Dead or Alive 4

Itagaki bumps up the fighting pace another notch in the latest Dead or Alive.

Today the Tokyo Game Show officially opened its doors to throngs of both domestic Japanese and foreign press and not surprisingly, one of the main exhibitors was Microsoft with their upcoming Xbox 360 console. But despite all of the promising looking titles on show, one big game was suspiciously missing: Dead or Alive 4. But, just because the game wasn't available for play on the floor didn't mean that Tecmo didn't have some goodies in store for those lucky enough to be invited to the company's special preview event after the show closed up. For the first time Tecmo presented a playable version of the game, and even Team Ninja frontman Tomonobu Itagaki, fresh off a marathon 50-hour work stint with no sleep, came out to present his latest masterpiece.

If you're a hardcore fan of Dead or Alive, this fourth installment will surely knock you off your feet. First off, the game is sporting some truly lush and detailed visuals. From the characters to the incredibly diverse and interactive environments, the game oozes with cinematic flair and appeal. Since the build of the game that Tecmo presented to the press was still a work in progress, accounting for roughly 50 to 60 percent of the finished product, a number of characters weren't playable for the hands-on event. But, those that were in the build were more than enough to satisfy even the most fanatical player.

Setting a Different Stage
Perhaps one of the most noticeable changes regarding the game's trademark cast of characters were some new game-play tweaks that helped to elevate the pace of the game. The speed of the game has been increased, resulting in fights that finish faster and are filled with far more action. If you consider yourself a passive player that's always on the defensive, it may be a good idea to start learning a new trade, since the fight is now literally in your face. To go along with this quickened pace of play, pretty much every single character now also has a few new moves added to his or her arsenal. While the additional moves won't unbalance the characters by any stretch of the imagination, it did feel a bit strange trying to pull off an attack that you've grown used, only to see your character performing a completely different action.

Complimenting the newly enhanced characters are some newly revamped environments. Taking a cue from Dead or Alive Ultimate and it's multi-tiered and interactive surroundings, Dead or Alive 4 ups the ante with levels that span more tiers of separation than every before--even levels that include obstacles that can be used in a strategically. For example, one level had a metal bike rack smack dab in middle of it. When fighting, you could knock an opponent into the rack and over the top of it, or even use it as bait, since any opponent that jumps over it leaves himself or herself open to an attack. It's a small addition, but one that really adds a nice deal of strategy to the fighting.

The Lobby Ninja
Offline, the game ran at an admirable frame-rate despite a testy debug unit that seemed happier crashing than working, Dead or Alive 4 is bound to be one of the most ambitious installments in the series yet. Tecmo had planned on showing off the online components, but unfortunately technical difficulties prevented this from happening. Itagaki-san did, however, explain a few key aspects of online functionality in the game. Up to 16-players can join a virtual pre-game lobby. The lobby on display tonight had a funny Halloween theme with a gigantic jack-o-lantern in it. As a player joined the lobby, they appeared on screen as a cute little avatar, including things like a pig, penguin, chicken, and even a ninja. The two players who wanted to start the match off only needed to run up to the pumpkin and press the A button to bring up an in-game menu and choose to start the match. It's definitely a quirky and odd presentation choice, but the humor of it harkens back to the fact that while Dead or Alive may be a top notch fighting game, it still has a touch of humor.

Considering that the game is still being developed around the clock by Team Ninja, the online snafu wasn't all that disappointing, especially considering that if they can successfully replicate the offline action and combine it with a very unique online format, Dead or Alive 4 could take online fighting in some seriously impressive directions.

Comments [0]

post a comment

  • First
    • Jump To Page:
  • Last

Post a Comment