By Scott VanderPloeg
Yet another challenger steps up to dethrone Soul Calibur as the best console fighting game. Soul Calibur was the reason I bought a Dreamcast in the first place, but I keep an open mind regarding rivals. I thought Virtua Fighter 3tb would give some grief, and unfortunately it came up stale and outdated.
Dead Or Alive 2 builds on its Playstation predecessor by giving us a fighting game with the emphasis on its variety of moves. Twelve characters to choose from with a full range of throws, strikes and counters. Seven styles of play, most we've seen in others but with new twists. I personally enjoy tag battle, where each side has two characters and you tag out to bring in one another. This feature supports four players, adding a nice mix when you're buddies are over.
This is a hand to hand fighting game, and it delivers. The range of moves for each character is vast and lets a player build a solid repertoire: a beginner plays the basics while experience let's you work the full range. This game is fast paced and doesn't slow down, which is double edged: you get caught up in the action, but your character can take a lot of hits while falling and on the ground. A good player will lay the boots to you in short order without letting you get anything in. But is that good or bad?
Graphics are stunning, with smooth lines and fast animation. Sounds add overall, but don't really make a statement; of course they don't detract either. Backgrounds are richly done, and very interactive: most stages have multiple levels so you can knock a player from a roof and continue the fight on the ground. Very nice.
Overall an excellent fighting title for the Dreamcast. It doesn't dethrone Soul Calibur, since I found the story mode quite short, and spend all my time in the survival mode. Go to www.tecmoinc.com/doa2.htm and check it out: lots of great items available like complete moves lists and the manual. As usual, don't take my word for it: rent it tonight and decide for yourself.
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