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January 3, 2006 | 11:02 AM PST
by: Chad Mullikin
With every console launch there always seems to be a decent sized gap between launch games and new releases that are worth playing. So far, the Xbox 360 has been the exception to this rule. Not only did it have a great launch but also it took little more than a month for one of the best console fighting games to hit the 360: Dead or Alive 4.
The masters at Team Ninja may take their sweet time with games and their boss man, Tomonobu Itagaki, is definitely different compared to other game developers; but that seems to be their style. They strive for nothing short of perfection with every title they release and that has made them one of the most well-known development teams in the industry. Their dedication to perfection certainly shines through in Dead or Alive 4
It’s Evolution Baby!
To start things off, Team Ninja has really gotten the speed down to a science with DOA 4 everything moves at a blazing fast 60 FPS. The animations are also fluid and fast, and just downright beautiful and not to mention load times are almost non-existent.
DOA 4 offers several different modes of play; survival, story, team, time attack, and of course online, are the big ones. As in most fighting games, the story mode itself really isn’t important nor is it that interesting, and it really only serves as a means of unlocking more characters and outfits and seeing some of the wacky endings. Survival mode simply places you in a ring and let's you attempt to defeat as many opponents as you possibly can before the time expires or you are beaten. Team mode is about what you'd expect, and Time mode is just a challenge to beat story mode with a quick time (it also serves to unlock outfits).
Online mode is where Dead or Alive 4 really shines, however. There are tons of match options including winner stays, tournament, loser stays, Kumite, and survival. The online mode is fun and allows for a lot of customization with avatars. The only real downfall with the online play is the lag and occasional freezing of the game. Sometimes, when the AMN staff got together for an online throw down we encountered a combination of lag and freezing, especially when a certain Canadian 360 EIC joined in on the mayhem. The lag while bad isn’t the end of the world. Often times, you can avoid it by keeping the rooms small. I personally didn’t find it to really hamper the enjoyment I have gotten out of the game. It doesn't even affect the match very much because both of the fighters lag evenly so no one has an unfair advantage. If both fighters are moving slow, they both can use it to their advantage. Aside from the lag issues, online is easily the most entertaining aspect of DOA 4 with several match options, wacky lobbies, silly customizable avatars, and a ranking system that makes for some very competitive online rivalries (Shawn Sinclaire and myself for example).
The fighting system in DOA 4 is for the most part unchanged from what was done with DOA 2 Ultimate. The countering system is still easy to learn, incredibly tough to master, and the button configurations for the moves largely stay the same. The highly detailed environments, new characters, and sped-up gameplay help separate DOA 4 from past titles in the series though. The newfound speed makes the already tough countering system even harder to master, because it will take precise on-the-spot timing to counter moves in DOA 4. In addition to the revamped counter system and faster speed of DOA 4, Team Ninja has also taken the liberty to make counters a lot less effective than they were in previous DOA titles. In the predecessors, you could simply pull off a counter (which was a lot easier to do before) and diminish a great deal of your opponent's life bar. Now counters are not one way tickets to victory but more like ways to stop your opponent from kicking your ass. DOA 4 has slightly changed from the past games in the series, but a slight change is still a change and it may take some fans a bit of time to adapt to the changes.
Pretty, Oh So Pretty
Visually, Dead or Alive 4 doesn’t really look like a major next-gen leap. But simple images don’t do this title justice whereas seeing it in motion is simply breath taking. The environments are brimming with life and details. Civilians and animals will clear the way when the fight gets close to them and objects in the environment can be used to your advantage. The characters themselves are also stunning; with fluid animations. The way the clothes and hair react to the wind and player’s movement is amazing to watch.
The environmental effects are what really impress visually in DOA4 as each stage offers something different. Some stages will have cherry blossoms fall from the sky as you wage war while others will have animals running around the stage in real time waiting for an opportunity to attack you, your opponent, or both of you. These effects really added to my enjoyment of Dead or Alive 4. The visuals are so impressive you can focus of the fight at hand and just to get lost in the beautiful water or tree branches falling to the ground after tossing or being tossed off the bridge in the Waterfall Valley stage.
Dead or Alive 4
Unlockables
Ninja really spared no expense when adding unlockable content and it shows. There are several different outfits for each character, avatars for online lobbies, accessories for said avatars, Zack points to spend online, and new characters to be found. Some of the unlockables must be purchased in the Zack shop and others have to be won in story, survival, or time attack mode. Some of the best content are the awesome videos after conquering story and time attack mode with a character. They all look amazing though and a lot of them offer quite a bit of fan service for those of you out there with Kasumi love pillows and posters of DOA girls on your wall.
Final Word
Fighting games are rarely this good and DOA 4 is damn close to perfection, but there is significant lag online and few other minor issues that keep it from being a perfect fighting game. This is easily the best game currently available for the 360 and one that everyone should own, especially those with Live Gold.
-- Chad Mullikin
Second Opinion
Dead or Alive 4 is easily one of the best Xbox 360 games yet. The fighter is a great combination of addicting, fast-paced gameplay and deep play mechanics. The single-player storyline mode is very challenging and satisfying. It will keep you busy for a while. And when you’re done with it, the online mode will keep you hooked for a long time. Hopefully, Tecmo fixes some of the lag issues in the future, because as is, it can be a problem. What’s more, the offline multiplayer is competitive and fun.
