Dead or Alive 2
There were two great fighting games on the Sega Dreamcast that I was quite fond of at the time. Soul Calibur, and Dead or Alive 2. Both sequels, neither of which I knew existed beforehand. And though I preferred Soul Calibur, especially looking back, at the time I played the both of them quite a bit; each one of them offering something a little bit different in what still felt like similar styled fighting games.
Primarily, Soul Calibur was a weapon based fighter, wheras Dead or Alive featured only hand-to-hand combat. Soul Calibur had a much richer single player campaign, but as far as the two-player matches went they both featured the standard best-of-three KO with a timer.
Both handled the same as well. Fighting was based on a 2D plain, though the arenas were 3D. You were free to step in a circle around the area with both to try to dodge attacks. Circling around the arena in Dead or Alive 2 however had a greater advantage. One of the great things about Dead or Alive that I enjoyed so much was the stages themselves. The layouts and locations were often beautiful and if positioned correctly, you were capable of knocking your opponent out of the arena into a new area completely. Some stages were set up at a higher location, so that you may be able to kick the other player out a window, or over a ledge onto some new scenery. The two of you then get up and continue the fight. The next round taking place at that new location. It's not a big thing, but it sure felt like it at the time. In fact, I still find it a pretty neat idea, thinking back.
Dead or Alive 2 featured an interesting group of characters, all with their own backstory as to why they are involved in such a big event. And though the designs were neat, albeit breasty, the characters certainly didn't stick with me as strongly as the ones in Soul Calibur. Then again, SC had fantasy elements and was therefore easier to write quickly engaging backstories in comparison to a bunch of modern day martial artists. Or so it would seem to me.
Still, DOA2 controlled extremely well, was very responsive and everything felt like it flowed. Unlike a lot of fighting games, I felt like I could actually grasp what I was doing in Dead or Alive and therefore the game itself became more engaging.
9 out of 10 designs may have focused on hot girls in revealing clothing fighting each other, but Dead or Alive was simply a solid fighting game. Like Soul Calibur, it was one of the only fighters I actually purchased and one of the only ones that I actually played enough to get good at. Beyond that it was designed in a way I felt like I could actually get good at it. And though I've never tried any of the newer DOA games, I think I should dig one up sometime.
There were two great fighting games on the Sega Dreamcast that I was quite fond of at the time. Soul Calibur, and Dead or Alive 2. Both sequels, neither of which I knew existed beforehand. And though I preferred Soul Calibur, especially looking back, at the time I played the both of them quite a bit; each one of them offering something a little bit different in what still felt like similar styled fighting games. Primarily, Soul Calibur was a weapon based fighter, wheras Dead or Alive featured only hand-to-hand combat. Soul Calibur had a much richer single player campaign, but as far as the two-player matches went they both featured the standard best-of-three KO with a timer.
Both handled the same as well. Fighting was based on a 2D plain, though the arenas were 3D. You were free to step in a circle around the area with both to try to dodge attacks. Circling around the arena in Dead or Alive 2 however had a greater advantage. One of the great things about Dead or Alive that I enjoyed so much was the stages themselves. The layouts and locations were often beautiful and if positioned correctly, you were capable of knocking your opponent out of the arena into a new area completely. Some stages were set up at a higher location, so that you may be able to kick the other player out a window, or over a ledge onto some new scenery. The two of you then get up and continue the fight. The next round taking place at that new location. It's not a big thing, but it sure felt like it at the time. In fact, I still find it a pretty neat idea, thinking back.Dead or Alive 2 featured an interesting group of characters, all with their own backstory as to why they are involved in such a big event. And though the designs were neat, albeit breasty, the characters certainly didn't stick with me as strongly as the ones in Soul Calibur. Then again, SC had fantasy elements and was therefore easier to write quickly engaging backstories in comparison to a bunch of modern day martial artists. Or so it would seem to me.
Still, DOA2 controlled extremely well, was very responsive and everything felt like it flowed. Unlike a lot of fighting games, I felt like I could actually grasp what I was doing in Dead or Alive and therefore the game itself became more engaging.
9 out of 10 designs may have focused on hot girls in revealing clothing fighting each other, but Dead or Alive was simply a solid fighting game. Like Soul Calibur, it was one of the only fighters I actually purchased and one of the only ones that I actually played enough to get good at. Beyond that it was designed in a way I felt like I could actually get good at it. And though I've never tried any of the newer DOA games, I think I should dig one up sometime.
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