Review
Played on: Saturn, PlayStation & Xbox Series X
Released: 1997, 1998 & 2004
Released: 1997, 1998 & 2004
Originally released: 1996 (Arcade)
My experience with the first DoA is a cherished one, I played a lot of the original back on the first PlayStation in the late 90s. I enjoyed its fast gameplay, and more logical approach to the controls compared to Tekken. This 1998 PS1 release was a late port of the original game. Recieving even a rare PS1 hardware-based arcade port of itself, narrowing the gap to DoA2 with added characters like Ayane.
However, the first release of DoA originates on the Sega Model 2 arcade board, back in 1996. Being one of the first third party titles to license the hardware from Sega. It was ported to the Sega Saturn the following year,1997, as a Japan-only release.
Sadly, there's never been a release of the original arcade version for the home market. I was vaguely hoping for it to happen when Sega ported a few of their Model 2 arcade hits, including Virtua Fighter 2 and Fighting Vipers, on Xbox 360. Alas, DoA was not Sega's release, but Tecmo’s, and so it never happened.
If you're unfamiliar with the DoA series its very reminiscent of the Virtua Fighter series, using a three-button layout with a dedicated punch, kick and throw button. However, DoA adds a fourth hold, or guard button if you wish, which can be used as a defensive action. Holds can be used to interrupt attacks and put the offense in your hands, although it must be timed correctly in combination with the other buttons to be powerful.
Sadly, there's never been a release of the original arcade version for the home market. I was vaguely hoping for it to happen when Sega ported a few of their Model 2 arcade hits, including Virtua Fighter 2 and Fighting Vipers, on Xbox 360. Alas, DoA was not Sega's release, but Tecmo’s, and so it never happened.
If you're unfamiliar with the DoA series its very reminiscent of the Virtua Fighter series, using a three-button layout with a dedicated punch, kick and throw button. However, DoA adds a fourth hold, or guard button if you wish, which can be used as a defensive action. Holds can be used to interrupt attacks and put the offense in your hands, although it must be timed correctly in combination with the other buttons to be powerful.
Throws also give massive damage in DoA, especially this first game, compared to VF or Tekken. As such. DoA has this triangle of power: strikes (hits & kicks) beats throws, throws beat holds and holds beats strikes. Ring outs from the VF series are replaced by explosive sides to the arena too, dealing damage rather than a K.O. to players falling out of the ring.
For home use, outside of emulating the Model 2 game, there are three official releases: Saturn, PS1 and the original Xbox. Both the PS1 and Saturn ports have their good and bad sides. The Xbox version, which recently went backwards compatible, is based off the Saturn version. It interestingly, in combination with its resolution boost, gives a cool insight to how a Saturn game would look in 4K!
Taking a quick overview over the versions available: both the Saturn and PS1 version loose the 3D backgrounds from the Model 2 arcade release to ease the number of polygons needed onscreen. Character models are simplified a little, with less, but well-used number of polygons. Saturn characters are a little squarer looking, but somehow manage to look closer to the original. While the PS1 characters models are more rounded and polygon heavy, sporting a new type of shading and lighting, but loose detail in their textures.
When I recently booted up both games on their respective 32-bit consoles, I was shocked with how bland the PS1 version looked in hindsight. The fighters are small and further away, and the overall picture is blurred by a 30fps framerate and lower resolution. Saturn, on the other hand, has a sharp picture, larger characters with more texture detail and runs at 60fps in a higher resolution.
For home use, outside of emulating the Model 2 game, there are three official releases: Saturn, PS1 and the original Xbox. Both the PS1 and Saturn ports have their good and bad sides. The Xbox version, which recently went backwards compatible, is based off the Saturn version. It interestingly, in combination with its resolution boost, gives a cool insight to how a Saturn game would look in 4K!
Taking a quick overview over the versions available: both the Saturn and PS1 version loose the 3D backgrounds from the Model 2 arcade release to ease the number of polygons needed onscreen. Character models are simplified a little, with less, but well-used number of polygons. Saturn characters are a little squarer looking, but somehow manage to look closer to the original. While the PS1 characters models are more rounded and polygon heavy, sporting a new type of shading and lighting, but loose detail in their textures.
