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Platform: Xbox Genre: Fighting Publisher: Tecmo Developer: Team Ninja ETA: January 2004
Related Links: Review: Dead or Alive 3 (Xbox) Review: Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore (Playstation 2) Review: Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball (Xbox)
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Dead or Alive: Online
At first it was solely violence that constantly got the videogame industry in hot water when a politician decided they want to look like they stand for something, or a mainstream media outlet decided to put out a puff piece on the “dangers of computer games” to get some easy ratings, taking advantage of misinformed parents that are quick to be outraged and slow to think. Now with PCs and game systems’ graphical abilities becoming increasingly impressive we’re seeing sex being thrown in with the violence as more and more jiggling polygon breasts and booty make their way into games. Leading the charge has been Team Ninja at Tecmo with their Dead or Alive games, while the volleyball offshoot in the series was more or less a blatant T&A spectacle, the fighting games in the series proper has been a solid gameplay experience from head to toe that just happens to have well-endowed characters starring in it, sidestepping the pitfall of being nothing more than a cheap attempt at tugging at male gamers’ hormones. Now the series is making the leap to the online world on the Xbox with Dead or Alive: Online. |
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What’s most interesting about Dead or Alive: Online at this point are some of the extras Team Ninja will be stuffing into the game. First, and quite surprisingly, is the inclusion of the Sega Saturn version of the original Dead or Alive. It’s a nice little solute to the companies past, and will certainly save some gamers’ the trouble of digging through the bargain bin to find a copy of the first Dead or Alive, be it the Saturn or Playstation version. Secondly, we’ll also see a spruced up version of Dead or Alive 2 (more accurately, DOA2: Hardcore) in this game. DOA2 will be getting a facelift running |
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on a modified version of the DOA Xtreme Beach Volleyball engine, but overall the design will be from scratch. Bare in mind, though, that Dead or Alive 3 won’t be included in this project, Dead or Alive: Online will strictly include DOA 1 and 2.
On a basic level we know what to expect from the gameplay in this title. It is the first two Dead or Alive games spruced up for online play, so it would be a safe bet that the characters and move sets from those titles are to be expected. The real question comes in the extras Team Ninja will throw in to facilitate online play better. Unfortunately the developers are being quite quiet on specifics. We’ve heard hints of peer-to-peer play and rankings for players, but there has been no firm confirmation of this of yet. The only thing we know with relative certainty in regards to DOA: Online’s online play is that there will be no international matches. The lag will be too great for this to be possible with current technology, so don’t expect to be able to play against someone on a different continent than yourself. However, for non-online specific extras in the game, Dead or Alive: Online will have a small army of new costumes for those who want to play dress-up with their characters. In a lot of ways it’s easy to describe this title as “Dead or Alive, but online!” and in a lot of ways that sounds about right. What will make it something that stands out to fans is how it uses the older games in the series, and whatever special extras they add to the game. Of course, DOA: Online’s continuing the series’ proud tradition of jiggling jubblies may win over a few new fans too. - Mr. Nash (November 17, 2003) |
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