Is Dead or Alive 4 everything it's cracked up to be? As a key component in the next round of the console wars, DOA4 arrives in much the same fashion as DOA3 did at the original Xbox's launch. It is clearly the best-looking fighter around, thanks to the 360's emphasis on high-definition, eclipsing even DOA Ultimate's stellar graphics with a combination of high-resolution textures, brilliant lighting effects, and increased polygon counts on the characters. While the facial characteristics of the DOA fighters still follow the anime style favored by Team NINJA, there is far more definition in the musculature of the models, most notably applied to Jann Lee, whose every muscle and vein seems to burst from his forearms and body. The familiarity of the inimitable DOA style, however, ensures that things don't look overtly different than what's come before, resulting in character models that appear refined rather than reinvented. But cloth textures and poly-counts don't tell the whole story. Advanced cloth and hair animations add verve to the fighters thanks to ribbons and hair that swing and sway with the action. Unfortunately there is clearly progress to be made, as the game lacks any of the catchphrase "self-shadowing" that's so popular at the moment, the same technique that give works like the Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer such life. Other little technical details, like ponytails and whatnot generally cascading over a character's shoulders, but also occasionally clipping through the body, are noticeable if not significant. But what little the fighters may lack is more than compensated for in the game's huge new environments.
Other Helpful Reviews for Dead or Alive 4 (Platinum Hits)
By Madskillz999 | Review Date: Jan 02, 2006 | X360
Dead or Alive 4, the most recent iteration of the popular DOA series, is an incredible experience. Everything is superb. The character models-though still cartoony in appearance-are still detailed enough to drop a few ja... Read Full Review
It's hard to describe my feelings towards DOA4 after spending a fair chunk of time with the game. In trying to get rid of the "DOA is for button bashers" image, Tecmo tried to incorporate more elements in DOA4 that would... Read Full Review
