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'hitting the 360 hard'
 Developer: Team Ninja / Tecmo
Publisher: Microsoft
Official Site
Category: : Fighting
Platform: X-Box 360 ONLY
Might look like: DOA 3 ?
Date posted: 15 March 2006
Written By: Mike
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The fourth instalment
Team Ninjas' hard hitting beat-em-up franchise finally continues on the Xbox 360 with the late launch of Dead or Alive 4 - filled with fast paced action and beautifully rendered graphics, an improved fighting system and the introduction of online play.
The fourth instalment of the series builds on the showcase game Dead or Alive 3, which was released at the launch of the original Xbox.
At first glance, it seems there has been little change in the game play compared to previous games (punch, throw then punch some more) though this couldn't be further from the truth.
While it is still the same animé-styled, Japanese fighter that many of us have come to love, there has been many small tweaks that put this game ahead of the later DOA launch that was Dead or Alive: Ultimate. These changes have aided in solving major problem that accompanies so many beat-em-ups: longevity. Many a Tekken and Virtua Fighter have found themselves gathering dust under a bed after a few hours of unlocking charectors and watching humorous movies.
While this aspect still remains (with 6 unlockable charectors and many funny, if slightly disturbing, movies to watch) the variety of features and accessible online play add hours, if not days, of enjoyment.
More DOA !
The way the game fills those hours off-line is through the multitude of different modes available. Story Mode (eight matches leading to your chosen fighter concluding their involvement in the DOATEC storyline), Time Attack, Versus, Survival, Team Battle, Sparring (practice you moves on a stationary computer opponent), Watch (make two AI opponents lay into each other indefinitely), User, Battle Viewer (watch recorded battles), Rankings (compare yourself against the best) and finally DOA Online.
As you can see, a lot to keep you occupied. If its not enough to just unlock the charectors, there's a massive 45 achievements just waiting to be unlocked.
These range from revealing the costumes of all the charectors (who it seems have more clothing than Victoria Beckham) to winning 100 straight wins online - and its the online area where many-a-player is likely to find themselves.
  
Alive GamePlay
While the visuals are one of the best on the Xbox 360 so far, the game play is still gripping through and through.
The charectors available to chose from as soon as you receive the game are Brad Wong, Bass, Bayman, Eliot, Leifang, La Mariposa, Christie, Tina, Hayate, Kasumi, Kokoro, Jann Lee, Ayane, Hayabusa, Hitome and Zack.
Combined with this are the unlockable's including Leon, Ein, Helena, Tengu, Gen Fu and a surprising appearance of Bungie's Spartan-458 from the Halo series.
Team Ninja have balanced each character even more successfully than in previous titles, for example the bulky, difficult to master Bass can pull out devastating grapples once mastered and charectors that seem strong on the surface (such as Jann Lee and Zack) can be easily countered.
If you can call the countering system easy. That section of the game play has been completely revamped - no longer can you pull out a string of counters at the bash of a controller.
Each counter now must be expertly timed and do less damage than in DOA3 or DOAU. While this will anger the veterans of previous games in the series who are looking to sit down and shift their expertise from 'Dead or Alive: Ultimate' to the newest release, it adds balance to the matches- especially online or when playing with friends.
While this section of the combat structure has been improved, momentum still has a heavily influence when fighting - gain the upper hand for longer than a few moments and you can destroy your opponent in seconds.
While this has caused me more than a few periods of anger as a drunken Brad Wong pulls a 10 hit combo which no amount of button bashing can stop, these occurrences are usually remedied with the fluctuation of momentum between the fighters.
The environment plays a less important role in DOA4 also, with the restriction that players are unable to be killed when thrown through a wall or off a fifty-foot cliff. While, if not realistic (I'm sure falling off a cliff surely kill you in most cases) it does prevent the exploitation of continually bashing your opponent into oblivion.
Detailed Candy but ...
Continuing on from this leads me to the "eye candy" in Dead or Alive 4. The first major thing you notice when you play your first match is the astounding detail in the backdrops for each area.
Each map contains gorgeous vegetation, stunning water variations and fluid animal and vehicle movements.
Lighting, especially in the urban area's, shows the power of the Xbox 360 with shadows and shifting lights galore. While the backdrops are almost photo-real, the charectors are not as perfect.
While there's no mistake that they're still smooth and crisp, with many charectors hair flowing realistically over robed shoulders and fighting manoeuvres taking place as they would in your local karate dojo, there seems to be little improvement over the Xbox predecessor.
The lack of facial emotion and bodily expressions is also evident, which is surprising considering the power contained within the 360.
This is disappointing, as if the charectors were as spectacular as the backgrounds it would add the final topping to the Dead or Alive cake.
  
An ONLINE beauty
Team Ninja have failed to disappoint in regards to their integration over Xbox Live, with the online area being one of the most enjoyable aspects of the game.
Online, players are able to play Quick match, Custom Match or Optimatch. This ability to tweak and change the settings of their matches grip players for long periods of time. The customisable avatars, rankings and settings also allow users to add their own personal touch to their online activities.
The wacky lobby is startling at first, with its almost childlike appearance, yet once you get used to it its easy to use (even if it reminds you of a episode of Teletubbies gone wrong).
In regards to online play, there was little noticeable lag - only a few instances of major spikes resulting in charectors appearing to be swimming through treacle. Although this did happen, it was rare and the majority of the matches were lag free.
It seems the developers have put a lot of effort into maintaining a high standard of game play online as there was no instances of merging bodies or floating heads, which is always reassuring.
Conclusion
Overall, Dead or Alive 4 is a breath of fresh air in the FPS and driving world that is the Xbox 360 at the moment. While it is not a huge advancement on the previous Dead or Alive titles, it adds enough features, especially online play, to warrant its worth.
The beautifully rendered backgrounds and balanced combat system will please new entries to the world of DOA and seasoned fighters will soon learn to love the new addition to the Dead or Alive franchise.
-Mike
Ratings
Manual:
/ % |
Graphics:
85% |
Music & Sfx:
80% |
GamePlay:
93% |
|
This game scores
on our 5-point Rating System
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