Dead Or Alive

Download Dead or Alive and master the art of combat in this iconic fighting game! Choose your warrior, perfect your moves, and prove your prowess in the arena. Are you ready to face the challenge? Play now!
a game by Tecmo
Genre: Fighting Games
Platforms: Arcade, Playstation
Editor Rating: 8/10, based on 4 reviews
User Rating: 8.3/10 - 6 votes
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See also: Download Fighting Games, Dead or Alive Series

Dead or Alive was a fairly popular fighting game on Sega's Model 3 board. It had quite a few gorgeous women and the animation was typically excellent. Now comes this quasi-sequel with several new characters and backgrounds. Not much else is known about this fighter by Tecmo, except that it may include a different combo system, and all original characters will get several new moves. Look for a larger preview on this update in a future issue as soon as more information becomes available.

Download Dead Or Alive

Arcade

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
Playstation

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP

Game Reviews

Dead or Alive comes alive on the PlayStation, featuring the sexiest fighters around!

Tecmo enters the fight-night frenzy on the PlayStation with Dead or Alive, its competitor to heavyweight champs like Tekken 3, Street Fighter EX Plus, and Bloody Roar. While it goes for the speed and style of Virtua Fighter 2, it also adds other components like explosive ring-outs, air juggles, and small combos.

A noticeable element lacking in Dead or Alive, though, is depth. DOA doesn't have big 10-hit combos or linking moves; instead, it uses an overly aggressive countering system that makes it seem more like a training exercise than a contender for the PlayStation's top fighting game.

It's not Tekken 3, but then again, it's not supposed to be. What Dead or Alive does offer is a quick plug-and-play game where novices can open a can of whup-ass and flex their fighting muscles a little. Experts may feel like toying around with DOA, but only until they get their hands on Tekken 3.

ProTips:

  • Lure opponents to the edge of the ring and fight there. If they fall outside the boundary, they're hit with a small, but harmful, explosion.
  • Countering too much will cause the A.I. to respond with more throws, so counter with moderation.
  • Play every character to the end. After you beat Radou, the option board will contain hidden options and you'll be able to change your character's costume.
  • Gen Fu is one of the toughest fighters: He's small, so you'll have to crouch to fight him. Don't bother with roundhouse kicks--they go right over his head.

Graphics

Smooth and fast, Dead or Alive will certainly challenge other PlayStation brawlers this year. Improved backgrounds (compared to the Saturn version) also give the game's look a boost.

Control

The controls respond smoothly, but the game relies too heavily on countering, which can go back and forth aggressively during a match. And as in its Saturn counterpart, blocking is cumbersome in this PlayStation version.

Sound

You won't catch yourself humming DOA's tunes, but the game does put together a solid array of voice and sound effects. The explosions during ring-outs are also really impressive.

Fun Factor

The controls respond smoothly, but the game relies too heavily on countering, which can go back and forth aggressively during a match. And as in its Saturn counterpart, blocking is cumbersome in this PlayStation version.

With a smooth look and 11 eye-catching polygonal fighters, the fighting game Dead or Alive looks awesome in these preview screens But will the gameplay match the game's look? It will be helped by parallax 3D backgrounds (objects will scroll as the player moves), three-button controls (much like Virtua Fighter 2's Punch, Guard, and Kick layout), and a promised multilinking combo system.

Throw in competitive graphics, a Quest mode (like Tobal's), and a Danger Zone mode (like the Akuma mode in Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold), and you have a game that draws elements from some of the best fighting games ever. Let's hope DoA's game-play isn't DOA.

If you know anything about Tecmo's Model 2 arcade game Dead or Alive, then you probably don't care very much that the Saturn version played better than the coin-op and packed an extra character.

And you probably don't care that the forthcoming PlayStation version adds two new fighters, more moves, a higher polygonal count, more skimpy alternate costumes and a brand-new soundtrack. Ail you probably want to know is if the female characters still, shall we say, jiggle when they wiggle.

Fear not. Dead or Alive's large selection of well-endowed femme fighters are rendered with the same trademark bounciness that made the arcade game famous. And if you'd get your minds out of the gutter for a second, you'll be happy to hear that Tecmo is making this the best version of Dead or Alive yet. In fact, the development team--made mostly of the original crew that created the coin-op--has said the PlayStation version could almost be called Dead or Alive 2.

The game packs 11 characters (including Ryu Hayabusa, ninja star of the NES Ninja Gaiden series). It uses a three-button fighting engine similar to VF2, with a kick, punch and evade (instead of block) button. Although we haven't received a playable version yet (and therefore can't confirm whether the 3-D backgrounds of the arcade game made it into this version), the game is generating plenty of anticipation around the office. But does Dead or Alive have what it takes to topple Tekken 3? We'll see.

  • MANUFACTURER - Tecmo
  • THEME - Fighting
  • NUMBER OF PLAYERS - 1 or 2

Snapshots and Media

Arcade Screenshots

Playstation Screenshots

See Also

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