When I recently booted up both games on their respective 32-bit consoles, I was shocked with how bland the PS1 version looked in hindsight. The fighters are small and further away, and the overall picture is blurred by a 30fps framerate and lower resolution. Saturn, on the other hand, has a sharp picture, larger characters with more texture detail and runs at 60fps in a higher resolution.
Comparing the fighting arenas of the two, I vastly prefer Saturn's 2D backgrounds too, they’re more ambitious and do an excellent job of replicating the arcade versions 3D backgrounds. PS1 exchanges a lot of them for new locations and don’t feature the fancy scaling and rotation of the 2D backgrounds like the Saturn. Thus, the PS1 backgrounds look static and bland, while the Saturn ones mimic the 3D ones, in such a great manner I find the port to be on par with the critically acclaimed Virtua Fighter 2 port on Saturn.
We arrive then at Xbox version, the reason I went back to DoA1 for this review, and thanks to backward compatibility, now runs at a razor sharp 4K, albeit in 4:3 on modern Xboxes. Clearly, we see it’s the Saturn version running here, 2D backdrops are the give away, the console version to port if you want to stay closest to the original arcade release.
We arrive then at Xbox version, the reason I went back to DoA1 for this review, and thanks to backward compatibility, now runs at a razor sharp 4K, albeit in 4:3 on modern Xboxes. Clearly, we see it’s the Saturn version running here, 2D backdrops are the give away, the console version to port if you want to stay closest to the original arcade release.
So, for those unaware, after Dead or Alive 3’s exclusive and successful release on the Xbox launch, Tecmo went back and remade DoA2, with DoA3 elements and graphics. However, they also added a second disc containing a port of the Saturn version! These were released in what is called "Dead or Alive Ultimate" back in 2004. Through backwards compatibility though, DoA1 and DoA2 are sold separately.
Regardless of which version you play of Saturn or Xbox, you can even emulate the Model 2 game now, it’s a solid fighter from this era. It offers something a little faster and wilder, yet familiar to Virtua Fighter fans.
Regardless of which version you play of Saturn or Xbox, you can even emulate the Model 2 game now, it’s a solid fighter from this era. It offers something a little faster and wilder, yet familiar to Virtua Fighter fans.
For the Saturn it’s right up there alongside Virtua Fighter 2 as a fantastic showcase of how to push the Saturn to do incredibly well-balanced 3D and utilising the strengths of the Saturn by replacing a lot of it with scaling and rotating 2D. Together with VF2 it’s absolutely the best 3D fighters on the system and runs smooth as butter.
Compared to later fighters though, it has the tell tales of the earlier days of 3D fighters, reminiscent of Namco’s Tekken 2 & 3, VF2 and other Sega classics like Fighting Vipers. Simplicity, a tad slow and a bit more robotically animated than later fighters like Virtua Fighter 3 & 4 and Soul Calibur.
It’s not for everyone these days with its more dated approach to 3D fighting but being available for modern hardware it gives you an insight to this generation of fighters. While the more famous hit Virtua Fighter 2 is also available through backwards compatibility, DoA 1 offers something similar from the genre back in the 32-bit years.
Compared to later fighters though, it has the tell tales of the earlier days of 3D fighters, reminiscent of Namco’s Tekken 2 & 3, VF2 and other Sega classics like Fighting Vipers. Simplicity, a tad slow and a bit more robotically animated than later fighters like Virtua Fighter 3 & 4 and Soul Calibur.
It’s not for everyone these days with its more dated approach to 3D fighting but being available for modern hardware it gives you an insight to this generation of fighters. While the more famous hit Virtua Fighter 2 is also available through backwards compatibility, DoA 1 offers something similar from the genre back in the 32-bit years.
If you did own the Saturn or PS1 version back in the day, it’s an easy decision to go back for some nostalgia on this Xbox version readily available on modern hardware!
