultimate’s female characters, Tina, Kasumi, Ayane, Helena, Leifang, and Hitomi, are all well endowed in all the right places, with massive chests that are sure to get a reaction from any man playing the game. Furthermore, the bounciness of their breasts can be intensified by going to the options menu and increasing the age in your player profile (put in on 99 if you want the full effect). Hell, that was the very first thing I did when I starting the game, remembering that little trick from my days with the Dreamcast version of the game. What can you say? Tomonubu Itagaki knows the crowd his games cater to and the best thing that goes along with the insane fast paced martial arts action of Dead or Alive 2 are massive chests on the game’s beautifully rendered women; women that would make any man’s jaw drop if they were in fact actual living breathing human beings, and not just a bunch of polygons with believable physics. Adding to this infatuation with the game’s female characters are the amounts of unlockable costumes that can be acquired in the game while repeatedly going through the game’s story mode at various difficulty settings. Because of the scantly clad outfits that are available, including schoolgirl outfits and bikinis, a man’s want to acquire each costume is fueled by their hormonal urge to see these beautiful girls with barely any clothes on at all. However, beautiful is term that is just applied to the game’s female characters.

The game is stunning visually in every regard. The texture work on each character’s costumes is just amazing; jeans have never looked more realistic. The motion captured animations of the game’s fighters are just amazing to see in action, as well. They add to the "wow" effect of the game; an effect that makes it seem like each fight came out of choreographed Hong Kong action flick. Another "wow" effect in the game is the way arenas are semi-destructible. Call me shallow, but seeing statues and brick walls break, as well as seeing stained glass windows shatter, adds immensely to the

The actual look of the arenas rival the best looking games of any genre. The outdoor battlefield of The Safari is particularly the most impressive. The draw distance of the South African surroundings is very impressive, and let’s not forget to mention the various animals that are found on the stage, including elephants, lions, and hippos, all of which nearly look photo-realistic. Of course, those with an excellent attention to detail will really be impressed by the many visual touches developer Team Ninja managed to include in the game, including falling leaves, flower pedals, tread marks in snow, and the kicking up of dust.

It’s still DOA2
Despite revamped visuals, there’s still many other things that could’ve been redone to make this Ultimate version of Dead or Alive 2 more ultimate than it already is. For example, the character endings are all still the same ones seen in the original Dreamcast version of the game. For veteran players it’s a bit disappointing to see that no changes have been made to the endings, and I’m sure new players won’t be impressed either, because in all honesty not a thing is done to clarify things about the game’s almost non-existent plot. However, the game’s intro sequence is really well done, thanks to inclusion of the always emotional "Dream On" from Aerosmith, and it really makes one ask for a bit more in the other story related areas of the game, but I’m sure that after playing Ninja Gaiden, no one is expecting a deep plot in Itagaki’s prize fighting game.

The audio portion of DOA2U is very much the same as it had been when it was released on the Dreamcast years ago and it had never been anything bad to begin with. The voice-overs in the game are well done. Some may say that they don’t seem to be acted well, however, they’re in Japanese (with no option for English voice-overs), so to me it’s no different than

The game’s sound effects are also pulled of well. They all have the intense sounds of chops and thumps that you would expect from the game’s powerful maneuvers and there isn’t really much that can be asked for to make them better. And for the game’s soundtrack, it’s still as impressive as it has always been. It’s fast, well orchestrated, and even a bit memorable. Many of them sound as they have been inspired by the Hong Kong actions flicks I mentioned earlier, and in an effort to add some freshness to them, remixed versions of all the game’s themes can be heard in this dance club-like stage the game features.

The most outrageous fighting game in existence
Dead or Alive 2 is one of the fastest fighting games anyone could ever lay their hands on. Like I’ve mentioned, the martial arts action found in the game is reminiscent of a Hong Kong action film. The game is just over-the-top in every way. This over-the-top action is shown best with the character Ryu Hayabusa of Ninja Gaiden fame. His high flying, wall jumping, acrobatic finesse is just something that must be seen first hand to fully understand. Believe me when I say that the action found in this game is unrivaled by any fighter to date.

The mechanics of Dead or Alive 2 are interesting as well . The attack combos are performed with specific buttons presses of punches and kicks, combinations of the two, and Street Fighter II-like quarter circle, and quick front to back, back to front movements on the directional pad and/or analog stick. Unlike most Xbox fighters, either way of controlling (D-pad, or analog stick) in DOA2 works tremendously well. However, what truly makes DOA2 shine and unique amongst all other 3d fighters is the game’s reversal system.

