There have been very few games in the Saturn's
recent history that have caused people to really take
notice. Sure there was VF2, NiGHTS, and Panzer
Dragoon series, but those all came out many moons
ago. One area that has always been a hallmark for
the power of a game system has always been in
fighting games; particularly 3D fighters. While
Playstation owners are fortunate enough to be
blessed with the godly "Street Fighter EX+alpha"
and Square's "Tobal 2," Saturn owners have had to
put up with 3D fighting games that range from
mediocre to utter garbage, such as "Last Bronx,"
and "Toshinden URA," respectively. Well not
anymore. Along comes Tecmo Japan's "Dead or
Alive," and it is easily THE BEST 3D fighting game
for the Sega Saturn! If you thought Sega's "Virtua
Fighter 2" was an impressive port, Tecmo has
brought us a perfect translation of its arcade fighter,
"Dead or Alive." This is one game that everyone
(including Sega's AM divisions) should take notice
of! Tecmo has seemingly done the impossible by
bringing us a 60 frames-per-second, Hi-resolution,
super-slick, NO slowdown 3D fighting game that is
just as fun (if not more so) than VF2! Unlike the
horrible flicker and slowdown-plagued "Last Bronx"
(from Sega's own AM3 division no less) Tecmo
delivers us the most graphically impressive - and
FUN - 3D fighting game for the Saturn!
From the time you boot up the game and see the
new, cool 3D movie intro, you know you're in for a
treat. Then at the title screen you realize that this is
more than just a 'port': Tecmo has given us SIX
different modes of fighting, and an enhancement to
each mode which I'll get to later. There's "Arcade"
mode, "Time Attack," "V.S.," "Survival Mode,"
"Kumite" (where you can fight a set number of
battles from at least 30 up to _100_ battles!), and
"Training Mode." The "Options" menu lets you
configure the basics like Difficulty, Life (small to
unlimited, ala VF2), Bouncing Breasts, etc. ^_^
Eventually Extra Options open up ('Easter eggs')
from playing (more on that later), and as you can
see, it seems Tecmo has given us Saturn owners
just about everything you could ask for.
While the cast of fighters seem slim (8 regular
fighters and 1 boss), they are all very well done and
they each have a distinctive array of moves. And
personally, I'd rather have 8 cool fighters than, uh,
20+ fighters where only half of them are any good
anyways (can you say "Fighter's Megamix"?). The
cast includes: Kasumi, a female 'ninja' with lightning
fast moves (like VF's Sarah); Jann-Lee, yet another
attempt at a Bruce Lee-type character; Lei-Fang, a
girl from China who plays like a cross between Pai,
Lau, and Akira; Bayman, a Russian grappler (no, he
doesn't have a mohawk and he's not covered with
bear scars ^_^); Tina, an American grappler -
finally a female grappler done right! (Can you say
"Mary" from Tobal 2?); Ryu, Tecmo's own original
ninja; Zack, a tough brawler who looks exactly like
Dennis Rodman (yuck); and Gen-Fu, who's a
powerful and somewhat boring 'typical' Chinese old
master - something like an old Akira, mixed with
some Shun Di. The Boss, Raidou, is the typical
'Mr.Badass'-type, sort of a 3D Akuma or Heihachi
with way too much power.
Graphically, when you see the first match you will
truly Know the Power of your Saturn! The fighters
are Huge, and the 3D polygon models are very
well-made. The only thing that comes close to
rivaling DOA's gravity-defying breast physics ^_^,
are its smooth fighting game animations. All of the
characters animate smoothly, and Tecmo took great
care in adding a much needed 'Emphasis' on many
moves - basically, one critique that many people
had against VF series was it's lack of 'punch' or
'emphasis' when power moves were done (mainly
throws). This is one area where the "Tekken" series
has always stood out in. Again, DOA delivers, as
many of the throws and even basic moves exhibit
more 'flair' and 'emphasis,' and what you end up with
is not only a beautiful-looking game, but a
beautifully animated game as well. When you see
Tina's "Japanese Ocean Bomb" throw, you'll know
that Tecmo knows what's up. And finally, Tecmo
even gave us a great End Credits movie, where
you're treated to nice renders of the fighters, and
then just when you think it's over, a full motion
movie comes on, and while not graphically
ground-breaking, it exhibits some of the finest
animation to ever hit a home system; when the
fighters are executing their moves, the motion on
them is so smooth it almost rivals "Soul Edge"s
intro.
