VISUALLY SPEAKING
Let's repeat the question: Is Dead or Alive 4 everything it's cracked up to be? As a key component in the next round of the console wars, DOA4 arrives in much the same fashion as DOA3 did at the original Xbox's launch. It is clearly the best-looking fighter around, thanks to the 360's emphasis on high-definition, eclipsing even DOA Ultimate's stellar graphics with a combination of high-resolution textures, brilliant lighting effects, and increased polygon counts on the characters. While the facial characteristics of the DOA fighters still follow the anime style favored by Team NINJA, there is far more definition in the musculature of the models, most notably applied to Jann Lee, whose every muscle and vein seems to burst from his forearms and body. The familiarity of the inimitable DOA style, however, ensures that things don't look overtly different than what's come before, resulting in character models that appear refined rather than reinvented. But cloth textures and poly-counts don't tell the whole story. Advanced cloth and hair animations add verve to the fighters thanks to ribbons and hair that swing and sway with the action. Unfortunately there is clearly progress to be made, as the game lacks any of the catchphrase "self-shadowing" that's so popular at the moment, the same technique that give works like the Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer such life. Other little technical details, like ponytails and whatnot generally cascading over a character's shoulders, but also occasionally clipping through the body, are noticeable if not significant. But what little the fighters may lack is more than compensated for in the game's huge new environments.
While DOA has, since the second chapter, been known for its multi-tiered levels, DOA4 takes things further by adding a phenomenal level of detail within each stage. One stage (Kyoto In Bloom, with both day and night versions) is covered by falling cherry blossom petals, while low walls and picnic tables act as natural barriers that influence the gameplay. Another level (Experimental Playground) takes place in DOATEC's dinosaur habitat, and is inhabited by raptors (some of which knock players for a loop if they cross a raptor's path), triceratops, T-Rexes and other Jurassic types. Each level has its own stunning elements, whether it's the D.W.A. Coliseum's blood-thirsty 3D crowd, the Savannah Safari's wild animals, or the Seaside Market's exploding fruit stands or lower beach level. Of course, there's the Temple On the Mountain stage that's seemingly inspired by the Yellow Mountains, featuring over a hundred monkeys (you don't see them all at once), who scatter if you take the fight too close to them. The bystanders in DOA4's Gambler's Paradise stage also disperse when you slam an opponent into a fence or railing, as cars whiz by or run over the combatants. In short, DOA4 is graphical eyecandy, making it just as fun to watch as it is to play. The best stage, however, is definitely the unadorned, wall-free, gimmick-free, and practically graphics-free Tatami Room, an arena based on a minimalist Japanese dojo aesthetic, which offers the purest arena in which to do battle.
Little details like the splashing water that kicks up from each step in the river under the bridge stage adds to the overall effect of a level already made impressive by the detail in the riverbed underneath the running water, and the trees that blanket the area. But, in much the same way as the characters lack certain minor graces, there is obvious room for improvement in the stages as well. For example, the water lacks any of the gelatinous ripples we've come to expect, and in the Experimental Playground, none of the dinosaurs in this stage stage have shadows, giving off the impression that you're fighting on a movie set or in a theme park rather than in the vicinity of "real" dinosaurs. It's not a detail that you're likely to notice while fending off an opponent's attacks, but is one that affects the overall vibe. Maybe we're just used to Team NINJA's slick visuals, but some of DOA4 feels a little too slick. It might have been nice to see what they could do with a less flashy stage, like a backstreet alley, or a junkyard; something with a little more grit to offset the fantasy-themed stages and the pyrotechnics of the wrestling arena. What's offered is excellent stuff, but it'd be interesting to see what creator Tomonobu Itagaki and Co. would produce if forced to watch David Fincher movies for a day before making their next game.
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:rofl2:
