"DoA" has come a long way since then. The counterattack and combo system advanced even further, and the large-breasted female fighters got even more impressive, if, thankfully, a tad less bouncy.
In "Dead or Alive 2," Tecmo was able to single-handedly trounce the competition with a fighting game that not only looked far better than any of its competitors, but offered fighting fans some of the most advanced and refined martial arts on the planet. On the Dreamcast and PS2, the game was nothing short of completely stunning, and light-years ahead of the original PlayStation and Saturn game.
Now, Tecmo has brought Xbox gamers "Dead or Alive 3," and if you're a fighting fan, this is, simply put, a prime reason to own the system. As advanced as the sequel was, DoA3 trumps it in every way. Visually, the game is mind-blowing, the 16 characters are fantastic looking, the arenas even more impressive, and the gameplay just keeps getting better.
Playability Advancing on the play elements from the second game, DoA3 offers up a fine helping of both one-on-one and tag-team action. It sports the usual array of game modes -- story, survival, team battle, single and tag-team matches, and even watch. "Dead or Alive 3" proves to be the best fighting game in years not simply because of graphic panache and cool options, but largely thanks to its incredible playability and refined fighting action.
The counterattack and throwing system has advanced to become more versatile and playable. Novice gamers can learn to play easily, while advanced brawlers can do things like counter throws and even foil the other player's counterattack moves. Most of the 16 characters have distinct martial arts styles. Although some of the characters (such as Leon and Bayman) are a bit too similar, gamers are sure to find a fighter that suits them.
Characters and arenas The three new characters add a lot of flair for fans of the game, adding two new lithe and stylish female fighters and a humorously laid-back drunken-style Kung Fu expert. Another noticeable improvement is in controls of the two wrestling characters, Bass and Tina, who are far more usable and entertaining this time around, complete with some incredible combination wrestling throws. From the Bruce Lee-like Jann Lee, to a full compliment of ninjas, soldiers, assassins, and, of course, teenage girl Kung Fu experts, DoA3 offers a healthy fighting menagerie.
The arenas actually have almost as much personality as the fighters themselves. Some of these exotic locales are multileveled maps where you can kick your opponents off the edge, then watch them plummet down to the next level at a pace so breakneck, it's almost vertigo inducing. You can fight on cliff tops, in gritty urban streets, in a stunning ice cavern, on a beautiful beach, or in a truly incredible-looking forest, among other locales.
Thanks to the power of the Xbox, your characters will leave trails in the snow on a wintry landscape, crash through neon billboards, or just break through stone or ice pillars. The fighting arenas in "Dead or Alive 3" are, by far, more interactive than in any other fighting game out there, with the possible exception of "Powerstone." To sweeten things up even more, a fighter's moves actually change depending upon where they are in the arena. For instance, if you throw opponents near a wall or obstacle, they'll often use the wall in some way -- usually by slamming the other character right into it.
Sound The audio work is terrific, especially when using the Dolby Digital 5.1 capabilities of the Xbox. Aside from the opening and end credit tunes by Aerosmith, the soundtrack in general is excellent. Fighting effects sound great, and the Japanese dialog is well done, even if some of the English subtitles suggest that Tecmo could really use a real writer for the story.
The problems Ironically, the story mode is the weakest link in the game. "Dead or Alive 3," like virtually all these fighters, alludes to a deep, complex story and background for its characters. Unfortunately, aside from slight interludes and fantastic-looking, if generally pointless, prerendered end movies, any actual meaningful bits of plot are almost nonexistent for most of the characters. While this is a fairly slight complaint, a little more effort put into the characters' individual sagas within the game would have been nice.
A moderately larger complaint (again in the story mode) is that the end boss is ludicrously cheap. He can't be thrown, has magical distance attacks (something none of the other characters have), and hurts you when he falls. But worse than that, the game switches to an almost behind-the-character viewpoint when fighting him. While he has plenty of weak points, this new bad guy is often incredibly frustrating to take on depending upon the character you choose. The end boss should have been done much better.
Just the same, the story mode is fairly inconsequential compared to the sheer magnitude of the rest of the game. In multiplayer, with two to four players battling it out, "Dead or Alive 3" is simply one of the greatest fighting games ever made. Stunning graphics, great sound, and topnotch gameplay all add up to an incredible debut for the series on the Xbox.
By: Devin