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By Contributing Writer Jimmy Payne Rating: Awesome I expected to be amazed by Dead or Alive 2's graphics, but I also expected to slowly get tired of the gameplay. Surprisingly, Dead or Alive 2 keeps delivering fun week after week, and that's quite an accomplishment considering the fact that it doesn't have anything resembling Soul Calibur's mission mode. Dead or Alive 2's polygonal character models don't look like polygonal character models; they look like real people. Besides the characters themselves, their clothes also look amazing. I was skeptical when I read in previews of this game that the characters' clothes are impressive, but they really are. They move and even react to the environments realistically, which makes the game as a whole seem all the more real. The characters' facial expressions are also excellent (even better than the ones in Soul Calibur). Simply put, it's mind-boggling to think about just how detailed this game is. As great as the graphics are, Dead or Alive 2's greatest characteristic is its originality. I initially dreaded the possibility that it would be just like most other fighting games, but it's actually a very fresh and unique experience. For one thing, Tecmo gave the game original moves rather than simply copying Tekken like most fighting games these days. Unique camera angles at certain moments make even the simplest moves look pretty cool. Another thing that makes Dead or Alive 2 unique is the fact that there are no ring-outs. This alone is a very nice variant on the standard fighting game formula, but Tecmo took it one step further by making it possible for characters to be knocked off one area and on to another. I can imagine how the transitions between arenas could be somewhat awkward, but it's actually done very well in the form of mini cut-scenes. Even in the arenas that you can't be knocked off of, you can still be thrown up against the walls, which looks even more brutal than it does in Power Stone. The actual designs of the arenas mix the graphical beauty of Soul Calibur with the terrain effects of Virtua Fighter 3tb. The much-hyped tag feature of the PlayStation 2's Tekken Tag Tournament is available right now in Dead or Alive 2. At any time, you can press a button and quickly switch control between the two characters that you picked before the fight. During the brief period in the transition when both characters are on the screen at the same time, you can perform devastating combos. Best of all, the character on the sidelines slowly regains health over time, which adds to the strategy of the game immensely. You have to switch characters at just the right moments and try to keep both of them alive, which is a lot more strategic than partaking in an endless series of one-on-one battles. Yet another positive aspect of Dead or Alive 2 is its cool story sequences. Soul Calibur features one little conversation with the final boss, while Dead or Alive 2 has conversations at the beginning of all the fights. This could have been a problem if the story sequences were similar in quality to Sonic Adventure, but they're not. They serve their purpose of giving the game a little bit of character development and keeping it interesting at all times. The only big flaw in the entire game is the semi-unbalanced characters. Some of the bigger characters can completely dominate if they're used properly, giving the smaller characters no chance against their stronger attacks. This could have been counter-balanced by changing the speed of some of the characters, but for some reason the big characters aren't significantly slower than the little ones. I also encountered a glitch that causes computer-controlled fighters to perform the same move repeatedly until you lose. This doesn't happen a lot (it has only happened to me about three times), but it's enough of an annoyance to make you worry that it could happen at any moment. Dead or Alive 2 is unique enough to stand above the crowd of fighting games on the market. The incredible graphics may be what initially draws you to the game, but don't think for a minute that incredible graphics are all Dead or Alive 2 has to offer. Send your thoughts on this review to jimmy@mastergamer.com
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