Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 26
 Ninjitsu Soap Opera April 21, 2005
Colin "The Ninja Guy" (LA, CA)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
I have not exactly played a lot of fighting games. In fact, ever since they took the Mortal Kombat 2 machine out of the video rental place, I haven't really seen that much of the fighting game. But here goes:
I have to say this game was pretty good. There were good characters, great backgrounds, interesting moves and that colorful sheen that Team Ninja casts upon its games. The story was a bit iffy, in my opinion. Although the intro, played out to Aerosmith's "Dream On," was an excellent piece, it has absolutely nothing to do with the game! There are similarities between it and certain characters' motivations, but in the long run, it has more to do with the Dead or Alive 1 that is tacked in as a bonus feature.
The characters' motivations are clearly enough represented, even if their stories are not up front. And you will get some back-story on all the characters, but it turns in a soap operatic thingy. For example: the wrassler must face his daughter; the phrase, "haven't we met before?" is all over the place; there are some people revealed to be family members at various moments; the karate champ has lost his memory, and a ninja lady must face her evil twin.
Also, the designers put in some really neat-o moves. In doing this, they forgot that most human only have so many fingers and a pair of thumbs. The controls are workable, but workable at best. This can lead to the dreaded button mashing. On that note, I can say that this game remains true to the original. It is also fairly unforgiving.
By the way, "ultimate" means "the best, biggest, and last." This collection does not have that many extra features. Most "ultimate" games should be dripping with readily unlockable stuff. Although you can collect more outfits for the ninja babes to fight in, that's all she wrote.
However, the game is pretty good. Why? Well, for one thing, it's beautiful. The girls in skimpy outfits don't hurt. Neither does the fact that that guy from Ninja Gaiden is here. Familiarity breeds content.
Plus, the fighting, although a bit clumsy at first, will grow on you. Of course, a side effect to this might be that you cannot play any other game for a while, but for a while you won't want to.
And of course, the crowning achievement of this game is its unlockable soundtrack. I have a soft spot for those, and this on includes the previously mentioned "Dream On." So if you're a fan of battling ninjas, girls in bikinis, and classic rock, give this game a try.
 Good but nothing to new June 30, 2005
4 out of 10 found this review helpful
I love the DOA series but, this game offers nothing new except costumes and online play but its mostly just DOA 2 remade. The controls feel a little odd and countering moves dosnt work as well as in DOA 3. I do like the new costumes and they are much easier to get than in DOA 3 where you have to beat a TON of people in order to just unlock one. Then theres the addition of online play but for those of us who dont have Xbox live theres really no reason to buy this just stick to DOA 3 until DOA 4 comes out with the Xbox 360 this year. Also no body really plays it online because I tired it at my friends house and everyone was playing Halo (of course, its not like theres anything else out there). All in all I do like this game but its not worth the cash.
 In a word? Fantastic! May 27, 2006
David Foskin (Waterford, Ireland)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Dead or Alive Ultimate is a compilation of Dead or Alive 1 and Dead or Alive 2, each on its own disk. Dead or Alive 1 is an exact replica of the same game that was released on the Sega Saturn so many years ago. This is a really nice treat because this might be the first time that players get the chance to play the game that started it all for this series. Since it is an exact replica the graphics remain the same, so players will be playing with more "boxy" polygonal character models. It is amazing that even though this game has changed so much it still feels the same.
The arenas in this mode are a riot. The rings are composed of two squares, the inside one is "safe zone", so if you fall down or get knocked down to the ground, the only damage you take is from the force it took you to get down there. If you go outside of this zone, the rest of the arena is what I like to call "lava." What I mean by this is if you get knocked down on this part of the game, your life will get deducted by how much force it took to get you down there plus once you hit the ground you will be knocked upwards, like a volcano blast, and you will receive more damage. Since there are no walls to get cornered, players will always have to be aware of where they are located so they don't take additional damage. If you want to play online with Dead or Alive 1, you will be able to. All you have to do is sign on and get your "fight on."
The main focus of this compilation was placed on Dead or Alive 2, and it will become apparent when you first boot up this game and see the intro CGI movie. This game looks better then Dead or Alive 3, which became one of the benchmarks of the graphical power of the Xbox when it was released. This game truly shows the power of the Xbox. The character models look just as good as the CGI movie, which looks awesome itself. The clothes on the characters move and have their own set of physics that move realistically as clothing might be expected to if you are fighting someone.
