Dead or Alive Ultimate
Added October 10th, 2004 by FoxHound
Ah yes, with less than a month away from the release of Halo 2 the Xbox community is beginning to freak out. I bet some of you are reading this from your laptops…in your camping tents…which you have, comfortably, set up right in front of your local GameStop in anticipation of Bungie’s next masterpiece. But, what about the little guys? And by little I mean, in comparison to Halo 2, any game that doesn’t have “GTA” in its title. What is going on with them? Well, here is a “little” update of information I have gathered for one of the “little” guys to release for Xbox very soon; Dead or Alive Ultimate.The following information (in list form) is of everything I have read and seen in videos up to the time of writing this article.
*Note - This preview is focused on the majority of DoAU, which is the updated and revamped port of Dead or Alive 2, because the port of the first Dead or Alive is just an unchanged straight port*
Gameplay:
- Roof Damage: Pretty self-explanatory, but in case it's not for some of you this means you can now not only drive enemies into the ground, through walls, into palm trees, down a flight of stairs, or through windows. You can also now slam opponents into roofs (if anyone wants me to explain how that might affect the gameplay, just ask).
- Slopes: Stages now not only include falls but slopes such as stairs to throw opponents off to. I'm not 100% sure on this but it seems like stages will have different length slopes.
- Slope Moves: Every character will have a especial move to use on opponents as they push them off onto slopes (such as Zack being able to use his opponent like a surf board down said slopes).
According to the latest bit of news I have read, the slope moves are throws that can be performed near slopes. I suspect the slope throw system works like the wall throw system (where your usual throws change to wall throws when you're near a wall).
- 4-Point Counter Hold System (Counters): The game will use a new 4-point counter hold system.
The way the counter-hold system works is like this...
High Attack Hold - <^+F
Mid Punch Hold - <+F
Mid Kick Hold - >+F
Low Attack Hold -
“F” stands for “Free” and it’s the button you press to counter in DoA 2 and 3, in case you didn’t know =0P.
– Ground Danger Zones: The ground danger zones from the original Dead or Alive return in certain stages. That’s right, with wall, roof, and even ground danger zones stages in DoA are deadlier than ever.
- A combination of the moves from DoA 2 and a few new ones (again, slope throws): Dead or Alive 2 Ultimate will include a combination of moves from DoA 2 and certain new ones.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem as though the new moves introduced in DoA 3 are in. The game is, after all, a remake. This means the removal of charge attacks (where you hold a button and charge your attack for more damage) and certain side-step attacks, if not all of them.
– Dead or Alive 3 Side-Step System: Anyone who has played DoA 2 will tell you that its side-step system is a pain in the arse. Having to hold down the “Free” button in order to side-step or switch constantly between an analog stick and a d-pad isn’t the greatest definition of fun.
Thankfully, Team Ninja fixed the side-step system in Dead or Alive 3 by making it automatic (where you just need to press up or down to side-step) and DoA 2 Ultimate, despite being a remake, will carry the same side-step system from the third installment in the series.
Online Modes:
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- One-on-One: Standard one-on-one matches with another player (i.e. versus mode with standard and tag matches).
- Tournament: Mini-ladder that allows up to eight players.
- Team Battle: Standard team battle mode with another player. No idea if you can have one team with several people or it's just each person with their own team.
- Survival: Play with others and try to win as much as possible. If you get knocked out another player comes in, and so on, and so forth. Will include standard and tag matches, I suspect.
- Loser Survival: Play against others and try to win but with a twist. The point of it is to stay in as little matches as possible. Two players start off against each other, the loser stays in and fights against the next person, and so on. The point is to win to get out of the arena, not to win to stay in the arena like standard survival.
- Kumite: Online version of practice mode. Great idea because I know some people will take others under their wing and this could really help them in the aspect of training them.
- Vote: People vote on the kind of match they want to play.
- Mini-Lobby: A small chat area for up to eight players.
Offline Modes:
- Story: Find out why every character has entered the tournament and how their story ends.
- Time Attack: Trying to beat a certain amount of matches in as little time as possibly needed.
- Survival: Survive against a wave of opponents for as long as you can.
- Tag Battle: Battling through tag mode.
- Team Battle: Make a team of fighters and take on your friends or the CPU.
- Versus: Standard one-on-one and tag matches against others offline.
- Sparring: Practice mode.
- Watch: Select characters (AI), put them in a match, and watch them beat the snot out of each other.
- Battle Record: Allows you to record matches to your HDD.
- Collection: For collectibles, obviously.
- CG Gallery: CG images and possibly the CG endings for each character's story.
- Options: Fiddle around with things like controller settings, sound, match settings, etc.
Characters confirmed so far:
- Kasumi
- Ayane
- Tina
- Lei Fang
- Helena
- Hitomi*
- Gen Fu
- Jan Lee
- Ein
- Zack
- Bass
- Leon
- Bayman
– Tengu*
Characters marked by a “*” are unlockable.
Stages:
- The Demon Church: Resembles the Monastery from Ninja Gaiden (where you first fight Alma).
Environmental Dangers = The Demon Church is a multi-tiered arena with breakable walls and a drop. Aside from that the stage also includes non-breakable walls and objects to slam opponents into (such as statues).
