Dead or Alive Ultimate
- November 05, 2004 08:54 AM PST
- Email this!
What better way to make new friends than to kick some little behinds online? Future fighters, take note.
- GamePro Score
- User Score
- Write your review!
Dress to Impress
On the Xbox, everything just looks better, and such is the case with Dead or Alive Ultimate. Not only does everything look sharper, but you can't help notice all of the wonderfully detailed environments as you're getting your butt served. There are several new levels, but all of them showcase a great amount of vibrant detail, many of which are multi-tiered and interactive, too. This type of level design makes the gameplay experience even more enjoyable--you now need to think about strategically bumping an opponent into a certain spot or take advantage of a destructible piece in the level that will damage your opponent even further.
Of course, the brilliant level design in this game doesn't take center stage when it comes to eye-popping visuals. There are now many more reasons to drool over your favorite female fighter. You can unlock a plethora of new costumes for each of them that range from totally titillating to over-the-top outrageous. Even the guys' wardrobes can be absolutely wacky.
Rumble in the Box
Each pug's fighting style is just as off-the-wall, too. The controls haven't changed--you can't win unless you know how to juggle an opponent with at least four combo hits and you've mastered the countless counters. Button mashers beware: you'll succeed on the easy level, but after that, you'll need to practice actual button combinations to come out a winner--especially when you play online.
The first thing you'll notice when you're on Xbox Live is the familiar and simple matchup options now found in most Xbox games. You can opt to fight in a quick match or participate in a specific type of game that appeals to you. Beyond the basic options, you can also see how you're ranked up against other players from around the world and partake in a variety of competitions.
Alive and Kicking
To lure that fighting fan even more, Ultimate is packed with the original Dead or Alive game that was never released stateside. Yeah, it may seem outdated, but even this version is playable online, too.
The Dead or Alive franchise does take heat for being too similar to the Virtua Fighter series when it comes to fighting styles and control techniques. But even if you're not a fan of this particular approach, busting someone's lip online is still loads of fun. For now, this Dead or Alive remains to be the ultimate fight club.
