• ID = PS0160
• STYLE = 3D Fighting
• DEV. = Team Ninja
• PUB. = Tecmo, Inc.
• R-DATE = Oct-25-2000
• ESRB = T / For Teen
• PLAYERS = 1-4 players
• LIST PRICE = $19.99
  

Through many incarnations, the latest edition of DEAD OR ALIVE 2 has finally arrived on the PlayStation 2. DOA2: Hardcore is the most complete version of the game to appear on a console, and is filled to the brim with characters, costumes, modes, and arenas. To master the game, the player must learn how to utilize different forms of attack, as well as learning special moves for each character. There are plenty of extras to keep any gamer busy.

DOA2: Hardcore features an Omake mode that allows the player to view special movies and pictures from the game whenever they want. In addition, the PS2 edition contains some extra characters that didn’t make it to any other console. In addition to modes and characters, the game has improved graphics that use every trick in the PS2’s book. For an easy to learn yet hard to master 3D fighter, look no further than DOA2: Hardcore for the PS2.

Features:
• Amazing multi-tiered fighting game.
• Furiously paced 4-player tag battle mode.
• 12 incredible characters to choose from.
• 7 modes of play: Story, Time Attack, Survival, Tag Battle, Team Battle, Sparring and Versus mode.
• Utilize different forms of attack.
• Special moves for each character.
• For 1 to 4 players.

2nd Description:
Sit down, shut up and play. This is real fighting action - Sexy and edgy. It's Hardcore for sure! Let the fighters of Dead or Alive 2 take you to places you've only dreamed of. But don't get too close to these beauties because they're capable of turning on you in an instant, leaving you battered, bruised and asking for more.

Drool over lush backgrounds meticulously detailed with the most advanced techniques in lighting and texturing ever seen. Exclusive multi-tiered fighting stages let you toss your opponents through cathedral windows, over cascading waterfalls, and off towering rooftops to continue the fight below.

But, the action doesn't stop there. Enter Tag-Battle mode where up to four players can engage in two-on-two bouts using vicious combos and mind-blowing special moves. Experience the most responsive and realistic fighting action ever developed as you compete for the Dead or Alive 2 World Combat Championship.

You've been warned... Think you're hardcore enough to play?

Dead or Alive 2 features drop-dead gorgeous visuals, with gracefully animated 3-D characters rendered in great (and in some cases, downright naughty) detail. Not merely scenic backdrops, the lavish 3-D arenas are also highly interactive: fighters get slammed and thrown against walls, and in some cases they can be thrown through windows and off ledges, with the camera viewpoint following the aggressor as he or she jumps down to the lower level of the arena to continue the punishment.

A game that plays as good as it looks, Dead or Alive 2 sports a rich combat system that is heavy on the counterattacks. Gameplay moves along at a blazingly fast pace, and the simple controls are easy to pick up on and make executing combo moves a breeze; this is a brawler that both button-mashers and hardcore gamers will enjoy.

Unlike other fighting games which contain hidden features that must be unlocked, Dead or Alive 2 pretty much lays all its cards out on the table from the start. There are 12 fighters to choose from (each with at least one alternate costume) and seven modes of play available (including tag battle mode and a two-on-two battle royal that up to four players can join). -- Joe Hon