Dead or Alive (PlayStation) Review

1996's Tomb Raider made it abundantly clear that a top-heavy gal on the cover tends to sell. Dead or Alive, an arcade fighter which had recently been released in Japan, didn't just have one voluptuous heroine, but three (with one more added later), and their assets were moving like tasty jelly… but it wasn't as successful as Core's female Indiana Jones - at least in the West. Was it a matter of different bra sizes, or was it because the fighting genre already had many veterans? Hard to say, but upon getting a PlayStation release in 1998, people started noticing it. Breast-power? The answer is yes… and no. Sexiness can attract customers, but it won't be long before they realise their mistake, and go back to the better games. Thankfully, this one is far from a bad one.

For starters, despite fanservice being a big part of the equation, there are only three(+) female characters to choose from, with the rest of the cast being comprised of male masters of Sambo, Xinyi liuhe quan, kickboxing, as well as the obligatory jeet kune do and wrestling specialists. There's a great variety here, as long as you aren't looking for people that spit icicles, extend their arms, or fart thunderbolts. Like Virtua Fighter, this keeps things nice and simple (forget about the 10 meter-high leaps of the latter), with fighters being… well, fighters, rather than superheroes. Long story short, there are many characters to choose from, all with their own unique way of fighting, therefore it won't be long before a favourite or two are found.

Once you pick one (kudos for picking Kasumi, by the way), you'll enter the arena, and, well, it's one more 3D fighter, with punches, kicks, special moves, combos, and… hey where's the guard button? It turns out that there's more than meets the horny eye here, as this implements a neat counter mechanic in place of simple guards. With the push of a button your character (for example, Kasumi) will "hold" the incoming attack, with offensive counters letting Kasu… fighters to retaliate. This isn't just a cheap way around problems, as players need to be careful not to spam this move, and create dangerous openings. Furthermore, it's important to do the correct counter, as simply pushing the counter button won't always do the trick.

Anything else here? Frankly, no. This "innovation" is the only one available, and, to be honest, it's not enough - but still, the fun factor remains very high, due to a variety of reasons. For starters, this has a refreshingly fast pace, in an era where behemoths like Tekken slowed things down considerably. Dead or Alive is also one of those few fighters that are easy to pick up and play, even if a total genre greenhorn. You won't go anywhere simply by mashing buttons, but you won't have to spend hours upon hours just to have some fun here. Finally, this is a looker. Yes, you've read that correctly, a looker. Nothing in here is as detailed or striking as the 1995 classic Tekken 2, but still, this is very appealing to the eye.

The arenas, and the backgrounds surrounding them, are extremely simple - not ugly, just simple. The focus here, however, isn't the low-resolution beaches, WWE-like rings, or ancient temples, but the characters. While, again, simple in design, their 3D models are much, much smoother than what was the norm back in the day, with the animation being top-notch, especially for a newcomer to the genre. The designs of the characters is a mixed bag, to be honest, with some standing out from the rest (again, Kasumi), with everyone else being a bit generic. At least one can unlock a variety of costumes, which range from normal and badass, to sexy and ridiculous. The J-Rock OST is quite catchy, as well, although most of the tunes won't stay with you for long.

…But now it's time to talk about the flaws. Yes, the popularity of the "Big Ones" is partly the reason why this didn't succeed, but there's more. For starters, while this is definitely a fun experience, coming from any other popular fighter will make it easier to see that pulling off moves here lacks the fluidity of, say, Tekken 3, Soul Calibur… or any other Dead or Alive instalment. To be more specific, the action is fast, and the controls work as intended, but moves don't correlate that well with each other, thus stringing together combos feels kind of clunky, especially when compared to the silky smooth transitions of Dead or Alive 6.

In the end, though, the bane of Dead or Alive aren't the basketballs stored in the brassieres of its birds, but how it sticks to its Arcade roots. In other words, there's not much to do here. There's the typical Tournament, which is devoid of story and cut-scenes (essentially an Arcade Mode), two Survival modes, one Time Trial, a training mode, and, of course, Versus and Team Versus, but that's about it. That's not to say, of course, that a fighter should artificially extend its lifespan and replayability with needless fluff. Street Fighter II didn't have a story mode, or any other special thing to offer, and it conquered the world - but this isn't Street Fighter II. It's fast, fun to play, easy to learn, and… well, sexy, but that's about it. Do check it out if a genre fanatic, though.

…Or if you just want more Kasumi in your life.