![[H]ardOCP](/images/blank.gif){kind=small}
- Date:
- Tuesday , May 30, 2006
- Author:
- Steve Lynch
- Editor:
- Kyle Bennett
- Google +1
Dead Or Alive 4
The DoA franchise has a rich history that spans a decade, gracing such systems as the Playstation, Sega Dreamcast, the Xbox and now the Xbox 360. Does the fourth DoA have what it take to be a hit?
Soon after the death of its founder, Fame Douglas, the ultra-national organization DOATEC descended into a state of corrupt decay. However, it has now received a beautiful successor to its leadership: Helena, the child that Fame Douglas left behind. After losing both her father and her beloved mother to the darkness of conspiracy, Helena has chosen to place herself in the middle of the maelstrom in order to put an end to the chain of tragedy once and for all.
Meanwhile, the man who holds the true power of DOATEC, Prof. Victor Donovan, has once again locked himself in the Bio Lab Core deep within the dank, dark bowels of the gigantic Tritower as he continues to covet his dream of creating the perfect human weapon. Its code name is Alpha-152 , and it is the result of the ultimate evolution of hyper-cloning technology, birthed from a DNA sample of the Mugen Tenshin Ninja Kasumi.
On the other side of the world, the Mugen Tenshin Clan has gathered, a family of Ninjas that have suffered innumerable pain at the hands of DOATEC. The young leader of the clan, Hayate, his heart burning with the desire for revenge, has brought together the most powerful group on Ninjas known to man and given them one simple order:
“DOATEC must be destroyed!”
Now, as the 4th Dead or Alive Martial Arts tournament is in progress, the first real rumblings of movement from Alpha-152 can be felt coursing through the magnificence of the Tritower complex. It is at this moment that these two great opposing powers, intertwined by fate, are destined to collide in a cataclysmic inferno of fire and smoke. This is the final battle, the one that will settle everything…
Introduction
Team Ninja is back with the highly anticipated fourth installment in the wildly popular Dead or Alive series. The DoA franchise has a rich history that spans a decade, gracing such systems as the Playstation, Sega Dreamcast, the Xbox and now the Xbox 360. The very first Dead or Alive was released in 1996 for the Sony Playstation and was an instant hit (no pun intended) and the sequel, released for the Sega Dreamcast in 2000, proved to be just as popular. The Dreamcast version brought better graphics to the game, and an impressive physics engine that gave birth to the “bouncing boobs” we all know and love today.
Microsoft made a deal with Team Ninja in late 2000 / early 2001 to have DoA3 developed exclusively for the upcoming Xbox game console. The partnership paid off and Team Ninja delivered one of the best looking fighting games ever. While there were some criticisms of the lack of a real story and a fighting system that favored “button mashers” there is little doubt DoA3 went on toe be one of the most popular…and eye catching, games ever. To say the expectations were high for DoA4 would be the grossest of understatements.
The Story
The story, much the same as in all the previous Dead or Alive games, is almost non-existent. Yes there is an over-all story / motivation for everyone to duke it out but there really isn’t a coherent storyline that is followed throughout the game. Complicating matters is the fact that each character, after fighting their way through a ladder of opponents, has their own separate ending that has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the game. Matter o’ fact the end cinematics for some characters are just flat out bizarre. I point to Brad Wong’s psychedelic end cinematic or Leifang’s shirt popping, breast grabbing ending as prime examples of the aforementioned weirdness.
While some folks might enjoy more involved story lines with their fighting games, the lack of any real storyline in DoA 4 doesn’t detract from the game in any significant way. We know most people do not play head to head fighting games for the story and, regardless whether or not you are for or against a story line, DoA 4 would be the same game either way.
Characters
Dead or Alive 4 has a total of 16 characters available to you when you first start the game. Overall character selection and variety in DoA 4 is both a plus and a minus depending on how you look at it. If you are a hardcore fan of DoA 3, you will be happy to know that most of your favorite characters are back for the sequel with a few new characters added to the line-up. On the flip side of this coin, the addition of only a few new characters can be extremely disappointing.
While we are on the subject of new characters for DoA 4, one of the worst kept secrets in video game history is that addition of a Spartan from the Halo video game series to the DoA 4 line up. Leaked screenshots and poorly timed magazine exclusives revealed that one of the few new characters in the game was in fact Spartan-458 aka Nicole. Yes, you read that right, the new Spartan is “Misses Chief” though mostly in name only. Other than the voice, there is no real indication that this 7ft tall Spartan is not “the” Master Chief we’ve all come to know and love. It would have been nice to either see a female Spartan that resembled a woman or a male voice on the model that is currently in the game. As it is now, seeing the in game character exclaim “You just got beat by a girl” is somewhat unnerving.
The 16 characters available to you at the start of the game are:
KASUMI
A Kunoichi’s Destiny: Kasumi chose to abdicate her position as leader of the Mugen Tenshin clan and become an outcast, overcoming a vast number of trials to survive. If only it were possible for her to live in peace with her brother, Hayate, the current clan leader… However, storm clouds are already brewing, and the next epic battle of Kasumi’s life is about to be ser in motion. Alpha-152…Kasumi still has no idea of the nightmare about to be unleashed on the world by her own clone.
RYU HAYABUSA
The Singular Super-Ninja: It is not known who first uttered the phrase, but people have come to know Ryu as “Super Ninja.” He is the lone surviving Ninja of the Hayabusa clan, a lineage that traces its roots back to ancient times. Tales of his extraordinary exploits and incredible ability are well known. Now, having heard reports of his dear friend Hayate’s rise to arms, Hayabusa lends his sword to the destruction of DOATEC!
KOKORO
The Ba Ji Dancer: “It’s not that I don’t like training to be a geisha. It’s just that there’s something that I enjoy much more than any of my lessons. I really put my heart and soul into my Ba Ji Quan, and that’s what I’m truly confident in. I want to test myself. I want to enter the DOA Tournament!” And so, despite the worries of her mother Miyako, who knows all there is to know about the criminal underground, Kokoro takes her first steps on the path to bloodshed.