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Published
by Tecmo
Developed by Team Ninja
Release Date: Out Now
Price: £39.99
They
thrilled us with great graphics and a great fighting system
on the Xbox Launch almost three years ago and they disappointed
us with a poor Beach Volleyball game almost two years ago.
Thankfully though the Dead or Alive team are back again
doing what they do best, fighting. The lamentable Dead or
Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball aside the Dead or Alive series
has been a big success for Tecmo and Dead or Alive Ultimate
gives Xbox gamers the chance to experience the delights
of the first and second game in the series.
With
two games in the box, each on its own disk, you're not short
of modes to play. Dead or Alive offers are Arcade, Time
Attack, Survival, Kumite (you have a choice of fighting
30, 50 and 100 opponents individually with the aim being
to defeat them as quickly as possible) and Training. Dead
or Alive 2 offers, DOA 2 Story, Time Attack, Survival, Tag
Battle, Team Battle, Versus and Sparring (essentially the
practice/training mode) and Watch (where you watch two CPU
controlled players battle it out). Most Dead or Alive fans
would probably have been content with the games being bought
to the Xbox but Tecmo have gone one step further and have
added Xbox Live support for both games. DOA Online offers
1 on 1 and Tag-Team battles. Tournaments can be created
and Survival and Kumite modes are also included. Tecmo have
enabled a virtual queue system where the players (up to
8 in total with 2 playing and 6 watching) can watch the
current fight taking place whilst they wait to fight the
winner. As well as making this feel like an arcade experience
it also allows you to check out the fighting style of your
prospective opponents. Hearing gamers will enjoy being able
to talk to each other but this is one feature that deaf
gamers will miss out on. You can just set up fights for
you and a friend though if you prefer a more traditional
Xbox Live experience.
Although
there are two games in this Dead or Alive compilation if
truth be told most gamers will concentrate on Dead or Alive
2. It looks and plays so much better than the first game
that the difference is quite amazing. Dead or Alive has
8 fighters on offer including favourites such as Kasumi,
Ryu Hayabusa and Lei Fang. Dead or Alive 2 on the other
hand has 15 fighters. In addition to the aforementioned
favourites you also have Ein, Ayane and 3 unlockable fighters
which is much more satisfying. The control feels much more
fluid and responsive. I honestly found it difficult to go
back to the first game after playing Dead or Alive 2. That
said though gamers who played didn't own the first game
will appreciate being able to play the game although it
has to be said that apart from the online mode Tecmo haven't
really done that much with the original game in the series
whereas Dead or Alive 2 has been superbly enhanced.
Let's
be honest here. Although Dead or Alive 3 was a great fighting
game the thing that wowed most gamers was the look of the
game. The graphics were stunning and it's debatable as to
whether their quality has yet been surpassed in any console
game. Dead or Alive and its sequel though were created for
other consoles. Dead or Alive appeared on the PSone and
SEGA Saturn whilst its sequel appeared on the Dreamcast
and PlayStation 2 so obviously their graphical quality is
going to be nowhere near as good as the third game on the
Xbox. Thankfully though the games as they are in Dead or
Alive Ultimate have been enhanced and whilst the original
game still seems poor (and it has to be said very basic)
by the graphical standards of the Xbox; the sequel definitely
has that Dead or Alive 3 look about it. The environments
the fights take place in (which are partially destructible)
look superb and the character models are once again brilliant.
The famous boob bouncing physics are once again in full
swing, looking very realistic indeed. In fact it's difficult
to find fault with the visuals in Dead or Alive 2.
Just
like Dead or Alive 3 the games are both deaf gamer friendly.
The speech in Dead or Alive 2 is actually Japanese so all
of this receives English subtitles. This basically means
you'll be able to fully enjoy the movies in the game's story
mode. For the most part though there is little in the way
of speech in the games (particularly Dead or Alive) so you'll
have no trouble enjoying the game. Of course during an Xbox
Live game communications are made verbally which means deaf
gamers will be at a disadvantage and you have to wonder
why text communication support (and support for a keyboard)
has not yet been added to the Xbox Live service. Let's hope
that in the future that full communication support for deaf
gamers is added to the Xbox Live service and the games that
use it.
Dead
or Alive Ultimate is a must for fans of fighting games as
it not only allows them to play enhanced versions of the
first two games in the series but also gives them the opportunity
to take the Dead or Alive experience online. Whilst it's
great to have the two Dead or Alive games bought to the
Xbox I think most gamers will only be concerned with playing
Dead or Alive 2 because it's so much better than the original
game in just about every department. The lack of improvement
to Dead or Alive is by no means a disappointment though
and the package as a whole will be a must have for fans
of the fighting game genre.
Overall
Game Rating: 8.5/10
Dead or Alive Ultimate is a great compilation for fans of
the fighting genre. The enhancements to Dead or Alive 2
are superb and it looks and plays great. Dead or Alive still
looks like a very old game though. That said fans of the
series will appreciate the Xbox Live features in both games.
Deaf
Gamers Classification:
(Click
the letter or here
for details)
What little speech is in the game
is subtitled. You won't be able to communicate in Xbox Live
modes however as it's voice communications only.
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