Musically, Tecmo has given us a solid group of
tunes, mainly rockin' guitars mixed in with plenty of
synth. It's cool and compliments the fighting. One of
the best songs is the end credits song, and it's a
bummer that you can't select it while fighting. Sound
effects-wise, the punches and kicks are still a bit on
the weak side (something that still plagues all Sega
fighters), but they are better than VF's and in the
end, they get the job done. Some of the sounds
(from throws and certain moves) are done very well
though. The voice samples are still muffled, but
nowhere near VF2's horrible 2-bit sounding
garbage. Most of them are very well done, and
when you see the end credits you realize that many
top-class Japanese _seiyuu_ (voice actors)
contributed to this game, such as Sakura Tange,
and Yumi Touma (voice of "Deedlit" in "Record of
Lodoss War," and "Urd" in "Oh My Goddess!").
As all fighting fans know, 'Gameplay' is what makes
or breaks a fighting game. It doesn't matter how
nice it looks - if it doesn't play well, then nothing
else matters. It is here that "Dead or Alive" breaks
away from the VF series and stands out. The
biggest change is that there is No Block button! Just
holding 'away' on the joystick will defend. Instead
we have 3 buttons: "Hold," "Punch," and "Kick." P
and K still do the same things as VF, but the
innovation is the "Hold" button. Basically it is a
button that allows you to 'swat away' or 'push aside'
incoming attacks, and gives you the chance to
Counter. This is the one thing that could put all 3D
fighters into the 'Next Level.' What the VF series has
been accused of by its non-fans is that it is very
'stagnant,' most of the time one person blocks and
while the opponent does Punch, Punch, Punch, Kick
(or something like that). Then he blocks as the other
person does his 'punch, kick' sequence. And it goes
that way the whole battle. What Tecmo delivers is
the Potential to have Cool, Wild, Dynamic fights,
that look like you're watching a good martial arts
flick! Imagine throwing a punch, and the opponent
'Deflects' it, then he comes back and throws a low
Roundhouse kick, you grab his leg before it hits
you(!) and toss it aside, and you come back with
another big punch, only to have him block and
deflect it and then BAM! Someone lands in a big hit
and sends the other person flying! THAT is what
"Dead or Alive" delivers! At the same time, it can
be played just as a 'VF-game' if you prefer. DOA's
outstanding achievement is in it's very unique "Hold"
button and the HUGE Dynamic quality that it
creates. Basically no 2 matches will ever be alike
(even against the computer)! And when you push
aside an attack or your leg gets tossed aside, etc. all
of it is animated so smoothly that it is almost
perfection.
While DOA seems to have it all, it is also in the area
of gameplay that DOA's greatest weakness lies.
Maybe to compensate for the "Hold" (parries, etc.),
Tecmo's fighting engine seems to have a _very_
minute 'lag time,' when executing moves. Note: this
is not something very noticeable (nothing like the
crap that is in the Dragonball games, etc.), but
something that is different from the VF series.
Whereas VF2/3 have very _tight_ control (when
you hit a button it comes out instantly), here there
seems to be some kind of tiny delay that might throw
you off at first. But after spending a good day or so
with it, the gameplay becomes second-nature and
now, I have no problems with the engine. Another
area that is problematic is the learning curve. This is
a Fighter's Fighting game. The learning curve is
High. By that I mean that even though you may have
played it for a while, a 'button masher' can come in
and still have a very high chance of beating you.
This is perhaps DOA's most problematic area: By
giving you the "Hold" button, anyone with decent
timing can have the potential to knock away most of
your moves and basically every fight is a 'challenge.'
