(LAST UPDATE: 6/25/09)
Developer(s): Team Ninja
Publisher(s): Tecmo
Designer(s): Tomonobu Itagaki
Platform(s): Arcade,
Dreamcast, Playstation 2 (As DOA2 - Hardcore)
Release: October 16th, 1999 (Arcade), February 27th 2000 (NA
Dreamcast), September 28th 2000 (JP Dreamcast)
Characters:
Ein,
Leon,
Lei
Fang, Tina,
Bass,
Kasumi,
Zack,
Ayane,
Hayabusa,
Helena, Gen
Fu, Jann Lee,
Tengu
Related Games:
Dead
or Alive, Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore, Dead
or Alive 3, Dead or Alive 4
Story:
A great leader was killed at the end
of the 20th century. His name was Fame Douglas, and he was renowned as the
sponsor of the legendary Dead or Alive World Combat Championship. Since his
death, and in the absence of his charisma and leadership, the world has become
chaotic. Yet something appears to be transpiring. Amid this chaos, it is
announced that the "Dead or Alive Championship 2" will be held.
However, Douglas's passing has taken with it the purpose and significance of the
tournament. Even worse, the promoter of "Dead or Alive Championship
2", who is fond of conflicts and jealous of the string, is responsible for
Douglas's death. The new promoter is more than a corrupt mastermind, but a man
of pure evil. His involvement in the tournament has brought a sense of terror to
the world, resulting in the infamous Tengu disaster that occurred at the end of
the 20th century. The climax of the disaster is about to begin with a roaring
battle.
.
.
.
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Review: Tecmo's
second installment to their fighting series brought forward a very innovative step
in 3D fighting games... "Multi-tiered" fighting. Arguably the main draw of DOA2
is the fact that characters are able to
knock each other off of high areas / platforms, through a guard rail, etc., and continue fighting a lower level.
Although completely
unrealistic to get knocked off a building and keep fighting, multi-tiered
stages offered some flashy gameplay, and along with the games sharp graphics,
DOA2 offered some great eye-candy. And yes the bouncy boobs are interesting to
watch too. 
.
Tecmo somewhat fleshed out the character designs by adding in a story mode, but characters
just don't seem to have as vivid of personalities as some of our classic
fighting game favorites... Especially the females. The girls of DOA just
seem to want to show off their boobies and don't have much of a purpose
for fighting at all. All the guys have pretty decent fighting styles, but again,
their overall designs simply pale in comparison to Tekken
Tag's characters, for example. The fighting styles of DOA aren't represented
as well as they could be, and animation can be quite awkward at times. Overall,
it looks good though.
.
In DOA2 for
the Dreamcast, you can fight 1 on 1 playing the story mode, Tag Battle
Mode which allows for 2 vs 2 tag team fighting, and also an addicting Survival
mode. The gameplay in general is solid, but counters are overly easy to
perform. Basically, there's a high counter and a low counter, and 9 times
out of 10 that you try a counter, you'll probably succeed if you have any
sort of timing... Easy stuff really, which really hurts the game in high level
play. Counters sure do look pretty however, especially since
each character has his/her own unique throws, but as for the gameplay;
it's way to "noob proof." There are some cool combo possibilities
in DOA2, but when counters can be used at any time and so frequently, the actual
gameplay becomes a bit stale.
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- Review is for Dreamcast version of Dead or Alive 2 - |
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8 / 10 |
Closing Comment:
DOA2 was an interesting and "next gen" looking 3D fighter at the time.
It was worth trying out and learning how to play. The high points
in this game would once again be the graphics, and the very large and details...
boobies.... 
I meant "stages." Yes, the backgrounds of DOA2 look really
cool, and sometimes are just fun to explore and find somewhere new to knock
your opponent. Overlooking some awkward moments, the animation is top stuff, especially hit effects,
giving DOA2 a very impressive "ouch factor." The tag team special throws
are also quite satisfying and just make you cringe.
Still, the series seemed to have a
one-tracked mind, favoring the boob bounce over actual martial arts &
fighting, or gameplay for that matter ... Hmm, if only the counter system was as detailed as Kasumi's
boobies. Overall,
it's a fun 3D fighter that no one should miss.
~F.Yagami,
Webmaster
of TFG
.