Dead or Alive 4 is a great purchase for fighting fans and Dead or Alive fans alike.
-- Phillip Levin
The masters at Team Ninja may take their sweet time with games and their boss man, Tomonobu Itagaki, is definitely different compared to other game developers; but that seems to be their style. They strive for nothing short of perfection with every title they release and that has made them one of the most well-known development teams in the industry. Their dedication to perfection certainly shines through in Dead or Alive 4
It’s Evolution Baby!
To start things off, Team Ninja has really gotten the speed down to a science with DOA 4 everything moves at a blazing fast 60 FPS. The animations are also fluid and fast, and just downright beautiful and not to mention load times are almost non-existent.
DOA 4 offers several different modes of play; survival, story, team, time attack, and of course online, are the big ones. As in most fighting games, the story mode itself really isn’t important nor is it that interesting, and it really only serves as a means of unlocking more characters and outfits and seeing some of the wacky endings. Survival mode simply places you in a ring and let's you attempt to defeat as many opponents as you possibly can before the time expires or you are beaten. Team mode is about what you'd expect, and Time mode is just a challenge to beat story mode with a quick time (it also serves to unlock outfits).
Online mode is where Dead or Alive 4 really shines, however. There are tons of match options including winner stays, tournament, loser stays, Kumite, and survival. The online mode is fun and allows for a lot of customization with avatars. The only real downfall with the online play is the lag and occasional freezing of the game. Sometimes, when the AMN staff got together for an online throw down we encountered a combination of lag and freezing, especially when a certain Canadian 360 EIC joined in on the mayhem. The lag while bad isn’t the end of the world. Often times, you can avoid it by keeping the rooms small. I personally didn’t find it to really hamper the enjoyment I have gotten out of the game. It doesn't even affect the match very much because both of the fighters lag evenly so no one has an unfair advantage. If both fighters are moving slow, they both can use it to their advantage. Aside from the lag issues, online is easily the most entertaining aspect of DOA 4 with several match options, wacky lobbies, silly customizable avatars, and a ranking system that makes for some very competitive online rivalries (Shawn Sinclaire and myself for example).
The fighting system in DOA 4 is for the most part unchanged from what was done with DOA 2 Ultimate. The countering system is still easy to learn, incredibly tough to master, and the button configurations for the moves largely stay the same. The highly detailed environments, new characters, and sped-up gameplay help separate DOA 4 from past titles in the series though. The newfound speed makes the already tough countering system even harder to master, because it will take precise on-the-spot timing to counter moves in DOA 4. In addition to the revamped counter system and faster speed of DOA 4, Team Ninja has also taken the liberty to make counters a lot less effective than they were in previous DOA titles. In the predecessors, you could simply pull off a counter (which was a lot easier to do before) and diminish a great deal of your opponent's life bar. Now counters are not one way tickets to victory but more like ways to stop your opponent from kicking your ass. DOA 4 has slightly changed from the past games in the series, but a slight change is still a change and it may take some fans a bit of time to adapt to the changes.
Pretty, Oh So Pretty
Visually, Dead or Alive 4 doesn’t really look like a major next-gen leap. But simple images don’t do this title justice whereas seeing it in motion is simply breath taking. The environments are brimming with life and details. Civilians and animals will clear the way when the fight gets close to them and objects in the environment can be used to your advantage. The characters themselves are also stunning; with fluid animations. The way the clothes and hair react to the wind and player’s movement is amazing to watch.
The environmental effects are what really impress visually in DOA4 as each stage offers something different. Some stages will have cherry blossoms fall from the sky as you wage war while others will have animals running around the stage in real time waiting for an opportunity to attack you, your opponent, or both of you. These effects really added to my enjoyment of Dead or Alive 4. The visuals are so impressive you can focus of the fight at hand and just to get lost in the beautiful water or tree branches falling to the ground after tossing or being tossed off the bridge in the Waterfall Valley stage.
Dead or Alive 4
Unlockables
Ninja really spared no expense when adding unlockable content and it shows. There are several different outfits for each character, avatars for online lobbies, accessories for said avatars, Zack points to spend online, and new characters to be found. Some of the unlockables must be purchased in the Zack shop and others have to be won in story, survival, or time attack mode. Some of the best content are the awesome videos after conquering story and time attack mode with a character. They all look amazing though and a lot of them offer quite a bit of fan service for those of you out there with Kasumi love pillows and posters of DOA girls on your wall.
Final Word
Fighting games are rarely this good and DOA 4 is damn close to perfection, but there is significant lag online and few other minor issues that keep it from being a perfect fighting game. This is easily the best game currently available for the 360 and one that everyone should own, especially those with Live Gold.
-- Chad Mullikin
Second Opinion
Dead or Alive 4 is easily one of the best Xbox 360 games yet. The fighter is a great combination of addicting, fast-paced gameplay and deep play mechanics. The single-player storyline mode is very challenging and satisfying. It will keep you busy for a while. And when you’re done with it, the online mode will keep you hooked for a long time. Hopefully, Tecmo fixes some of the lag issues in the future, because as is, it can be a problem. What’s more, the offline multiplayer is competitive and fun.
Dead or Alive 4 is a great purchase for fighting fans and Dead or Alive fans alike.
-- Phillip Levin
November 20, 2009