The most noticeable thing is the arenas that the characters fight in; they are a jaw-dropping awesome sight to behold. Every level there is some interactivity involved, from things going on in the background, breaking through walls and going to new parts of the level, or little subtle things. There is always something going on in the background, in one level you will be fighting in a chained off arena, and ever so often there will be cops chasing cars throughout the level, which gives it a very surreal feeling while you are playing. Just like in Dead or Alive 3, there are many different "levels" to particular arenas. One of my favorite is on the snowy mountain. While you are fighting through the level you can make the snow move around, and if you get the person close enough to the cliff you can knock them down to an icy lake below. From there you can even knock the players into icicles and make them shatter. This is truly a sight to behold.
The subtle things throughout each level might be the hundreds of leaves or cherry blossoms that are floating around the level, get stirred up if you walk through a pile of them. While this might not seem like much, you will have to remember that each of those leaves have a polygonal count and move throughout the level while you are performing a beat down on an enemy. All of this is going on without any slowdown, how remarkable is that! It is literally amazing all of the details that went into making this game look this great, and still remain highly playable without any hint of slowdown.
The roster for this game is the exact same as it was back on the Playstation 2. You will find all of your old favorites included with the exact same fighting moves. Some might be disappointed that several moves might be missing that were in Dead or Alive 3, but you will have to remember that this is a remake. One of the biggest draws for this game is the amount of costumes unlockable for each character. Many of the girls have over fifteen completely different costumes, and I am not talking about one costume is purple while the other exact same one is red. The costumes are 100% different from one another, such as School girl outfit, bathing suits, Santa Outfits, to many other things. It will take players a long time to collect them all, but it is rewarding once you have done it.
The audio portion of Dead or Alive 2 is great, but could have been better. It features Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, which makes the fights feel more "alive," especially in certain levels such as the one where the cops are chasing cars around the block. The Japanese voiceovers are what one might expect from this game, and fit the characters really well. The only disappointing thing is that this game doesn't support custom soundtracks. While it is nice to hear all of the music from the game, I would have liked to fight with the music of my choice, especially after playing the game for many hours.
Here is the part you are waiting most for, the online portion of this game that has been talked about for months on end. Before I get into specific details, I will say that it is one of the best features of the game! As you know if you have an Xbox Live account you can fight anyone across the world and it feels just like they are sitting next to you. There are times when you might have a few fights that are "laggy" but they are few and far between. Another thing of interest is when you unlock a new costume you will be able to use it while you are online, so if you see someone using your favorite character with a costume you have not seen before, you will know that it can be unlocked and used for your character as well.
The modes that are available online are: Spectator, Winner-Stays, Tournament, Team Battle, Survival, Loser-Stays, Kumite. In spectator mode, players will be able to view the battles currently raging on. In Winner-Stay players fight a one on one match, and the winner of the match will stay and take on the next challenger. In Tournament players will advance to each round until one person is declared a winner. Team Battle, players will be able to challenge other players in Tag-Team Battles. Survival mode players fight battle after battle until their health is depleted. In Loser-Stays, is the exact opposite of winner-stays. Kumite is a non stop battle, in which win or lose a person fights all the challengers until they quit. With all of these modes available, you will not be able to get any sleep as there is so much to do!
Fun fighting on the Xbox December 22, 2004
Michael Barrera (San Antonio, TX)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
After yearly delays coming and going, DOA ultimate is finally here. So was it worth all that extensive wait ? If your a fan of this series and the busty female fighters, then there is no doubt that DOA Ultimate will tickle your fancy. With the inclusion of two games-in-one means Microsoft finally has all three Dead or Alive games on their workhorse console. Dead or Alive 1 is included in the package but let's face it, when it comes down to it, it's Dead or Alive 2 that will gear the most fun.
Just in case you don't know this is Dead or Alive 2, meaning Hitomi is playable (After unlocking her), side-stepping by holding up or down is absent. Although this is Dead or Alive 2 I wonder why Tecmo couldn't have included two more characters who appeared in DOA 3. With that said this is the best online fighter on the market and a complete riot to play. The fighting engine isn't as deep or technical as Tekken or Viruta Fighter, but it is deeper than most fighting game vets give it credit for. And better yet unlike Mortal Kombat: Deception, there are no worthless unlockables like a gazillion art pictures you could care less about, instead there are over 200 costumes to find, some characters even have as many as 20. So even with the inclusion of online play, the singler-player mode still requires consistent playing if one hopes to locate each costume.
