Just like with the Xbox launch, Dead or Alive is here (a few weeks late) to usher in the next generation of gaming. Unfortunately, there isn’t really anything next generation about Dead or Alive 4. With just a few tweaks, this is the same Dead or Alive we’ve been playing for years now. It’s still a fun, albeit shallow, fighter, but it would’ve been nice to see Team Ninja be a little more ambitious with their first next generation effort. Regardless, fighting fans with a 360 will want to give this one a look.

Like past DOA games, the fighting engine is fast and relatively simple. This entry plays a bit faster than previous games, but it’s very easy for veterans to adapt and casual players won’t even notice. The heart of Dead or Alive is still its counter system. By inputting the correct direction and pressing the counter button at just the right time, you can redirect your opponent’s attack back at him. It’s just a matter of predicting your opponent and timing it properly. Thankfully, counter damage has been lessened quite a bit from DOA: Ultimate, so they’re pretty well balanced, but still damaging.

Because of their power, counters can completely change the flow of a battle. Avoiding a counter means being unpredictable in battle. Someone that continually executes the same moves will be easy to read, and therefore easy to counter. If you have a habit of always doing a low kick to start your combos, a skilled player will see that low kick coming and counter you. The rules obviously work the other way, too, meaning that part of doing well in the game is watching your opponent’s moves. All of the moves themselves are easy to execute, meaning that with a little memorization, even an average player has full access to the move list.

The fighting areas are definitely worth mentioning. Most arenas play a big role in the fights. Knocking your opponent off of a cliff or into, say, a dinosaur, not only causes damage, but also takes the fight to a new location. Ending a combo by kicking someone down a flight of stairs is very satisfying, and it adds an extra little layer of depth to the fighting. Sometimes the arenas fight back, as well. In one level passing cars can strike the fighters, and there are a few other stages with hazards like that.

All of that makes the combat highly enjoyable, but unfortunately the game doesn’t still offer a whole lot to the single-playing gamer. There is a bare-bones story mode, whose main purpose is to unlock more characters and costumes. The prerendered ending cinema for each charater is a nice touch, though. Make sure to at least check out Lei Fang’s and Zack’s; they’re pretty hilarious. Other than that, there’s the requisite survival mode, pitting the player against an endless supply of computer opponents, and a few team and tag-team modes, but it’s all the same thing, basically. The fighting is what matters, yes, but it would be interesting to see what Team Ninja could do with some kind of mission mode.

Online play works pretty much the same as it did in DOA: Ultimate. It’s set up like a virtual arcade, where players can spectate matches while waiting for their turn. It’s a lot of fun, and unlike DOA: Ultimate, we’ve had no lag problems whatsoever. There’s a kind of useless lobby avatar system in place, where you can earn money by winning matches to customize your avatar. The only problem is that you can’t see other player’s avatars when waiting in line to play, so the only time you’d really ever see someone’s is if you entered a room that wasn’t playing. There are quite a few avatar parts, though, so maybe that will give some players a reason to keep playing.

Visually, DOA4 doesn’t quite impress. It doesn’t look bad, that’s for sure. The backgrounds are filled with activity and look very detailed. Likewise, the character models are top notch and feature all kinds of nice little touches. It’s also blazing fast and silky smooth. So, how is it lacking? It just doesn’t feel like a huge step up from the Xbox versions of the game. It certainly looks better, but not really “next-generation” better. Hopefully the next iteration of the franchise will feature some substantially better graphics.



Article By: Joe