After months of huge delays that Tecmo is well known, for the previously titled Dead or Alive Online is now available. Using the title Dead or Alive Ultimate (DOA:U), this latest incarnation of 2 older titles that appeared on other consoles, namely the Saturn or Genesis to Dreamcast and Playstation consoles.

DOA:Ultimate presents two discs and two very different games from different generations of console. The Saturn version of Dead or Alive and an updated version of DOA2: Hardcore which was released on PS2. Come to think about it there are quite a number of DOA games across the consoles and perhaps this version is a testament at establishing the series further for Xbox owners who perhaps may have missed these earlier games.

Gameplay:

Well the core game play remains the same for both versions of the game and pretty much the same as every other fighting game out there. Pick a character, learn a few moves then take on all comers. Obviously you could skip the training and learn as you go along but certain moves are not so obvious to pull off.

What DOA:2 does boast are a wide variety of game modes some playable with 2 players such as verses mode. The other modes on offer are as follows.

Story mode simply tracks your chosen character through several one round stages following a vague plot. Between fights there is an in game scene a few words spoken pre-fight then on to kicking butt again. The story mode whilst not particularly engaging is an impressive way to see your favourite fighter not under your control during the games cut scenes. Also Story mode is key to unlocking the many outfits for the 12 fighters available in this mode.

Tag Mode allows players to pick two characters as part of a tag team. The team then faces off against various opponents. The difference with this mode is the level of tactics that can be employed for example; the player who isn’t fighting gets healed until they are tagged this can be crucial if one of your team has taken sever punishment. What is more tag allows characters to perform some awesome combos and special tag moves which can overwhelm and devastate and an opponent.

Time Attack is your more traditional fighting game set up where its best of two rounds. There are still several stages to complete here but this time as well as the addition of the extra round is as the name suggests a timer. The onus of this mode is to simply demolish the opposition as quickly as possible as opposed to as stylishly as possible.

Survival (kumite) is one of my favourites and certainly is faster paced than any other game mode. Survival pits your chosen fighter or fighters if you opt to play Tag survival, in a ring whereby your task is to fight wave after wave of opponents with no interruptions to the flow of the game. To help you here are various objects which are dropped from defeated foes or by performing ground attacks. These items give you health ups and points and can be crucial to getting high scores or healing after taking a severe beating. There are two ways to play here as players can opt to beat the 100 opponents or they can aim to gain a high score as possible by fighting smart and collecting items. Although the overall aim here is to do both, however crank up the difficulty to very hard and beating 100 might just be a little too much even for the best of us.

Team Battle pits up to 8 fighters in a team verses another 8 fighters with the aim to beat the hell out of the opposing team. Like survival this is a fast paced mode with no interruptions between rounds as new fighters merely jump into the ring to take the place of a defeated team mate. This can be played verses human or CPU and can be great if you have a few friends over.

Watch mode allows players to pick two fighters or four for tag mode and watch them duke it out for eternity. Watch mode is a good way to “view” the characters is also a good way to learn combos and attack patterns. The camera is changeable and offers an excellent way to look at the stunning backgrounds which you will probably be ignoring if you were fighting.

DOA2 also features a replay mode which will record a round and then let you play it back at your leisure. This mode is a great way to show off combos that you have mastered as well as looking good in general depending on how you defeated your opponent.

The fighting itself is a little different for those weaned on DOA3 as being an earlier game certain moves are gone such as Tina’s air throw. A four point counter system (high, medium, low and kick) has been used and works really well especially as the kick counter requires a forwards press of the d-pad or stick. Timing is crucial here if you are to master counters as is a mastery of your opponent’s moves so you can predict what is coming next. What is interesting is playing the original DOA and seeing how the counter system has become more balanced in DOA 2, even though it has changed the pacing of the countering.

Dead or Alive has always been a game made accessible to players of various skills. With enough depth for seasoned masters and ease of use for beginners DOA:Ultimate is an extensive game that offers lots of rewarding combat which is just what fighting games should offer.

Graphics:

Well the graphics were said to be great looking and prior to the game’s launch, eye brows were raised. Well DOA:Ultimate does not fail on this because the game not only plays well but looks like a million dollars also. It’s clear that a lot of love and attention has been put into creating this wonderful looking fighter as the characters look great especially with the new costumes that have been included. The interactive stages are mind numbingly varied, gorgeous and really do a great job of showing how far we’ve come from the early days of gaming. Hey, just put in DOA1 to get the contrast. With some impressive lighting effects and smooth frame rates DOA Ultimate is one heck of an impressive looking game. The Tengu end boss who can change the stage at will and warp the screen is a sight to behold and will further impress those playing and watching.

Sound:

Not as good as the graphics but still reasonable. With Japanese voices used for all the characters including those from other countries DOA:Ultimate offers subtitles for those not familiar with Japanese. For many this approach is the real deal and provides a more authentic playing experience for others a poor oversight and a two fingers up at the rest of the world. Personally I prefer the Japanese voices as my unfamiliarity of the language means that phrases don’t sound repetitive. Anyways talking isn’t a major part of game and amidst the slaps, punches and kick sound effects offers some variety.

The music is also a mixed bag and for me lacks any truly memorable pieces to fight alongside. Perhaps the use of custom soundtracks could have been implemented but I guess you can’t have everything.

Longevity:

DOA:Ultimate is a mixed bag when it comes to longevity, on one hand you have the mastery of the fighters which in all honesty is going to take quite some time. Then you have the game modes in which to unleash you mastered arts. However there is only so much you can do within fighting games. Other fighters have tried addressing this issue by adding an extra mode such as quests or even bowling whereas DOA:U adds nothing. So you are left with a basic fighting game that one or more players can whip out at anytime for a quick blast. For the single player, there is much less incentive for extended play although the modes on offer do address this somewhat.

DOA:Ultimate is fully Xbox Live supported which is absolutely great news for those with the service but not so great for those without. Players can upload their single player scores to an online leader board as well as take part in a number of game modes with up to 7 other World wide players. This hasn’t been attempted before in a fighting game as players who are not fighting get to watch the two that are, as well as chat with the other players in the lobby. Whilst this is extremely cool the issue of lag is an issue and while most games seem ok there is always a moment where it will suddenly lag because someone joined with a poor connection. Until peoples ignorance or perception changes with Xbox Live as to what is possible and what is not then lag will always be an issue. Its just a shame that fighting games and lag really don’t mix very well due to the precise nature of the games. Either way the Live aspect is pretty neat and when it works is a blast to play.

Overall:

DOA:Ultimate is pure fan service for Xbox owners and Live users who may wish to have all DOA games on their chosen system. With stunning graphics and game play that can be tackled on many levels make DOA a series that is here to stay. Although there is a very solid game here for the non Live single player to get the most out of the game Live is definitely the way to go. If you are not that bothered by fighting games or have DOA3 already then I do suggest you take a look as this game as an excellent “showcase” title and a lot of fun to boot. For all other players then I suggest having a look as this game rocks although not too much of a far cry from DOA3 when you remove the online component.