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Awhile back, DOA2 was released for
the Dreamcast system. After a few months, DOA2 was released for the new
PS2 console. It's not just DOA2, it's Hardcore.
GAMEPLAY (8.0)
The action that DOA2:Hardcore offers
is what separates itself from other fighting games. Characters are frequently
blown away from "power moves," hit against walls, shocked by electric walls,
and pushed off from great heights. With just a punch button, a kick button,
a counter button, a freestep button, and a tag system the fights are fast
paced. The problem with DOA2:Hardcore's gameplay
is its simplicity. You only have one punch and kick button for crying out
loud! This limits the strategies that the players could utilize when they
fight. On top of that, I found myself using the counter button too often.
When I played against my brother, we basically waited for each other to
make a move. How pathetic! It's just like a guessing game! In fact, I hated
all the buttons except for one button: the freestep button. This button
allows a player to move around the arena 360 degrees easily. The Tekken
series should have had this feature.
GRAPHICS (10.0)
Better than DOA2 for Dreamcast, (the
characters have more shading and the backgrounds are more detailed) the
graphics are very appealing to the eye. The characters, especially the
females, look stunning. Sometimes I find myself just starring at them,
mesmerized by what Tecmo has done. Do you remember the physics defying
bouncing breasts in DOA? Well, it is good to know that Tecmo fixed it up
to look more...heh realistic. If you want to make the females more "bouncier,"
just set their age in the options menu. Is this a good feature? Heh, that's
up to you as a gamer to decide. Good looking characters together with detailed
backgrounds made me give DOA2: Hardcore a high score in this category.
SOUND/MUSIC (9.0)
DOA2: Hardcore offers good sound for
a fighting game. Everything from hitting an opponent to falling down hard
on the floor sounds alright. The only problem I had with DOA2: Hardcore's
sound was the English voice acting. When I heard them talk some trash to
each other before fighting, I felt disappointed. Their trash talking did
not seem to have passion or feeling in it. I switched the voices from English
to Japanese afterwards (can be done in the options menu) and the characters
sounded better. DOA2: Hardcore has awesome music; it
blends very well with DOA2: Hardcore's theme. You will agree with me as
soon as you hear the vs. music. Well done Tecmo!
CONTROL (9.0)
Overall, I had no problems with DOA2:
Hardcore's control. The characters responded well with every button press
so that they do what I want them to do. As I mentioned before, I found
the freestep very useful. I use it frequently to dodge linear attacks and
confuse my opponents.
CONCLUSION (9.0)
DOA2: Hardcore is everything you would
expect from the Dreamcast version and more. Although it has simplistic
gameplay, it does very well in all of the categories thus making it a good
game to own for the PS2. |
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