Review by Fall3n Angelz

Itagaki further embarrasses himself with this DOA "sequel". Fans of the series should do themselves a favor and stick with DOA Ultimate, when Team Ninja was actually still trying...

Gameplay
Whereas Tekken and Virtua Fighter are hitting the roof of perfection, Dead or Alive seems to be going sideways. Characters have a lot of variety and a sprinkle of great new moves / combos, and if you’ve played any previous incarnation, you can jump right in. However, despite the claims to having “vastly improved the fighting system”, this is still DOA3, which was still DOA2. Counters still work the same: you can throw one out, go make a sandwich, pay the bills, take a nap, come back and catch your enemies attack. The game retains its rock, scissors, paper system (punch / kick, throw, counter), but none of that really matters when playing against the computer, as it doesn’t abide by the same rules you do.

The interactive stages now include oncoming traffic, cheetahs, and… pterodactyls? These additions are not implemented very well, and can look just as ridiculous as they sound. The stages lack the imagination and cool factor that had you showing DOA3 off to all your friends. It’s almost as if they ran out of ideas, even recycling stages from previous games.

It should be mentioned that DOA4 has outdone its predecessors in one area, and one area alone: the incredibly cheap final boss. Alpha 152 will give fighting fans fond memories of the days of M. Bison, just about every Samurai Showdown game, and many a broken controller... In another testament to Team Ninjas utter lack of effort this time around, Alpha is basically a liquid version of Kasumi. If the regular AI wasn’t cheap enough for you, Alpha can break your combos, counter your mid-air juggles, and teleport any time she pleases, even when getting beat down. Add to this the fact that her combos or even a single throw will deplete anywhere from half to your entire freaking life bar, and you will be using this game as a frisbee in no time at all.

Graphics
Side-by-side, this game looks noticeably better (read: higher resolution) than the Xbox DOAs, but not by much. It certainly isn’t the game that defines “next gen”, but could be found under “recycled”, “uninspired”, and “just give us your money”. The female fighters still look like simple plastic dolls, and use the same face model for every character. Don’t expect any facial expressions either, that would just be asking too much! Literally the only character with any noticeable addition is Jann Lee, who has veins popping out of his arms. This looks cool, but the rest of the male brawlers lack this kind of definition.

The highly touted hair and clothing graphics are a mixed bag. While a few select characters do have some impressive-looking threads, there are clipping issues galore. The same goes for the hair. It flows beautifully… right through heads and arms. Other half-efforts in the graphics department include pixilated “reflections”, weak lighting and shadow effects, and some bland stages.

Like the gameplay, and the sound, and the music, this is pretty much DOA2 with a few bells and whistles. If you’ve played any other Xbox 360 game, you’re going to wonder if Microsoft just forgot to give Team Ninja a develpment kit, as not even the upcomng DOAX2 looks any better. Itagaki isnt spending his time and money on facial laser surgery, so where does it all go?

Sound
Remember the sound effects in the original Dead or Alive? Apparently they were so good, Team Ninja decided to use them, indefinitely. Prepare to be underwhelmed by the same weak grunts, yells, and ‘smacking’ noises you’ve been hearing for years.

Characters have 1-3 winning phrases, which you’ll be hearing about every 2 minutes. The game also loses points for only having Japanese language. This is just plain lazy, and it gets a bit annoying hearing Tina and Bass speak Japanese. For a perfect example of how to do languages in a fighting game, see Tekken 5.

The music is uninspired, and the inclusion of Aerosmith, again, is no longer amusing. Somewhere Itagaki is curled up in bed playing with a Steven Tyler and an A.J. Frost doll. Get over it already!

Multiplayer
The only reason DOA4 could ever warrant a purchase is if you planned on going online to face off against other Live players. It is here that the game has the possibility to almost be worthwhile, but even that is buried under an excess of glaring problems.

Continuing the tradition of putting as little effort as possible into a new feature, the extremely over-hyped virtual lobbies are completely useless. They appear to be left over from the N64-era, and you cant even customize them beyond changing TVs. These TVs are used to watch the other players matches, but you cant be in the lobby while waiting for your turn, a major oversight.

Playing against other players is occasionally rewarding, but DOA is filled more with trash-talking button mashers than actual skilled players. Many players will just spam random counters or the same cheap move over and over. Add to that the fact that some people just cant let go of their 14.4 modems, and DOA Online can be more trouble than its worth. Simply put, the lag is BAD.

If that wasn’t enough, DOA4 has so many glitches that PC games point and laugh. Your stats will jump all over the place for no reason, making your A rank an F, or your C rank a SS. You may end up with 99999 losses, even though you haven’t even played a match online yet. Then, just when you’ve found a lobby that isn’t full of foul-mouthed little kids, your 360 decides it doesn’t want to play anymore. DOA crashes, a lot!

If you can wade through all of this, and that is quite a bit of wading, playing online is a truly enjoyable experience, at times.

Achievements
Single-player achievements include unlocking characters and beating Story mode with everyone, as well as Time Attack and Survival medals. Curiously, getting a gold medal doesn’t unlock bronze and silver, so some players will actually have to try to do poorly to get these “achievements”. You will also need to unlock all costumes, which means fighting Alpha 152 many, many times, as well as getting all items in Survival mode. The system has been simplified since DOAU, but the complete randomness means you could do this your very first try, or still be missing a certain items after endless hours of playing survival.

Online, you will need to win 100 matches, defeat 20 opponents in a row, and reach certain ranks by gaining points. The amount of glitches and button-mashers online will make this a trying experience that most people will feel compelled to boost. If Team ninjas not going to try, then why should you? Those who do attempt it legitimately should expect to occasionally have all their hard work erased, for no apparent reason at all. To add to the series of insults to gamers that make up this game, DOA introduces “negative achievements”. For losing 5, 10, or 20 times in a row, or reaching one of the lower ranks, you unlock an “achievement” worth 0 points, for all to see and ridicule you for.

Lasting Appeal
Just about every part of this game screams “Rushed!” There is absolutely no storyline to get wrapped into, and the ending movies are not even worth the trouble it takes to unlock them. Completing single-player can take a weekend or a solid day if you’re dedicated. Online, you have a virtual arcade with endless matches at your fingertips. Whether that’s the kind of thing you're into, and if you can get past all the shortcomings and glitches, will decide whether this game is for you.

The replay value is not helped by the insulting selection of costumes, many of which are just color swaps. DOAU had a great variety and impressive amount of costumes, and this is an inexcusable step backwards. Don’t expect any downloadables either, as 4 months after its release, the only thing available is a ridiculous, self-indulgent video of Itagaki playing his own game. Wow...

Final Score
For an infinitely better gaming experience, seek out Tekken 5, Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution, or even Dead or Alive Ultimate.

• Despite all its shortcomings, playing online can occasionally fun
• Still better than the DOA movie... maybe

• Once an innovator, DOA falls behind the rest of the pack
• Gameplay still rewards button mashing
• Online is inexcusably glitchy
• Completely unimpressive graphics and sound
• Embarrassing CG "endings" and an absolute lack of story
• Insulting lack of costumes
• Insanely cheap AI and the worst end boss, EVER
• Aerosmith!

Note: A rating scale of 0 - 10 is used, with 10 being the highest a game can score while 0 is the absolute worst. Each category has a point value associated with it and a final score is displayed at the end of the review. The opinions expressed in this review are not necessarily the opinions held by the owners of www.achieve360points.com.