Dead or Alive first made an impactful debut on both Sega Saturn and PlayStation in late 90s. While both versions played well, they were…
Dead or Alive first made an impactful debut on both Sega Saturn and PlayStation in late 90s. While both versions played well, they were always being measured against Sega’s Virtua Fighter 2, considered the standard for fighting game style at that time. By 2000 Tecmo had released Dead or Alive II as an answer – could it hold up against its competition?
This game boasts an outstanding cast of characters. Some were introduced in the first title such as Helena who quickly became one of my favorites to fight with; other characters like Hitomi would later return in later installments of the franchise. Also featured are Leon, a traveling mercenary soldier; and Ein, an aggressive karateka suffering from severe amnesia.
Dead or Alive features an incredible battle system, using a circular motion system with strikes, holds, and throws to attack opponents. While other beat-em-ups might utilize limited combos and turn-based battles instead, Dead or Alive battles play faster with an impressive counter system which allows players to input commands for striking an attacker or to hit back with cool moves like twisting them midair or throwing them against walls.
Environment hazards add another enjoyable element to the game’s stages. They usually feature walls which are electrified or booby-trapped and cause additional damage if struck with knockdown blows, throws, or holds. Furthermore, the game often features ledges which must be scaled in order to reach higher areas – being knocked off these ledges can deal high damage to an opponent who knocks you off them!
Home versions of this game were more forgiving in terms of mastering its controls compared to its arcade counterpart, making the experience accessible even to those unfamiliar with fighting arcade games.
As an example, on PlayStation 2, beginners could use the left analog stick to use a simple jump action, making the game easy and straightforward for newcomers while still offering fast and exciting gameplay when combined with character’s amazing combat skills.
Dead or Alive II tells a tale in which an influential leader named Fame Douglas was assassinated at the close of the 20th century and left an unstable world without strong leadership. After witnessing his murderer sponsor a tournament to offer some form of closure.
Dead or Alive II was initially released for arcades on October 19th 1999 in Japan on Sega’s NAOMI system and featured 12 playable characters with Story Mode as its centerpiece. A Millennium Update was then made available globally in January 2000 with Survival and Tag Battle modes added, followed by its Dreamcast port release on February 29th 2000 with identical content but featuring a simplified control scheme designed to speed up combat.