to
your character speak. On DOA2 for Dreamcast the dialogue was all
in Japanese with English subtitles. Tecmo’s done away with that,
giving us English speech and the option of subtitles. The dubbing is
well done and is really a minor part of the game, but I tended to
appreciate the Japanese with English subtitles of the Dreamcast. It put
me into the Kung-Fu mood.
The controls for DOA2: Hardcore are
simple: one punch button, one kick, one throw and a free button. You
block by holding back away from your opponent, which isn’t a new
concept. The combos are all punch/kick combinations, which are
thoughtfully listed for each character in the game’s manual.

The different modes of play in Hardcore
are what will keep you coming back for more. It boasts a story mode,
which attempts to tell a story about your character throughout your
battles. There’s also survivor mode where your opponents come one
after the other, non-stop, until you are defeated. Tag team, (similar to
Tekken Tag Tournament), and team battle where you can select the
number of people in a team vs. match. There is also the option of
recording and saving your battles to view at a later time.
DOA2: Hardcore is a
must buy for an action junky with a PS2 – the action is definitely
fast and furious. The only small complaint I really have is that Tecmo
could have made the higher difficulty settings more challenging.
- Slipperyone
(March 15, 2001)