Tecmo’s finest
There weren’t many 3D fighters that could rival the likes of Tekken and Virtua Fighter in the eyes of arcade fanatics, but the original Dead Or Alive was pretty close. It was an instant hit due to it’s fantastic presentation and smooth fighting action. The bombastic colours let it carve out an audience, even in crowded arcade settings. Even with strong competition in a crowded genre, Dead Or Alive managed to thrive and create its own identity. With several entries in the franchise now (both core fighting games and spinoff titles), it’s nice to look back and see that the nuts and bolts were there right from the beginning.
The Dead or Alive franchise has picked up a (pretty fair) reputation over the years for being all about the girls, but that disregards the solid fighting mechanics that underpin each game in the series. You can see that framework already taking shape in this first entry. Fights are exciting due to interesting counter mechanics and a freeflowing movement system. The pretty 3D girls certainly helped the series gain a foothold in a crowded genre, but saying they were the only reason the series took off is far too reductive.
Fights would look as close to a kung fu film as anything from that era could possibly hope.
