Tag-Team Tips
By Ben Barker
It's been three years since Team Ninja's first 3-D fighting foray on Xbox®—the intense, nigh-legendary Dead or Alive® 3—shook up the genre and set a new bar for graphics that, in all likelihood, helped sell plenty of those first Xbox consoles way back when.
Since then, Team Ninja and Tomonobu Itagaki continued their unbroken string of popular, critically lauded Xbox titles with the completely unique Dead or Alive® Xtreme Beach Volleyball and the greatest third-person-action game of all time as of 2004, Ninja Gaiden®.
But, something was missing—namely, the first two games in theDOA series weren't available on Xbox, which the mad geniuses at Team Ninja have obviously fallen in love with. Now, the completist in all of us can be content. The original Dead or Alive (in all its Sega Saturn-ine glory) and a completely revamped-for-Xbox take on Dead or Alive 2 are available in one handy two-disc package: Dead or Alive® Ultimate™.
Isn't it time to try a foursome?
Tag, You're It
Like DOA3, DOA2U (which, let's face it, is the one you'll probably play the most) gives you a multitude of game types and modes. The most frenetic game style is Tag Team, which puts two fighters under your control, while your opponent (or the Xbox CPU) controls the other two.
Xbox Live™ games are as easy to set up as one-box Versus matches. The fighters go at each other one at a time, and you can switch between them with the black button. The only restriction is no clones—you can't have Kasumi tagging Kasumi on the same team, as much fun as that description might sound, for no particular reason. This is also DOAU's most strategic mode, since every two-fighter pairing obviously has different strengths and weaknesses.
Tag teams can also pull of tag combos, and some characters have additional special tag combos to uncover, simply because the folks at Team Ninja and their brilliant leader are insane in the best possibly way. To execute the basic tag combos, move in on your opponent. Then, either tap toward your foe twice on the D-pad, simultaneously hitting the A button on the second tap. Or, move in and tap back with the black button.
Choice Teams
Some team-ups work better than others, and you can use the game dialog to help tell which ones match well. Strangely enough, it's often a combatant that seems to be a nemesis in the story that's your best bet.
Kasumi and Hayabusa
If DOAU were the senior prom, you'd be looking at the queen and king, respectively (or maybe Queen and Vengeful Consort). The two fight in a similar style, which is appropriate, since Hayabusa is Kasumi's brother's best friend—presumably on her father's sister's niece's side, twice removed. Both are fast and unpredictable with very effective basic tag combos. Use Kasumi's throws and switch in Ryu while your foe is still on the floor to follow through with the heavy damage.
If only Kasumi and Ryu could team up …
Leon and Zack
Personally, I love this pairing simply because of the characters' hilarious interaction in story mode. Leon says something along the lines of "At last, we meet again." Zack comes back with the equivalent of, "Dude, I have never seen you before in my life, but let's fight." They must be like a freakin' Abbott and Costello routine backstage before each tag-team match.
Think of Zack and Leon as a boot and a fist. Depending on your mood, you can beat someone up with either one to keep both in winning health. Use Zack's powerful and lightning-fast kickboxing attacks and reversals to drive your enemy off-balance in short bursts. Or, keep hard-punching, slam-throwing Leon in the arena for most of the time. He's simply got a tougher jaw, and it helps you conserve Zack's health bar to get the win.
Leon eyes a potential partner, his "nemesis" Zack.
Gen Fu and Helena
You'd think that Helena and Ayane would make a great team, based on the nemesis principle—since Ayane does seem to have, er, assassinated Helena's mother before the young opera singer's eyes. And, they do make an effective pair, but as you can probably tell, I've got a soft spot for the funnier character connections, and their story mode interaction is priceless. I shall paraphrase.
Helena (paraphrased): Hey, old man, why are you here? You're going to have a heart attack or something.
Gen Fu (paraphrased): I'm going to win all the money and end disease and save the children. Money saves lives.
Helena (not really paraphrased): Yeah, well … good luck with that.
This pairing is like a more graceful version of Bass and Tina. They're both physically strong fighters, though Gen Fu is a bit faster and less grapple-y than Bass, and Helena similarly prefers slapping down foes to high-impact holds. Both do well with reversals, too.
Helena smacks Kasumi, "banking" Gen Fu's health.
Tina and Bass
You remember thatSimpsons episode, where Lisa called Homer's attempts at reaching out to his kids as "scary love"? These two always remind me of that. Bass, a sort of disturbing pro wrestler that has serious family issues with his fun-loving, free-spirited, ass-kicking, bikini-wearing daughter, gets to cut loose when he buries the hatchet and the two team up. Tina's relative speed compared to her extremely dedicated pop helps keep up with faster opponents like Jann Lee and Ayane. And, since the wrasslin' moves each use are similar, you don't have to worry about constantly switching attack sets in your head.
Tina and Bass get a pair of special tag combos all their own, which you can pull off by moving in close to the enemy with Bass. Then, roll the D-pad forward and up as you press A. The combo will be different, depending on whether you launch it with Daddy or Daughter Dear.
Tina's kicking Bayman, but Dad won't be amused.
Now for Something Completely Gratuitous
Now, we move from the useful section of our program and into the obligatory DOAU bonus screenshot cavalcade! We get hundreds of screenshots here at Xbox.com for most games we cover, and usually only use a smattering. But, when it comes to the Dead or Alive games or anything else by Team Ninja, our unofficial policy is: The more screens, the better! You don't mind scrolling, do you?
"Wait, whose arm is that?"
"That would be mine."
Meee-ow!
And, they say school uniforms improve discipline …
"Just stand over there, okay?"
Friends, we're all winners here.
Nothing to see here. Just move along. Seriously.
Tengu is Cyrano in "Roxanne: the Reckoning."
