First, let me tell you what you all have been waiting for. The result of Team Ninja of Tecmo and Sega's Naomi board is a work of art. The graphics are highly detailed and beautifully designed. For example, you can see individual hair strands and read the kanji characters on Kasumi's robe. Polygons are running smoothly at 60 fps. In fact, the characters look so real it makes you wonder if they are really made of polygons.
The stages are also beautifully rendered. On top of that, they are huge and interactive! You can knock your opponent off a clift, smash him through mosaic windows, throw him off a balcony, slamming him into electrical fences, etc. You get the idea. On one stage, you get to fight on top of a small stream. Everytime you move, depending on the force of your kick, the water splash is of different magnitude. On the snow stage, the characters are half-submerged, adding more realism to the game.
Gameplay is similar to Tekken in terms of attacks and juggles, however with more emphasis on counters and stage interactions. This adds a little strategic element. Also, with the game's new FREE button, you can roam the stage freely. The throws are highlights of the combat. Some of throws this game has are jaw-droppingly impressive. Wait till you finish your opponent off with a link throw that ends by smashing him into the electrical fence then you'll know what the word "replay" really means.
The voice acting is really good (Although I'd love to know what they are saying to each other...). The voice matches with character's lips' motion. Did I mention that they also blink, laugh, or fight at the same time? You just have to play the game to know what I'm talking about.
DOA2 also features 4 different play modes: Story, Time Attack, Survival, and Tag. In tag mode, you get to play a 2-on-2 match, similar to Capcom's VS games or Tekken Tag Tournament. Depending on your team, you get to do different team moves and throws. Survival mode is too hard for beginner. Time attack mode is good for practice since it offers the traditional best-two-out-of-three system which allows players more chances to try out different moves. Story mode is where all the in-game movies are. It is also the victim of my only gripe about this game...that is...IT'S TOO SHORT! I WANT MORE! =)
Hi, my name's Dave Gross, a 15 year-old Minnesotan hardcore gameplayer. I just wanted to say that you have the best DOA site on the web. I've been to other DOA sites and there's basically nothing better than this site.
I just wanted to ask you--have you gotten your hands on DOA2 Hardcore yet? If not, no problemo--I rented the game hours ago today and am willing to let you know about the game if you want:
The game is as you may expect, much better than the DC version. People complain about the lack of aliasing (clean-up of jaggedy edges in the graphics), but they're saying BS; the graphics are just awesome. The game also boasts cool lightning effects, as well as reflections off of water.
The action is the same as the DC version, but supposedly Bayman from DOA1 returns here. Each character has more costumes. Sadly for all true fans of DOA, the bouncing breats have not really changed a whole lot (still not as bouncy as DOA1), but they're fun to see while you see'em.
There is brand new music and brand new stages. Don't worry, the kick-ass music from DOA2 on DC is retained in this game. This game also seems to show a lot of respect for people's own likings--not only are there complete options for all modes, but there is even a UPS feature for the game. The UPS system enables you to create a UPS file on your 8mb memory card, and you can store all your records into this file. The file keeps track of your winning average, character usage, mode records, and there is even a Pedometer to keep track of how many steps total you made in the game! There are supposedly even histories for your favorite characters; not much detail is known yet. The game even has the capability of letting your fave character speak english! I got scared when I chose this option, because I thought the language would be hokey....but the english speaking is surprisingly well-done; the voices suit the characters perfectly, especially Kasumi's (I literally hug my pillow when I see her and hear her voice). You can even record your own battles and save them as replays on your 8mb memory card.
All in all, DOA2 Hardcore is a must-buy. It gives Tekken Tag a run for its moeny, unsuprisingly. All the stuff I mentioned above is just a few goodies; there are many more cool suprises that await ya! If you can't find a PS2 unit yet, buy this game immediately at your store to make sure you have it. You WILL want this game!
Does that suffice? YOu can do whatever you want with this review--you can post it on your site, or just keep it as a personal compliment.
Well, see ya later, and hope your site continues to kick ass!
