First off, wow...The graphics in this game are gorgeous. They're better than even, Soul Calibur's when it comes to the characters themselves. Their clothing moves around realistically, and their lips synch with the dialogue perfectly. They look like they were pulled right out of a quality FMV sequence if you ask me.

All you perverts can rejoice as well too. The "sexy animations" (as Team Ninja likes to call them) are back, but more realistic. If you recall, in the first Dead or Alive, when the girls jumped around, their thingies bounced, but in a not so convincing way. Well, I would imagine they did some reasearch this time around, because...hehe. There's also alot of panty shots too. I can assure you, that's not what Dead or Alive 2 is all about, but I imagine that's partly what makes the game so popular.

The levels are done really well too. One of the best looking stages is a Japanese Garden, with a stream that leads to a small waterfall, and a structure and boulders in the background (You can see it in the screenshots). It's worth noting that with all the in this game detail, I've never experienced any slowdowns whatsoever...Just smooth gaming through and through. There are no ring outs here...In some levels, you can throw your opponent off the edge of the building, or platform causing more damage, then jump down and continue to fight in a new area, cool huh? There are also certain 'walls', like electric fences that you can hit your opponent against, which explode and also cause extra damage.

As the back of the case reads, "The world has become a very chaotic and disoriented place ever since the tragic murder or Fame Douglas, the sponsor of the legendary 'Dead or Alive 1 World Combar Championship.' We must now rely on you to ensure that the world returns back to a state of peace.", "...Your mission is to win the championship and save the world from the Tengu Disaster that will take place at the century's end." Okay...Yeah. The story isn't one of this game's strong points, but then again, that's the case with most fighting games.

There are 12 characters in all, including ninja girls, an opera singer looking for revenge, and a guy with amnesia. The story is carried out through short in-game sequences. When your character sees someone they know, they'll usually have a short conversation, and then they'll proceed to fight. It can be a little strange though. For instance, [Possible Spoiler]: Kasumi finally finds her brother, and after a sentence or two, they just fight like nothing. Her ending is only a few seconds long too. Big dissapointment.

The gameplay is fast paced, revolving mostly around combos, and in some character's cases, grappling. The game also features a counter system, which allows you to use your opponent's own attacks against him/her. You can guess where your opponent's next blow will land (High, mid, low) and by tapping back in a certain direction and the 'free' button, you can turn the tide in your favor, provided you're still on your feet. Knowing more combos is the key to bypassing this, as you keep your opponent guessing. The characters don't sport as near many special moves as the ones in Soul Calibur though, and while a great game in it's own way, doesn't have as much potential to be deep and strategic.

The controls are nice and responsive. You use the D-Pad for moving foward and back, as well as jumping and crouching. The analog stick gives you more freedom in the 3d environment, by letting you move up and down. Each command, Punch, Kick, and Free, has a single button, as well as Throw (which is alternatively done by pressing Punch and Free simultaniously). One thing some people may complain about is Dead or Alive's combos are way easy to pull off. For instance, you can combo with most characters by simply pressing the 'Punch' button a few times. Button mashers may actually have a decent chance against those who haven't really mastered the counter system.

I have to say, replayability for Dead or Alive 2 is somewhat of a problem. Something I like about fighting games is unlocking things. That sort of thing is simply non-existant in DoA2. Characters get two, three, or four costumes from the beggining, and that's all. No new levels, modes, or characters to unlock. You don't have much motivation for playing through the single player modes over and over again, and because of this, I'd imagine most people would be tired of them after awhile. I for one would much rather put time into mastering Soul Calibur, as it feels more rewarding. Soon (perhaps too soon), even the hardest difficulty is no challenge. I can't help but be dissapointed.

Aside from Story (Arcade) mode, and Sparring (practice), DoA2 has Versus Mode, Time Attack, Team Battle Mode, Survival Mode, and Tag Team Mode. Tag Team mode is the more unqiue mode. You and your opponent choose two characters, and fight normally, except you can switch off between characters quickly in the middle of the fight. This allows you to chain together combos between two characters if you're good enough, and even team up for a throw as you switch off. One thing that bugged me was for most of the modes, you only get one level, and it's not a very interesting one either.

Going through options, you get the bare essentials. Difficulty, match points, time limit, controller customization, and the ability to view high scores and character usage. A few complaints on the interface. When you pause the game, instead of getting a little menu that usually shows a move list or what not, you get "P1 PAUSE". You don't even get an option to drop back to the menu. Instead you have to do a soft reboot with the control pad. Training mode could have used that command list too...instead you have to dig through the instruction manual to see a list of the character's moves, and a small portion of their combos. These don't subtract from actual gameplay, but would have been welcome additions. In Sparring mode, you can however have your 'punching bag' opponent do a wide variety of things, including specific combos. A nice way to work on countering.

The music doesn't bother me too much, the intro song is okay, even though it sounds a little 'engrish'-y. Most of the music is techno with heavy metal tossed in here and there. It tends to get drowned out when you're just focusing on the game though. In addition to your normal "HIYA!"s and "AHH!"s, Characters speak to each other in Japanese with English subtitles. The voice acting is well done, but I've always wondered what was up with that weird, hoarse Japanese voice, as is the case with the boss.

Most people compare DoA2 with Soul Calibur, and rightly so. Soul Calibur was the first, and still is, considered by most people to be the best fighting game on the Dreamcast. While I had DoA2 first, and like it alot, I can see where they're coming from. More characters, more moves, more levels, and the ability to unlock a shitload of stuff...as mere extras to a deep and exellent fighting game.

Summing everything up...Great game. Though things to unlock would have been a big factor in lengthening the replayability of this game. The story is basically just thrown together, and most modes only use one level. Of course, that aside, DoA2's graphics are some of the best I've seen on a console game (aside from DoA3 of course). Gameplay is fast and furious, while the controls are fluid, and responsive. It has the essential ingredients to make a good fighting game, and succeeds in doing so. DoA2 is one of the best, there's no doubt about that...but it could have had much more going for it. I recommend this to fans of 3D fighters, or people intersted in seeing what a Dreamcast can really do. But do try Soul Calibur first.