Written By Style Rodriguez

     Tecmo really put themselves on the map, when it comes to game development and holding the own with many of the top dog developers and publishers like EA, and Activision to name a few. Tecmo was fairly well known back during the 8-Bit era with titles like Tecmo Super Bowl and of course the arcade classic Rygar which two years ago was re-developed on the Playstation 2, now they three franchises that in the past year have really let gamers know who Tecmo is the first is the Monster Rancher series which was been a great RPG where you use cds that get place into your system to help create monster that you train and fight against other monsters in the game or you can see how well your training skills are and pit your monster against a friends. The second is Ninja Gaiden which was a classic hit on the 8-Bit Nintendo and Sega Genesis which was the first step in the 16-bit era. Many years had pasted and great franchises like Metal Gear had been remade on the original Playstation, but no Ninja Gaiden. Ninja Gaiden had been rumored for sometime and even at one point was said to be in development for Sega’s Saturn system and the Dreamcast but Tecmo did not accept or deny these claims. The third of this series is Dead or Alive which started back in 1996 on Sega Saturn in Japan. DOA became one of the biggest imports of its time, with great replay value and the first fighting game to have a true reversal system.

     Dead or Alive since that time has graced many console systems the first is as aforementioned the Sega Saturn, the second is the first Playstation and the third was Sega’s Dreamcast which really gave beauty to a fighting game the was basically dominated by female fighters that are just out right gorgeous. Then the game was developed for the Playstation 2 but did not get the recognition that the Dreamcast version did. The game really blew up when the game became an exclusive title to Microsoft first console system the X-Box. This title was dub Dead or Alive 3 which was the 3^rd title by story standards but not by actual development standards see side bar for a DOA history line. The time has come for Microsoft to release their second console system which the X-Box 360, which now brings us to the present with Dead or Alive 4.

     DOA 4 was slated to be a launch title for the 360 but that was not the case the game was released a full month later. But the great thing is that its here and it’s a must have for all fighting fans here is why. First off our favorite girls are back like Kusami, Ayane and of course Lei-Fang. Plus the 2 new editions from DOA 3 Christy and Hitomi, now you ask what about Helena she a hidden character which must be unlocked and for those that like the tough wrestling type Tina is still here too. One of the characters that is interesting is Spartan 458, that’s right a Master Chief the thing about this is that there isn’t a whole lot of explanation of how there is another Spartan. If you remember John Spartan is the last one which is unit number is 117. Another hidden character is Tengu the boss character of DOA 3. Unlocking him is a long process but when you do achieve that goal then you have pretty much unlocked everything in the game.

     There are three new characters in the game the first is Zack’s girlfriend Marisol who is a Spanish wrestler. Marisol was first introduced in the game Dead or Alive Volleyball, where all the DOA girls thought that they were being invited to another tournament and it ended up on an island resort parading around in bathing suits. The second is Kokoro who dresses as a geisha and dances like one but uses an interesting fighting style. Quick on some attacks but this is not the character you want to play with as a beginner of the series. The third is a young boy by the name of Eliot who speaks of the master he wants to make proud, this master is none other then Gen Fu. Now, the fighting style is a different kind of Kung fu but none of the moves are like Gen Fu’s. He is not a hidden character; he is available from the start, just like Kokoro.

     The game modes are just as before you have story mode, which doesn’t need a big explanation. Then of course versus which has two modes with in it the first is Single and the Second it versus Tag. Then you also have survival mode which also has the to game modes as aforementioned. Of course there is Time Attack mode which you will end up playing a lot if you want to unlock all costumes for all the characters in the game.

     So the bottom line is this if you’re a fan of the series pick it up its great, if you’re a fan of fighting games then again pick it up because this is a great game that will keep you busy just as a fighting game should.