Make no ands, if or buts about it, DOA Ultimate is one of the best looking video games out there. Some of the stages are just breahtaking and have to be seen to be actually believed. The aquarium is a classic level from DOA 2 but has vast improvements to it, there is the incredible looking safari stage littered with wild herds of gazelle, hippos and lions. If you have access to a HDTV with progressive scanning, Tecmo thought about you in mind by adding 480p support, Dolby Digital 5.1 is availible to complete the trimmings for the home theater enthusiast.
Tecmo and Team Ninja have been giving hints since day one that playing online will not be ruined by large amounts of lag. After extensive online play time during peak and off-peak hours, I can conclude that DOA Ultimate does not suffer from a lot of lag. However, that doesn't mean the lag is nonexistent because it most certainly is. During peak hours especially, you'll find several matches plagued with a good amount of latency which does tamper with the gameplay during crucial matches. Luckily this lagging prompts only sparodically and never really affects an otherwise smooth-as-silk online experience.
Complementing the online play is arguably the best feature of DOA Ultimate, the Virtual Arcade. Everything is here including: user created tournaments, winner stays, loser stays, survival, kumite, and tag battle. You can even upload your survival and time attack scores to compare to other players around the world to determine who really is king/queen of Dead or Alive. Each online mode of play allows up to 8 players to hang out in a lobby, almost like they were hanging out at an arcade, minus the fat guy who reeks of sausage pizza and sweat.
Depending on what mode you're playing 2-4 players will be in a match at one time, while the remaining players can watch the action and can do little things like screw around with the camera. This is the best setup I've seen for an online fighting game and works wonders for the fun factor and gives the game a true-to-arcade format. All 8 players can talk via the Xbox Communicator while playing or watching, so trash talk, or strategy talk can be had all around.
Dead or Alive Ultimate is one of the best multiplayer experiences I've encountered in recent memory. Nothing out there comes so close to delivering the true-form arcade feel and the online play like I said earlier is extremely smooth. The visuals are really powerful showing why the Xbox is the reigning champ of buff graphics, there are lots of costumes to unlock and the game is easy enough for the common newbie to pick up, yet holds enough layers of depth to give the veteran fighter enough to dig through. If you got an Xbox, have Live and enjoy fighting games, there is no reason DOA Ultimate shouldn't be in your library.
Heck YEAH! THIS IS THE BEST March 5, 2005
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
First of all, let me say this. I have never been a great fan of fighting games. Soul Callibur 2 was great for a while before it got way too monotenous. But this game was a refreshing slap in the face for me. (None of the analysis below will pertain to DOA 1, because it just sucked.)
First of all, graphics. They are beautiful. The effects of the wind rippling a characters hair, their expressions, and the game's graphics overall are beautiful.
Next, gameplay. The game runs very, very smooth. And it overcomes a serious flaw that made Mortal Kombat Deception a dud: player speed. In this game, the pace is set fast enough for the match to be interesting, yet just slow enough for you to be able to string together devestating combos on the fly. For example, you can deliver a high kick to launch an opponent into the air, and then string together 3 quick jabs to tack on pain before the guy even touches the ground. That's how fast it is. It has a very easy set of 4 different direction counterattacks. The environments are multi-layered. EX: You're on the roof of an abandoned building. You launch an enemy over the guardrail. What's that? A ringout you say? WRONG! The guy hits a restraunt sign and bounces onto the road 10 stories below. you jump down after him and continue the fight. It takes away cheap victories by using a power move to launch a guy off for a win. Plus, they're really colorful too.
The background music is pretty good. Since their are only 15 characters, the game is limited to about 20 tracks (Some characters have 2 tracks). However, the trax are excellent and sometimes give you a nice rythem to attack to.
And finally, a category that doesn't appear in a lot of games: GIRLS. THe girls in this game are outrageously gorgeous. Every girl has 1-2 swimsuit costumes and all of them seem to wear loose bras, because their chests never seem to stop bouncing. Overall, THIS GAME KICKS BUTT BEYOND ALL GOD FORSAKEN REASON!!!
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