The fighting genre of gaming was very popular throughout the 1990’s and there have been various titles that have been released during that decade that were memorable.  As we started get closer to the new millennium the quality of video games started to improve dramatically as three dimensional games started to become increasingly more popular.    A few months prior to the start of the new millennium Dead or Alive 2 was released worldwide for the Sega NAOMI arcade system.  Dead or Alive 2 was probably one of the best fighting titles in terms of gameplay the 90’s.  Not only was the gameplay of Dead or Alive 2 fantastic but the visual design of the characters and stages were amazing.  The gameplay for Dead or Alive 2 was much better than its predecessor which was released in 1996.  While the original Dead or Alive game looked more similar to the original Tekken and Virtua Fighter the second installment felt more like a Soul Calibur title in terms of both gameplay and visual design.  The gameplay for Dead or Alive 2 was miles ahead of the original because players were able to perform specific actions during battle such as knocking their opponents off platforms and resuming battle afterwards.  Fighting opponents on different parts of a certain stage was not only cool but it also added realism to the Dead or Alive series.

After its worldwide release in the late 90’s Dead or Alive 2 was eventually ported for the Sega Dreamcast along with the PlayStation 2 in the year 2000.  Both versions of Dead or Alive 2 were great but if one had to choose between Sega Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 it would be tough call.  While some might argue that the loading times for the PS2 version of the Dead or Alive 2 is somewhat annoying they would also tell you that the game itself is just as exciting as the Dreamcast or arcade system in terms of gameplay.  Dead or Alive 2 also features nice gaming mechanics including the ability to perform critical hits, counter blows, counter holds and chain combos during battles.  The rival cutscenes in Dead or Alive 2 made the game feel like it was ahead of its time considering the fact that it was made in the late 90’s.  Some games such as the Street Fighter, Tekken and Mortal Kombat series did not feature rival cutscenes with audio dialogue.  The inclusion of  audio dialogue between was one of the few aspects of Dead or Alive 2 that stood out in comparison to many other fighting games that was released in the 90’s.

There were many cool cutscenes in the game but one of the coolest was probably one between Ryu Haybusa and Kasumi. Along with those two characters people have the opportunity to play as a few other returning characters in the series including Gen Fu, Jann Lee, Zack and Tina Armstrong.  People also had the choice of playing with a few new characters including Ein , Leon and Helena which made DOA2 more exciting after its worldwide release.  Dead or Alive 2 was probably one of the coolest 3D arcade games to have been released for the PlayStation 2 and the Sega Dreamcast.   The second installment of the Dead or Alive 2 series was not only dramatically better than the original but also included innovative 3d gameplay that would contribute to the overall replay value of the game itself.  Dead or Alive 2 is an unforgettable fighting title developed by Team Ninja and published by Temco that many people would probably enjoy until this day.