Online Annihilation
By Wendell Scott
The year 2004 has brought a bumper crop of online fighting games, but the one many of us have been waiting for is finally here. Dead or Alive® Ultimate™ recreates both Dead or Alive andDead or Alive 2 for the Xbox® with snazzier graphics, new costumes, hidden characters, and of course, a huge set of online features.
Team up online to deliver the beat-down.
You can't have a fighting game without fighting, and Dead or Alive Ultimate features some of the fastest and sickest hand-to-hand combat you've ever seen. There are six separate game modes available on Xbox Live™:
- Winner Stays: Two players go at it head-to-head, while up to six more watch and wait for their turn in the arena. The winner of the match continues on to the next bout.
- Loser Stays: Two players go at it head-to-head, while up to six more watch and wait for their turn in the arena. The loser of the match continues on to the next bout.
- Kumite: This is like Winner Stays, only the game continues indefinitely instead of ending after a certain number of rounds.
- Team Battle: Four two-player tag teams battle it out, team-versus-team.
- Survival: One player takes on as many challengers as he can until he dies and then lets the next player take over.
- Tournament: Up to eight players battle each other in single-elimination paired rounds until only one champion remains.
Battling against human opponents is always going to be more challenging and rewarding than beating up on the A.I. Dead or Alive Ultimate makes absolutely sure of this with the Lobby system it uses on Xbox Live, which recreates the experience of being on deck at the local arcade while the combatants go at it. Anyone who isn't in the current match can watch from a viewer-controlled spectator camera and hear or be heard by the rest of the gang who are waiting for their turn.
This simple device is fool-proof for establishing instant camaraderie among the spectators (which of course vanishes as soon as you face your fellow observers in the ring). It's also the perfect chance to scout out the competition and get a sneak peek at the fighting styles you're likely to face. Depending on how familiar you are with each character, you can tell quite a bit about how your upcoming opponent is likely to fight. If he relies on one particular combo or uses the same throw over and over, you can prepare a nasty surprise for him when he tries it on you.
Fightin' around the world on Xbox Live.
Online is also where you can compare your skills and progress with gamers from around the world. The stat tracking on XboxLive doesn't just count up the number of wins and losses; it monitors which characters are being used, tells you which ones win the most, and even gives you a letter grade for each fight you have.
The grade can be somewhat misleading if you have a run of very good opponents or very bad ones, but it's always going to be useful because it tracks how you perform as well as your wins and losses. If you just spam the same long-range attack to send your opponents into the Danger Zone, you're not going to get the good grades. What you will get is an earful from the spectators once you're back in the lobby, because Dead or Alive fans online are not afraid to criticize if they see sloppy play.
Along with your moves, you can also show off your favorite costumes online. Since everyone only has access to the characters and costumes they've unlocked, you can measure your success by the flashy duds your character is sporting.
Sure, everyone knows about Tina's red cat suit and Ein's Dracula cape, but can you wear 'em to a fight? If Ayane looks distractingly good in her schoolgirl skirt, how can you possibly concentrate when she's decked out in a form-fitting bodysuit and luge helmet?
Catch an eyeful (and earful) from Ayane.
For those of us who grew up playing fighting games at the local arcade, Dead or Alive Ultimate is a welcome trip into a time when dozens of strangers would know you not just by your high-score initials on the machine, but because they watched you play. Xbox Live is all about head-to-head competition and talking smack, but this is one title that makes being a spectator almost as interactive as being a combatant.
