Survival and Time Attack Tips

Combat tactics aside, each game mode in Dead or Alive® 4 boasts its own unique set of challenges and tactics. If you're struggling or could just use a hint or two in the Survival or Time Attack modes, try the following tips to help give you the edge you need.

Quick and shifty is Eliot.

Survival

• Use the fence: The electrically charged fence surrounding the ring in Survival (the same environment is always used in this mode) is what's going to save you, and help you keep momentum. Take advantage of it at every possible opportunity. Also, be aware that the corner posts do not carry an electric charge.
• Beware the master: Overpowering combos can rid you of many of the combatants in Survival mode, but every once in a while (somewhere around a tenth of the time), a "master" with greater than average skill enters the ring. Treat this character more carefully, and employ more of the skills that you would online and in Story mode (more throws, reversals, defensive tactics).
• Keep on the pressure: More than anything else, keep constant pressure on your opponent. It's not just about surviving each match, but surviving it with a fair amount of health (it doesn't fully replenish). You die most often when you let up for that split second and give the opponent a chance to breathe.
• Change it up: The A.I. reacts to and predicts your more common combos, and when you're trying to put down dozens of fighters at a stretch you need to use your full skill set to avoid constant reversals. Don't rely on any one move or combo repeatedly.
• Room at your back: Don't get cornered and don't let yourself get pushed back towards the ropes. Make sure you strafe around your enemy when you get a chance. Try to have your opponent closer to the ropes than you at all times.
• Collect the prize: Your overall score isn't just determined by how many people you defeat, but by the overall score you amass. Long protracted combos and special abilities score a good number of points, but the big bonuses come in the form of the prizes each defeated enemy drops. You have the best opportunity to grab these immediately following an opponent's knockout. Grab them quickly or the new enemy will force you away from them.

Note: More than Story or Time Attack, Survival mode offers a great opportunity to practice with a new character. The enemies (most of them) aren't incredibly hard, but they're still challenging enough to keep you on your toes, making them the perfect active practice partner .

He's apparently quite limber, too.

Time Attack

• Bring the power: Don't take this to mean you need to use the slower, more powerful characters, only that you need to use the combos and special moves for each character that deliver the best punch. When possible, stay away from the quicker, softer-hitting combos and the more defensive holds and moves.
• Constant pressure: Like in Survival Mode, you need to keep up constant pressure. There simply isn't time to dilly-dally around. You need to rack up a substantial time cushion in the first several rounds so you can afford to use the more defensive strategy required for the last two fights.
• Die early, restart: If you get knocked out in any of the first five rounds, just start over. It won't take long to get back to where you were, but you won't be able to vie for a medal if you fall early.
• Break Alpha's combo: Alpha 152 is a challenging speed demon, but "she" focuses wholly on offense, and doesn't sport much of a defense. Couple of things to note here:
  • If she starts a long combo chain far enough away from you, you should be able to break the combo with one of your own.
  • When you start a combo near her, she'll likely teleport midway through. Try not to finish your combo with a move that leaves you open at the end (for example, Jann Lee's four-move punch combo with ends with a dramatic punch that leaves him open). Instead, try halting your combos before the last move.
• Character patterns: Time Attack can be brutal, and you want to take every advantage you can get. If you spend enough time in the mode, you'll notice a familiar stream of enemies (for example, if you start off against Kasumi, you already know who the next opponent is). It's natural to find that you struggle more against certain opponents, so if you recognize that you'll have to fight them somewhere along the chain, try backing out to reset the character order to give you a better chance.

Article by Alex McLain