Review
Played on: Xbox Series X & Xbox 360
Released: 2005
Just the way DoA3 had been a launch title, and technical showcase, for the original Xbox, so was the plan for DoA4 and the Xbox 360. However, it got postponed, moved a month and as such missed the grand splendour of a launch title for the new console. Some say it even contributed to lower Xbox 360 sales in Japan.
DoA4 strongly utilised the new hardware it was built for and is the last of the traditional, anime styled, character designs of the series, before moving to the DoA5 redesign.
It's also the last mainline DoA which Tomonobu Itagaki would be director for. It's a closely developed release with Microsoft, with Itagaki being positive to the new, powerful, Xbox 360 hardware. The online support was well implemented for Xbox Live and it even guest stars a Halo themed level and Spartan soldier!
DoA4 would stand strong for years on the X360 visually, even though it basically launched with the system. With large fighting arenas full of detail, right down to small objects like fruit falling off sales stands, leaves coming down from blossom trees or monkeys playing in the background on a temple. It was the next visual step up from an already great looking DoA3. Rock solid 720p@60fps, razor sharp picture with lots of colour usage and visual variation in its levels
Replaying it for modern times, though, it has sadly not received any resolution boost when it went backwards compatibility on the Xbox Series X/S last year. As such, it keeps it's rather raw looking 720p@60fps look. Going back to DoA4, after playing DoA2 and DoA3 upgraded to 4K, is rather rough. Sharp edges and jaggies everywhere. Effects like grassy fields, impressive in their day, end up as a grainy mass on modern screens thanks to the lower resolution.
It would've been nice to see how beautiful DoA4 truly is, beneath the 720p resolution. The result is that DoA 2 & 3 come off as more visual appealing through backwards compatibility, even though DoA4 is technically better looking.
Nonetheless, I still have good memories of playing this game. The fun of unlocking tons of costumes and characters is there, in typical DoA fashion. My average skills come back to my fingertips, and I must admit it was a neat throwback replaying a some story modes with my fav characters again, Tina and Christie.
Nonetheless, I still have good memories of playing this game. The fun of unlocking tons of costumes and characters is there, in typical DoA fashion. My average skills come back to my fingertips, and I must admit it was a neat throwback replaying a some story modes with my fav characters again, Tina and Christie.
Content, including menu design, is very close to the template DoA2 established. Arcade mode, time attack, survival, online versus and, of course, support for 2 vs 2 tag fights. Endings utilise CGI sequences, ranging from serious to comic scenes.
What hasn't been a pleasant nostalgic throwback, however, is the frustration of the difficulty. DoA4 shipped without an easy mode, that’s right, normal is the lowest setting here. You're thrown in at a deep end as a newcomer. What's even worse, is that normal feels like a hard difficulty would be in the earlier DoA titles. The A.I. really gets tough and defensive at times, countering your every attack and blocking like mad. Clearly reading your input.
Then you reach the end boss.
The infamous, humanoid like, alternate, green jelly Kasumi. What a complete bitch, excuse the language, this boss is. It can range from anything between slow and beatable within seconds. Or it can decide to be a complete bad-ass and put up a relentless fight, beating you repeatedly. For a fighting series that has always appealed to a variety of skills, they really did a mistake with DoA4s difficulty.
Although it might not be the fondest of the DoA titles to look back on, solely because of its difficulty, it really should be appreciated as to how long this title stood the test of time on the system. The massive stages are packed with detail and the controls are super tight and refined. Even at the end of its generation, DoA4 stood tall next to most modern releases.
It’s by no means a place I’d recommend newcomers to begin their DoA journey, for that purpose, the upgraded DoA2 on Xbox backwards compatibility serves very well. That’s if you want the old style DoA 2, 3 and 4 vibe, otherwise DoA 5 & 6 is where most people jump in these days. 5 & 6 have a more mature style on their character design, as DoA4 served to be the last of the old style.
It’s incredibly cool to have all the DoA titles collected under one system on the Xbox Series X/S. Plus, it’s been a nostalgic trip for me to replay this particular DoA, bringing back fond memories from the early years of the Xbox 360. If only they’d made it a perfect reunion with a resolution boost!
What hasn't been a pleasant nostalgic throwback, however, is the frustration of the difficulty. DoA4 shipped without an easy mode, that’s right, normal is the lowest setting here. You're thrown in at a deep end as a newcomer. What's even worse, is that normal feels like a hard difficulty would be in the earlier DoA titles. The A.I. really gets tough and defensive at times, countering your every attack and blocking like mad. Clearly reading your input.
Then you reach the end boss.
The infamous, humanoid like, alternate, green jelly Kasumi. What a complete bitch, excuse the language, this boss is. It can range from anything between slow and beatable within seconds. Or it can decide to be a complete bad-ass and put up a relentless fight, beating you repeatedly. For a fighting series that has always appealed to a variety of skills, they really did a mistake with DoA4s difficulty.
Although it might not be the fondest of the DoA titles to look back on, solely because of its difficulty, it really should be appreciated as to how long this title stood the test of time on the system. The massive stages are packed with detail and the controls are super tight and refined. Even at the end of its generation, DoA4 stood tall next to most modern releases.
It’s by no means a place I’d recommend newcomers to begin their DoA journey, for that purpose, the upgraded DoA2 on Xbox backwards compatibility serves very well. That’s if you want the old style DoA 2, 3 and 4 vibe, otherwise DoA 5 & 6 is where most people jump in these days. 5 & 6 have a more mature style on their character design, as DoA4 served to be the last of the old style.
It’s incredibly cool to have all the DoA titles collected under one system on the Xbox Series X/S. Plus, it’s been a nostalgic trip for me to replay this particular DoA, bringing back fond memories from the early years of the Xbox 360. If only they’d made it a perfect reunion with a resolution boost!
