by Jay "THE FLEA" Wade
About a year ago Dead or Alive 2 was released on the Sega Dreamcast, while that one was really impressive it seems unfinished compared to Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore on PS2.
The original DOA2 was a great game, beautiful graphics and huge arenas with great fighting action. But the problem with DOA2 on DC was there were no secrets to open. (Unless you count the cut demo) No secret characters, no secret outfits or extra goodies.
DOA2:Hardcore changes all that. There’s two new secret characters; Tengu and Bayman, a Gallery and of course tons of secret outfits. Another major change is the characters have been translated onto English. You can go into the options and change it back and you may just want to . . . the voice acting is really silly.
The graphics are beautiful, the characters move and look better then any other fighting series out there. The animation is smooth and free flowing. In one snow level there’s a wind and it kicks up snow and the character cloths move freely in the wind. The arenas are huge and are mufti-leveled.
You can kick your opponent out a window, through a wall or off a balcony, then another balcony and again. There’s even secret areas to find in the arenas. There’s even obstacles to crash into.
If you think the graphics have improved from the DC version, not really. The Graphics don’t look a whole better from the DC, but it’s just as good. In fact if you really look close to the TV of both versions, you’d have to agree that the DC version is a little smoother. But unless you plant your face 1 inch away from the screen, you really can’t tell the difference.
The major graphical difference is the elements in the stages. Wind, dust, and snow really makes the graphics come alive. (Don’t worry guys, the bouncing effect is intact in this version) The control is still as simple as it was on DC, any button masher can pick this game up. And there are many combos to learn for you die hard fighting fans.
All the modes you love are in DOA2: Hardcore; Story (arcade), Versus, Survival, Tag Team, and Time Attack. There’s also an UPS mode. (No, not the delivery service.) User Profile System. It keeps count of every thing you do in the game. I highly recommend creating one if you want to open all the secrets.
Overall if your looking for a fighting game that’s full of beautiful graphics (and women) with simple controls and interactive arenas this game is a must own.
PUBLISHER: NAMCO
GRAPHICS: 10 MUSIC & SOUND: 8.5 CONTROL: 10
SECRETS: 10 ORIGINALITY: 9 FUN & REPLAY: 10
OVERALL: 9.5