Dead or Alive Ultimate

Dead or Alive Ultimate doesn’t play any differently from the already three year old DOA3, but it is still a worthy title to add to your collection simply because it is bigger and even more polished than any DOA game before it. You are getting a port of the Saturn version of the original DOA along with a completely reworked version of DOA2 and both of them can be played online via Xbox Live and it is very smooth. Also, now you can have the entire series on your Xbox. Good times.

Combat

The weak point of the Dead or Alive series has always been that the combat was rather simplistic compared to other games in the genre and DOAU doesn’t do anything to change that. You have one kick button, one punch button, one throw button, and one button for counters. Different combinations of punches and kicks along with different directions on the D-pad or stick give you combo moves and special attacks. Throws are executed by pressing the throw button along with a direction. Counters are performed by pressing the counter button and a direction at the perfect time so you can turn your opponent’s attack against them. And that is basically it. Truthfully, it isn’t as simple as all that, and to be effective you have to practice quite a bit, particularly for counters, but compared to other 3D fighters DOA isn’t nearly as deep. What does that mean to a casual fan? Not much. But for a hardcore fighting fan, there isn’t enough in DOAU to keep them interested for very long. Please don’t misinterpret the somewhat negative tone so far in this review. The game is still very fun, but it is hard to deny that it wouldn’t be a lot better if there were more meat to the gameplay.

It Is Simple, Yet Effective

What the fighting in DOA has going for it is an incredible flow and a very fast pace. In the hands of someone that knows what they are doing and can link lots of moves together into long, flowing combos, DOAU is a beautiful game. The speed of the game has also been increased over the already quick DOA3. The result is a game that is lightning quick and pretty satisfying. Counters are tricky to pull off, but they are essential to your success, so when you can finally pull them off consistently it is a great feeling. Also, each of the characters fights with a different style which makes mastering each character a fun challenge. This is still a fun game even with its shortcomings.

Something that I think really enhances the DOA formula is the tag team matches. The fighting is fun with one character, but add in a partner that you can tag in at will and the game becomes a whole different animal. You can perform special tag moves and combos and produce some spectacular results. Tag matches are even faster and more frantic than the singles fights and I honestly think they are the best part of the DOA series.

Like It Or Not, The Ladies Are The Stars

Similar to the Mortal Kombat series (see my review of MK: Deception here), Dead or Alive is successful mostly due to the popularity of its characters. Specifically in DOA, the female characters. The ladies of DOA really are beautiful and, well, they kick high. If they weren’t in the game, I really doubt the series would be as successful as it is. The male characters certainly aren’t interesting enough to keep you hooked to the simplistic fighting since they are all cookie cutter copies of clichéd fighters that have been in every game since Street Fighter II. The women, on the other hand, are unique, beautiful, and fun to watch. If bouncing breasts and frequent panty shots aren’t your thing, then you obviously aren’t a fan of DOA, but don’t think poorly of the rest of us. Considering just how many copies each DOA game sells, I think that the audience consists of a lot more than just horny teenagers who can’t get a date like the DOA naysayers would like the rest of the world to think. The strong female characters appeal to both men and women, which is something that not very many games can claim with too much confidence. Sure the women have comically large breasts, but is that really such a crime?

Great Value

When you purchase Dead or Alive Ultimate, you are actually getting two full games instead of just one. The two-disc set includes a port of the Saturn version of the original Dead or Alive and a revamped version of Dead or Alive 2. The original DOA hasn’t been updated at all and seems to have been included simply so Xbox owners can have the entire series on one system. It does include Xbox Live play, but that isn’t enough to make the dated graphics and gameplay any better. The real star of DOA Ultimate is the updated version of DOA2. It looked great when it was released on the Dreamcast and PS2, but now it has been given a complete graphical overhaul and is one of the most stunning games ever released. It has also been updated with loads of new costumes and unlockable content as well. Each of the characters have a handful of extra costumes, but as you would expect the women get considerably more. They are the stars, after all. Another great bonus in DOAU is that you can unlock the booster content for DOA3 when you unlock all of the characters. This is a nice bonus and is a relatively easy way for those of us who couldn’t get our hands on the issues of Official Xbox Magazine to get the extra content for DOA3.