Everthing you want to know....
http://xbox.ign.com/articles/550/550806p1.html
September 24, 2004 - In the early days of the Xbox, Dead or Alive 3 was the only fighting game in town. With an intuitive and rewarding grappling/counter system, fast-paced 3D action, destructible environments, and the excellent tag team mode, it was the favorite game in the IGN offices around its release.
Looks like productivity is going to take another dip when DOAU ships, because it builds on everything we liked, and adds even more. We got an opportunity to go hands-on with the game earlier today at the Tokyo Game Show, and it's every bit as juicy and addictive as expected. Everything has been tightened and refined--the fighting is crisp and frenetic, and maintains the vigor of DOA 3. It still feels righteous to throw a fighter into an explosive wall, bash someone's face into the floor with a counter move, and fly in on a double-team move to devastate your foe.
As expected, the Ultimate is incredibly pretty. More environments than ever are on display at the show, including a desert locale with sand dunes and cacti, a richly-decorated dojo, and some of the more classic locales we've come to expect. Of course, the environments are completely interactive, allowing you to abuse your opponents in new and awful ways using every surface in the game.
The character models and animations are approaching flawless. This has always been a gorgeous game to behold, and Ultimate is truly thatthe ultimate example of Xbox graphics. From costume detail to amazing lighting, it's the whole package. Tecmo deserves kudos for continually upping the bar on the system.
Like DOA 3, Ultimate is packed with modes, several of which we got to test drive on the show floor. If you want a bit of a refresher course, here is what the game will offer:
DOA 2 Story
Time Attack
Survival
Tag Battle
Team Battle
Versus
Sparring
DOA Online
Of course, the Online portion of the game is a huge draw, although we were unable to play around with this mode today. We'll try to get more online details as TGS goes on.
In all there are fourteen characters in DOA Ultimate. The newest surprise is Tengu, who was playable in this TGS build of the game. This floating boss character is a powerful foe (or ally, if you're into being all evil). In a demo of the game, it appeared that he had the ability to somehow change the weather during the course of a fight, making for some unique combat.
In addition to Tengu, the build we played seemed to have all of the costumes unlocked as well, and the sheer number of them is impressive. Here is how many you can expect from each character:
Jann: 8
Kasumi: 10
Gen Fu: 8
Tina: 10
Zack: 8
Ayane: 10
Hitomi: 10
Tengu: 3
Hayabusa: 9
Helena: 10
Bass: 8
Leon: 7
Leifang: 10
Ein: 7
Bayman: 6
It's no surprise that the ladies sport more costumes than their male counterparts, as the games have traditionally showcased both the power and beauty of the female fighters. Among the costume highlights are Tina's halter-top and Leifang's belly-exposing evening gown.
Although the ladies got the quantity, it seems the men might have gotten the quality. Zack is back with some creepy chrome threads that look like a cross between Silverhawks and Teletubbies. In addition, he sports a tux that looks straight out of Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball. Bass has even more All-Star wrestling-themed outfits, including one that seems to be an homage to the Road Warriors.
Probably the most decked-out character is Hayabusa, who most will recognize as Ryu Hayabusa from the Ninja Gaiden series. Fans of Gaiden will delight in the costume selections available here. We don't want to give too much away, but suffice it to say that at least two of them are straight out of the aforementioned Xbox title.
From what we saw here at TGS, DOA Ultimate is going to live up to and surpass fan expectations. Look for more updates as we draw closer to the game's release in a handful of weeks.
