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> Results: Dead or Alive 4
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Every console launch lineup should include one fighting game. The Xbox 360 found its way to retail stores without an available fighter, but Dead or Alive 4 arrived soon after, thus providing the type of game that helps sell systems. It's pretty, it's easily accessible and it shows off a lot of the new features of the console even if it doesn't break any new ground in fisticuff systems.
The fighting is still similar to Sega's Virtua Fighter. There are three main buttons, one to punch, one to kick and one called Free which functions as a block button and a modifier for the other two. Absolutely anyone can pick up a controller and look like a champ in this game until their opponent figures out how to counter. Countering is done by pushing the d-pad or control stick in a specific direction while pressing a button. The necessary controller motion is based on the angle of attack. This makes it easy to suck in an aggressive player and turn the match around quickly.  Countering also gives this game its identity. Planning to counter is a viable strategy, especially with someone like Brad Wong, who is unorthodox to begin with as he fights in his drunken master style. It's always something to be aware of as you string together combos. You can even use that to your advantage by skipping out of canned combos early as your opponent goes for a counter. After his motion completes, you start into another combo and rack up the hits. Timing is rather forgiving when countering but the need to get the height of the attack right balances out the system. It's not perfect, and some will despise the ability to get snatched out of their offensive flow, but it certainly creates tactical choices. The single player game is a romp through the stories of each character followed by rounds of Survival and Time Attack. The final boss is Neo Geo hard (and cheap), meaning she will bludgeon your butt tens of times before you finally win. Completing any of the modes unlocks new costumes, an essential part of any Dead or Alive game. The girls are pretty and the team at Tecmo makes no bones about providing these dress-up dolls for you to fight with. The graphics are not so far advanced over Dead or Alive 3 or Ultimate that your jaw will drop, but the game is fast, animated extremely well and is at times absolutely stunning. Stage highlights include a battle among the dinosaurs, one on the African plain, a scuffle in a marketplace complete with breakable vegetable crates, and the best is a brawl on the nighttime streets of Las Vegas. Bone crunching sound emphasizes the hard hitting action in all the environments. This game upholds the series' tradition of great striking physics where you can almost feel the hits. Multiplayer fighting can be done off or online and features a similar set up to Dead or Alive Ultimate on the original Xbox. Players wait in line to match up against the one-on-one match champ. If everyone has a headset, this leads to a lot of great banter about the fights, the game, and just about anything else. It's akin to standing around the arcade machine with quarter in hand waiting for your turn. Time goes by surprisingly fast while you wait. You must be prepared though or you'll be right back at the end of the line all over again, skills shredded. You can always pop out to the lobby for a moment and watch the action from there or mess with other settings. There's a massive amount of customization available there with each player choosing the motif and their own avatars. It's totally superfluous to play though.  With a sizable roster of fighters, a number of them hidden, plenty of costumes to unlock (though not as many as in Ultimate) and a solid fighting system, this game does what a launch era fighter needs to. It shows off what the system is capable of graphically while at the same time highlighting the Live experience in many unique ways. Some of the Achievements you earn are humorous little jabs at player skill and though it sometimes suffers from lag, it's great to have a constant roster of live opponents to fight any time of day or night. Not groundbreaking, but still a great addition to any Xbox 360 library, especially in these early days after launch. 
The game is playful with sex and violence, easily earning its rating. Most of the stuff folks will find objectionable is in the movies that punctuate story mode for some of the characters. There are scenes of graphic violence that snatch an M-rating with no trouble. There are also scenes featuring the girls in provocative positions and revealing attire. There is even some topless nudity though no nipples are ever seen.
During the fights, the trademark "jiggle" is constant and distracting even though we've seen it for years now. What's more disturbing is that the boobs only move up and down rather than with a full range of motion. Namco solved that one with Soul Calibur II so you'd think that Tecmo could get proper boob physics down by now. Christie has a few outfits that you wouldn't see anywhere other than a porn film, too. It's probably most important to note that it's not only sex that earns this game the Mature rating. The violence in a couple of the movies is excessive. So even if you're ok with your young teen playing the game because sex isn't taboo in your house, the violence might put the kibosh on the whole thing. Comments? Chat about it in our forums! Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Browse Amazon.com's selection of "Dead or Alive" themed games Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Dead or Alive 4 |
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