– The Great Opera: An upgrade to the Great Opera stage from DoA 2, now on fire.
Environmental Dangers = Seems to include short slopes in the form of short stairs and it is believed, though not confirmed, that the fire in the stage can be used to do damage to the opponent.
- The Great Wall: Basically, you fight on the Great Wall of China.
Environmental Dangers = Seems to have long slopes in the form of long stairs, breakable half-walls, and drops.
- African Planes: Battling on the African Planes while being surrounded by the wildlife. Includes wildlife where so far the elephants and hippos seem to serve a purpose as they can be used like walls to slam an opponent into.
Environmental Dangers = Seems to include obstacles that work as walls (again, the elephants and hippos), a mid-length slope and a possible slippery surface due to the part that takes place in a watering area.
- Danger Zone: The good old Danger Zone is back.
Environmental Dangers = Explosive walls and non-breakable/non-explosive walls.
- Suspension Bridge: Stage containing a rickety suspension bridge above a forest, where strategies must change due to the size of said bridge and the likelihood of falling from it.
Environmental Dangers = Just a drop from what I can see so far. The bottom level appears to have uneven ground and obstacles in the form of trees.
- Beach 2004: A beach stage like the one in DoA 3 but with a very different design.
Environmental Dangers = It seems to be built around the idea of several small strips of land surrounded mostly by water, therefor giving the stage several slippery surfaces (if you guys want to me explain how that affects strategy in the game just ask). Also seems to contain palm trees that work like walls and obstacles in the form of catamarans.
Has uneven ground that can affect certain moves as well.
- White Storm: A stage taking place on snowy cliffs.
Environmental Dangers = It seems to include a short slope, but it's different from what I have seen in other slopes so far. Most slopes from the other stages either go from a fall to a slope (like in The Great Wall stage) or straight to a slope. The slope I saw on this stage, at least the one in the video, goes from a slope to a fall. Also seems to have uneven ground.
- Yozakura: A Japanese castle with blooming and falling Cherry Blossoms.
Environmental Dangers = Nothing that I can see. All I've seen is screenshots of this stage that tell me nothing about it, gameplay wise. I suspect it should have at least some walls. Even the most basic of DoA stages post-DoA 1 have that (i.e. The Aqua Palace, for example).
- Aerial Garden: A Chinese garden with a tower.
Environmental Dangers = Obstacles (Gongs, to be exact), breakable half-walls, drops, and a low roof (for roof damage).
- Koku An: A dojo with a snowy courtyard. First stage seen when DoA Ultimate was shown off.
Environmental Dangers = Breakable walls inside the dojo that lead to the courtyard and obstacles (such as the snowman).
- Fireworks: A Chinese temple (?) with fireworks exploding in the distant sky.
Environmental Dangers = None that I have been able to see so far. Only seen one screenshot of this stage. But again, it should have at least walls.
- Ray House: A Disco stage with lights flashing around and a flashing floor.
Environmental Dangers = Seems quite small and contains non-breakable walls, much like the Aqua Palace in DoA 3. So it has wall damage as far as I can see. Most likely a tag stage.
- Crimson: Stage that takes place in Kowloon (are you listening Shenmue fans?). It begins in a rooftop.
Environmental Dangers = It has a fall that leads to a neon sign. The opponent falls through the sign and the sign breaks down. It follows you and your opponent down to the lower level of the stage as it falls with you. This means that even after you fall you can still use the broken-down neon sign like a non-breakable, electrified, wall to slam your opponents into.
This stage has inclined ground, drops, drops through neon signs, and slams into electrified non-breakable objects/walls.
It also seems to include vehicles where your opponent lands in a fantastically hard way after a drop.
- Dragon Hill: A remake of the one in DoA 2.
Environmental Dangers = It has inclined ground, drops, and from what I can see it also now has slopes in the form of stairs.
It also has breakable walls and drops, as it is a multi-tiered arena with a “Dragon Temple.”
- Prairie: Beautiful stage set on a prairie with swaying grass.
Environmental Dangers = As far as I can see, objects in the form of cacti.
- Downtown: A stage in the form of a basketball court set in an urban environment. It's fenced all around.
Environmental Dangers = All I can see, at this moment, is walls in the form of steel fences around the basketball court. It also has breakable ground, like Tao in Dead or Alive 3.
- The Burai Zenin: Chinese stage with rain and thunder.
Environmental Dangers = No idea on this one. Walls, obviously, and maybe slippery surfaces due to the rain (?).
- Spark Danger: Small stage in outerspace (?). Possibly a tag stage.
Environmental Dangers = Electric walls and something that seems like extra explosive "danger areas."
- The DOATEC German: Stage with Kasumi clones.
Environmental Dangers = Don't know much about this stage. I figure it has, as always, at least some walls.
Note: There are some stages that I didn’t list, as I don’t know much about them.
Extras:
- Over 100 costumes are in the game so far, including casual outfits (like Ayane's coveralls), DoA styled outfits (such as Helena's body suit), DoA: XBV swimsuits, and Ryu's Ninja Gaiden costume (with more detail).
- "Collectibles": Pretty obvious.
Plot:
- A new plot point that looks back at Ayane and Kasumi's younger days and explains their dislike for each other
