Dead or Alive 4 final preview: harder, faster, deeper
by Dan Choi 
{ Dec 27th 2005 at 9:29PM }
Dead or Alive 4 is supposed to be out for the 360 this week, so the MetaReview will have to wait till then, but we do have some final impressions from Japan for the MS stalwarts waiting for the latest word from Team Ninja.
According to IGN, "the main changes [from DoA3] come from a smaller window of opportunity when pulling off reversals, a slightly enhanced poke and stun game, and a more advanced ground game." While the second change sounds like a mini-game from DoAXBV, it's actually in reference to being "vulnerable to as many as three hits on the ground before being able to get up" after a counter (or a higher counter). Other changes include lower damage for moves (resulting in longer matches in general), as well as that new girl everyone's talking about nowadays.
There's something to be said for four-second load times (which is apparently pretty good for a 360 title) and a nice set of, er... online achievements ("play 100 matches unbeaten online"), but does that justify a 100% score -- that is, a 5 out of 5 -- from the pages of GamePro? Sounds like the first review for PGR3, if we're not mistaken, so you definitely want to withhold judgment until further reviews are in (even if both are great games, relatively speaking).
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
heistgonewrong @ Dec 27th 2005 9:40PM
So, does anyone know anything concrete about the release date yet? Is it going to be tomorrow (the 28th), the 29th, 30th, or the 3rd of January? Waiting patiently to get some use out of my new stick.
chipper @ Dec 27th 2005 10:17PM
A Halo character in DoA4? Is this for real? Is MS really taking the Nintendo road of pimping its franchises across unrelated genres? Will we be getting a Master Chief Party? Or a Halo Extreme Golf? Perhaps a Master Chief Power Yoga? Whats the world coming to? Maybe MS decided they need to turn a profit this gen and looked to the "mailman" of profits himself: Mario, for inspiration. I like mario as much as the next guy but don't MS know that mario milking, while profitable is the subject of constant ridicule? I guess the # signs speak louder than the critics. Bring on Master Chief Kart Plasma Dash!!
Danny boy @ Dec 27th 2005 10:26PM
I really can't wait for this, it looks really good.
Does anyone know when this comes out in the UK?
GangWay @ Dec 27th 2005 10:50PM
Looks good, I still like Streetfighter better, but maby this one will change my mind? Too bad I cant find a 360.
dvdguy @ Dec 27th 2005 10:54PM
Good lord #2 it's one minor character in a fighting game. Cool out.
klink-o @ Dec 27th 2005 10:56PM
I'm sure it's a good game, but Gamepro is pretty worthless when it comes to accurate reviews. I have a suspicion they get paid for a lot of them.
Dan @ Dec 27th 2005 11:30PM
Bleh, Gamepro has the shittiest and biased reviews.
Mr. Sparkler @ Dec 27th 2005 11:59PM
#2 it was Team Ninjas idea to use a character from Halo in Doa4 not Microsoft. Get your facts strait.
CrAzY American @ Dec 28th 2005 12:03AM
woah chipper. That was one long ass rant for a stupid ass argument. Its one game buddy.
nojok3 @ Dec 28th 2005 12:16AM
straight not strait :-p
I'm looking to get this game, hopefully it comes out tomorrow so I can pick it up at ebgames without preordering first
Mephy @ Dec 28th 2005 2:38AM
#7: And the Mario spinoffs are proposed by the 3rd-party developers who make them. Doesn't mean Nintendo doesn't get all the flak for it.
HotDogs @ Dec 28th 2005 6:07AM
Can't wait to see this beauty in High Definition.
Artimus @ Dec 28th 2005 7:46AM
That GamePro has been out for like a month now. I'd love to know how a print magazine got a final version of a game that wasn't even finished until at least two weeks after their deadline. If you ask me, the review is complete and utter bull. There is no way they played the final version.
JesusB-day @ Dec 28th 2005 6:16PM
So what is DIFFERENT in this DOA game? WOW, better resolution or hi-def graphics....THATS IT?
I guess we have to wait for some soer of...I dont know... REVOLUTION .. to happen next generation if we want something new in gaming eh ?
Project Gotheem looks the SMAME game but with prettier visuals, Quake 4 looks the same as DOOM3 only with slightly better graphics....
wow..... YAWN....
wake me up if the PS3 or Revolution makes actual NEXT GENERATION games please....
maylon @ Dec 29th 2005 12:06PM
Um, jesus, what is this game supposed to do? Jump out of the tv and punch you? Try playing some board games or something and come back when you are less jaded.
JesusB-day @ Dec 29th 2005 3:47PM
Umm, maylon
I am waiting for a NEXT generation game.
Lets see, Quake 4 is a coppy of quake 3,2,1 Doom 3, final doom, doom2 and Doom... The racing games are the same thing with Hi Def graphics...wow.
Looks liek the 360, so far has NO ORIGINAL and TRUE next gen games.
A game to come out of the TV EH? Sounds like something a systme with VISORS might do, or with a 3D real time controler eh?
maylon @ Dec 29th 2005 4:42PM
Well, I do have to admit that I have a list of demands from the next gen. Like, no clipping or body melding, no characters revolving on an invisible pivot, little or no jaggies, ai that isnt stupid, no locked doors unless it makes absolute sense, etc etc. So, in retrospect, I was pretty hypocritical in calling you jaded.
SkySoft @ Dec 29th 2005 5:07PM
Damn it... Lucky americans you are, we (europeans) will have to wait for it for a month again...
Or maybe for 3 months... Thinking about a release date in march, end of year in Japan... No, non, I can't really think about it...^^
JDH @ Dec 29th 2005 9:10PM
I'm getting this game. The review that IGN has done (9.0) gets to the core of what this game is about.
One knock that Team Ninja's Marketing department gets is due to not conveying the real features of this game. Read the IGN review to find out.
If this game is anything like the review then we might have a big winner on our hands.
I'm not even a fighting game fan. I used to like Street Fighter on the Super NES. This game has tweaked my interest and after I read the review I pre-ordered and bought the game.
...and I hate game reviews.
aihyah @ Jan 1st 2006 1:50AM
"
I am waiting for a NEXT generation game.
Lets see, Quake 4 is a coppy of quake 3,2,1 Doom 3, final doom, doom2 and Doom... The racing games are the same thing with Hi Def graphics...wow."
ugh, you are waiting for something that doesn't exist. games have stayed the same for a long time, there are only incremental changes. whether its gathering points, ostacle courses, racing, fighting. last jump was from 2d to 3d, so now what? its the same ol rpg/rts/fps/racing/fighting sims. so what? you've played it all to death and well thats ok. it just means you are getting old and maybe should stop caring about such things.
and look at your example from quake 1-4/doom. there have been no revolutions for almost 10 years by that standard. just prettier graphics, its time to give up.
i dunno, how about you pop in an atari racer and compare it to gotham racing on xbox 360 on a hdtv and then come back.