Team Ninja is Hardcore

Team Ninja is at it again! Just the developer's name is enough to give me the warm fuzzies, but when Xbox 360™ and Dead or Alive are added to the mix, I'm just a quivering mass of giddy energy … until I got my hands on the game itself, that is. Now I'm all business.

Mastered the mechanics enough for a valiant
attempt at immortal gaming glory?

Dead or Alive® 4 represents the best of Team Ninja's worlds. It combines a frightful inherent difficulty that Ninja Gaiden® veterans know and love with an online component full-featured enough to make the most hardcore fall to their knees and weep for joy.

Naturally, my instinct is to take the game to its ultimate level of challenge, but with Dead or Alive 4, that's a goal you'll fight to attain in months, not days. I don't recommend the following tips for newcomers, however hardcore you may be, but if you feel you've mastered the mechanics and refined your reflexes enough to make that valiant attempt at immortal gaming glory, try the following hardcore tips on for size.

Now that's something Hardcore can applaud.

Radically Unorthodox
Straight and to the point is the easy solution, but try dominating with some of the more unorthodox fighters. Forget Ayane, Ryu, Kasumi, and the other more linear combo-friendly fighters, and try to master folks like Eliot, Gen Fu, Ein, and Bass, who require less button mashing and a more intimate knowledge of their move set to succeed.

Random Online
Here's a tricky one, especially against the ferocious talents you find in the upper echelon online. Hit Random at the character select screen to prove it's not fighter specialization that makes you tick, but a simple and fundamental skill at the game.

Hardcore Achievements
The game itself is filled with achievement challenges worthy of hardcore consideration. Even the lower-tier goals like the Bronze Medal in Time Attack (complete the mode in under six-and-a-half minutes) is no mean feat, but here are a select few that truly test your mettle.

• The gold medals: Those that boast gold medals for Time Attack and Survival (with both single characters and tag matches) can stand proud and tall. For the ultimate single-player achievement, though, try for 100 wins in Survival. Good luck with that.
• Twenty straight online: It's one thing to be the proud parent of a long-winning streak online, but 20 straight against quality competition (don't cheese this award!) is something you can look back on with pride.
• SS grade: The ranking system for Dead or Alive4 is simple enough: F, D, C, B, A, S, and SS represent the complete list (with pluses and minuses for each grade). I don't have to tell you which you should be aspiring to. If I do, we've got problems.
• Classic complete-ist: Like any good little hardcore gamer, you should search every nook and cranny for every last scrap of content, so make sure you net the achievements for unlocking all the costumes and collecting all the items.

That too.

Counter Wins
When playing against those of a lesser grade, put the onus on yourself by committing to a defense-heavy victory. Try countering as your main offense, and only employ a combo after a successful reversal. Not only does this hone your skills, but it gives your opponent a fighting chance.

Spartan Master
Dropping a character from a fan-favorite franchise into a fighting game has spelled ease-of-use before, but Itagaki-san had the skilled DOA 4 players in mind when designing SPARTAN-458 (the Halo®-inspired combatant boasting the Mjolnir body armor) and her heavy hitting skills.

Like Bayman and Bass, she (yes she) is not a pick-up-and-master character by any stretch of the imagination. Many hours in Survival and Online matches are required before you can wield SPARTAN-458 with even a modicum of skill. Use her as your default when fighting against the best of the best to prove that tactics and skill, not speed, are your reasons for winning.

Article by Hardcore

• Official game site.
• Tecmo®'s official site.