That is good, and it is bad. All you Street Fighter
fans know that unlike VF (or DOA), if you are a
Good SF player, you _know_ that you have a high
chance of taking out any 'rookie' player. Not so
here. I know it's still early, but I still don't feel like I
have the 'confidence' to take out a newcomer
'easily.' We held a DOA 'tournament' over the
weekend, and as a case in point, I had 2 VF
tournament-level players playing, and they both lost
to a 'button mashing' friend of mine (who's _never_
played VF or DOA before!). Another related point
is when you fight the computer: The matches are
_very_ short, averaging around 10 seconds a fight! I
consider myself an average VF player, and I've
learned all of Kasumi's moves. Here's a typical
example of what happens (on Hard, Very Hard
especially): I meet up with Gen-Fu for example.
First round, he _Perfects_ me! Next round I ended
up _Perfect_ing him in less than 8 seconds! Third
round he beats me again. I continue, and beat him
easily in 2 rounds. "Raidou" the boss is very tough
(and cheap), and after pummeling me for 4-5
matches straight, I Perfect him TWICE, both in
under 7 seconds! What?! I let my VF buddies try it
out also, and many similar things happen. In some
matches they get rolling and just steam roll past a
CPU for the first round, and then 2nd round they
get completely trashed. It's really problematic.
Finally, there are air-juggles galore, and on the
higher difficulty settings the cheap air juggles that the
CPU does (and that you can learn) are just that:
Cheap. The CPU easily does 60-95% damage
juggles and combos. Not cool. What adds to the air
juggling is an 'innovation' by Tecmo called "Burst
Zones." Basically every arena you fight in has a
normal area to battle, and then it is surrounded by
this 'Burst Zone.' If you get knocked down onto
these areas, it will explode and send you flying into
the air, completely vulnerable to the opponent to air
juggle you to death. Also, as aforementioned
Tecmo included a new mode called "Burst" mode.
By holding down L+R shift buttons when selecting
the mode you want to fight in, the whole battle arena
becomes a "Burst Zone." In other words, if you fall
_anywhere_ at anytime, you get popped up, ready
to be air-juggle bait. It is 'fun' for a few matches to
check out, but in my humble opinion, it is utter
garbage. Let's just say that 100% 'Death Combos'
are all over the place. That's a Huge 'no no' in my
book. Also, interestingly enough, it is in this 'extra
mode' that the only slowdown occurs - basically
from so many explosions and the camera being too
close. In the end, I'd recommend just skipping that
mode.
In regards to the 'Goodies,' let's just say Tecmo
gave everyone a very cool incentive to keep playing
the game again and again ^_^. There are alternate
costumes, ability to adjust ring size, change the
announcer's voice, turn off the Damage Zones (or
Burst Zones), etc.
In conclusion, Tecmo Japan's "Dead or Alive,"
despite its flaws, is THE Best 3D fighting game for
the Sega Saturn, and should be something every
Saturn owner should check out (if not buy). I have
not been so impressed with a game since Square's
godly "Tobal 2." This game just screams "Quality,"
and the 60 frames-per-second, lightning fast, Hi-res
fighting action should please any fighting fan.
Final Scores (out of a perfect 10):
Graphics: 10.0
+ Gorgeous 3D fighters (with excellent models and
textures)
+ Smooth animations for the moves and throws.
+ 60 frames-per-second, Hi-Res
+ Excellent blend between the 2D backgrounds and
3D fighting arena.
+ Nice breast physics ^_^
+ Very nice alternate costumes.
+ No Slowdown in any of the normal modes
- Slight polygon breakup in certain situations (very
minor).
Sound/Music: 8.0
+ Competent (solid) sound effects for hits and
throws.
+ Good variety of rockin' tunes.
- Muffled voice samples for the win quotes (not as
bad as VF though)
Gameplay: 8.5*
+ "Hold" button takes DOA to the 'Next Level.'
Breaks away from typical VF gameplay.
+ "Hold" button allows you to have awesome
'kung-fu movie' style fights/exchanges.
- Air juggling. 100% air juggling death combos
suck.
- Crap AI. Cheap.
- Excessive damage at times (especially in Arcade
mode). Some _single_ moves do 90% damage!
(You can adjust your life bar, though).
* NOTE: I am giving it the benefit of the doubt. Only
time will tell (and extensive playing) if DOA's "Hold"
button and gameplay system is truly that good.
OVERALL: 9.0
"A Masterpiece."
Thanks for your time, please feel free to e-mail me
with your questions and comments.
Ken Lee
(klee@interplay.com)