You see, blocking is easy. It takes little effort, and in many ways makes some fighters look bland. While you can block enemy attacks in DOA2 like in any traditional 2d or 3d fighter, DOA features this reversals technique that requires players to press forward, back, up or down to use the momentum of an enemy’s attack and use it against them with your own, extremely powerful counter. These counters are stronger than ever in DOAU and can often be what makes or breaks a fight. Knowing which direction to press all depends on how closely you can analyze your opponents attacks, combos, and appropriately time the counter. Those who complained about reversals being too easy to perform in DOA3 should be pleased to hear that, along with the new four point system, the window of opportunity for performing these reversals is shorter in DOA2, thus making them more difficult to perform.

Another game trait that makes Dead or Alive 2 feel unique is the use of multi-tiered environments. While many 3d fighters in recent years may have stolen this feature introduced in the original version of DOA2, none have put it to the good use that the DOA series has. Knocking opponents through stained glass windows and watching them drop two stories is just thrilling to see. From my experience, it also seems that the falls are now more dramatic, meaning that there’s much more chaos and destruction. My personal favorite is on The Great Wall of China stage, where a character can be sent tumbling down a monstrous flight of stairs; a humorous thing to watch and experience (in the game obvisously). Of course, falls like these take a great toll on a player’s health and some may even see this as a negative factor, and if you’re one of those who do, quit bitching and be aware of your surroundings. It makes perfect sense for falls that would normally cause a person to die to take a massive hit on a character’s health and if such x-factors had not existed in the game, I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be as over-the-top as it is, and in DOA’s case, over-the-top is exactly what you want.

In terms of depth, DOA2 is what you believe it to be. If you approach the game mashing buttons and not knowing what the hell you’re doing, then it’s quite possible that you will perceive the game as a button masher. However, if you sit down and learn one of the game’s characters, you’ll soon begin to realize that the game has a great amount of depth. In fact, truly mastering a character requires knowing the attacks of your opponents as well, because knowing when a character is open to an attack or grapple is key to being a victorious player in DOA2U. If that’s not what you call depth, then I don’t know what is.

Unfortunately, the game’s single-player modes do not force players to learn the game’s characters. While each character features his or her own unique fighting style, there isn’t much of an incentive for players to learn them well when taking characters through the game’s incredibly short story mode, versus matches, and survival modes.

Experience DOA Like Never Before!
Where the game truly shines, is in its Xbox Live multiplayer modes. Xbox Live has done wonders for Tomonubu Itagaki’s Dead or Alive 2 Ultimate. It has added a near never-ending amount of lasting appeal to a game that would have otherwise gotten tossed to the side after a few weeks of play. Simply put, it has made Dead or Alive 2 Ultimate the undisputed champion of online multiplayer capable fighting games. The game’s online modes are even more fleshed out than the game’s single-player modes, and you better believe that’s one hell of an accomplishment.

DOAU’s online modes allow for a number of match types. You have your traditional one on one match types, tag team matches, survival rounds, tournaments, etc. Although, not drastically different than the game’s single-player modes in appearance, the amount of enjoyment found in each of these modes online is hundreds of times more rewarding than the single-player portion of the game could ever hope to aspire. The reason? The human need for competition, and there’s plenty of it online due to the game’s massive community.

Adding to this sense of competition is an amazingly well implemented grade system which starts players off as a "C" ranking, and according to the number of wins and losses against opponents of their own rank, or lower, or greater, each player will be ranked accordingly, describing their skill levels with a simple letter grade. Obviously, no one wants to stay as a "C" ranking, and no one definitely wants to be below that. Each player’s goal should be to rise in the ranks, to make it to that "B" level, to that "A" level, or even to the super levels awarded to the best online players, "SS." Of course, to get higher in the ranks, players will have to learn the game inside out. It isn’t until player’s face skilled opponents online that they realize how much depth DOA2 has, and when realized and understood they will witness and experience some skilfully fought battles.

An interesting feature about the game’s online mode is that, while the game allows for eight players max per room, most of these players are often just spectators of bouts currently going on. So, you’ll often be watching other players go at it one on one while waiting for your turn, and although this may sound a bit boring, watching bouts is more entertaining than many may have initially imagined. Not only does it give you the time to study your opponents, but if looking to have some fun, you can cheer on friends or just simply enjoy all the action that is going on.

Now that which makes or breaks an online experience in any game is the amount of lag or lack-thereof. Thankfully, despite the game’s fast pace, DOAU runs smoothly on Live, at times with zero hindrances in gameplay. However, lag can be encountered from time to time, but that only occurs when a player has a bad connection, or if players are fighting across huge distances. My suggestion is to keep an eye on who you’re playing with and beware, there’s no option to "kick" laggy players.

The final verdict
Dead or Alive Ultimate is exactly what its namesake deems it, ultimate. There is no better fighter on the Xbox, 2d or 3d, that is as enjoyable or as appealing as this re-imaging of Dead or Alive 2. The game features stunning visuals, incredible gameplay that welcomes both beginners and hardcore fighting fans, and an online mode that is so fleshed out that it will never lose its appeal. Think what you may about the series, but realize it’s a matter of opinion and not fact. Dead or Alive Ultimate is a must buy.