Dead or Alive 2 is an amazingly beautiful fast-paced beat 'em up game that always entertains the player.
Gameplay: 92/100
Sounds: 92/100
Longevity: 90/100
Tilt: 91/100
THREE VITAL THINGS
Dead or Alive franchise has always been known for three things: amazing graphics, the most fast-paced beat 'em up gameplay there is and big, bouncing breasts. All these are present in DOA2. But what makes this old fighting game still feel fresh in 2012?
EVIL PROMOTERS AND MONEY-HUNGRY FIGHTERS
If you're desperately seeking for a beat 'em up game with a great story, don't bother buying DOA2. The story is really average. Fame Douglas, the sponsor of the Dead or Alive tournament, has been killed and now the world is in total chaos. Anyway, another tournament is decided to be held in the middle of all the chaos. The new promoter is a corrupt criminal who is responsible of the death of Douglas. Now fighters begin to enter the tournament with different reasons, like defeating the new promoter, proving their strength or just earning money and fame.
AMAZING GRAPHICS
I was amazed at how beautiful DOA2 is way back and I still have that same feeling everytime I play it. It's very hard to believe that this is a 2000 game. The characters have lots of features and the women look like real (extremely hot) women, the costumes are full of details and the environments are rich and beautiful. The menus are also stylish with a blue electric theme. DOA2 has lots of areas to play in. While the most simplest ones, like an UFC-like octagon and a factory fail to impress, there are lots of areas like snowy mountains, hills up high and a church that are real eye-candy. I can easily say that DOA2 is one of the best looking PlayStation 2 games ever.
FASTER THAN THE WIND
DOA2 is really fast-paced compared to any Tekken. The controls are pretty simple and easy to learn. You can do awesome kick and punch combos, move, change character in tag battle mode, crouch, block and the game has the simplest throwing system ever: just press the X button. There are lots of different throws and every character has their own distinctive style. Bass and Tina are wrestlers and their specialties are throwing and reversing, Leon and Bayman use lots of submission moves like MMA fighters, Kasumi and Ayane are lightning-fast ninjas, Jann Lee is an effective Bruce Lee-clone, Gen Fu has deadly punches, Zack is a fast and goofy kickboxer and so on. One awesome thing about the stages is that you can strike your opponent through glasses, down stairs and off ledges. The fight then just continues which is great. DOA 2 has lots of modes to fight in. Story mode, team battle, tag battle, sparring, survival, they're all there. Tag battle is great fun. You choose two characters and fight with them against two others. You can swap to the other fighters anytime. Just make sure you don't lose them both.
YOU'RE ON MY WAY
The soundtrack isn't for everyone, but I really like it. Guitar rock, fast techno and disco are all present. The characters have their own recognizable theme songs and while the menu guitar riff may get annoying after a while, the soundtrack is still great. Not in Tekken 1-3 way, but still marvelous. I especially like tracks called You're Under My Control (Tina), Tehu Tehu (Ayane), Vigaku (Ein) and The Shooted (Hayabusa). Sound effects are pretty neat, while nothing special. One thing to criticize, though, is the English voice acting. It's not horrible, but it sounds pretty stupid. The script of the cutscenes make the whole game laughable.
COSTUME FRENZY
DOA2 will keep you in it's palm for a while. Playing the story mode unlocks characters and cutscenes and of course, DOA's trademark costume frenzy is present! All characters (except unlockable ones) have at least five costumes and eight at best. It's really funny unlocking them and who wants to fight with Jann-Lee with the same unbuttoned shirt always on? Why not a black suit or a training outfit. There's also a super-sexy CG gallery to be unlocked.
OVERALL: Dead or Alive 2 is an amazingly beautiful fast-paced beat 'em up game that always entertains the player.
+ Pros: Amazing graphics, good characters, fast-paced gameplay, great soundtrack, lots of costumes to unlock
- Cons: Dumb English voice acting, story could be better
REAL SCORE: 9.3