"Taking advantage of the superior technology of Xbox 360, Dead or Alive® 4 offers the defining gaming experience on the next-generation console. The game encompasses all that Xbox 360 has to offer, giving you the most rewarding digital fighting to date on any videogame console.

Apparently, there is some made up rule at Team Ninja that states "We can only make one true Dead Or Alive sequel per platform generation". Dead Or Alive first made its console appearance on Sega Saturn, and later on Playstation, while DOA 2 bounded onto Dreamcast a few years following. It wasn't until the first XBox that we got DOA 3, a good and beautiful sequel to an already impressive franchise. Two XBox spin offs aside (No, not Ninja Gaiden. Ryu Hyabusa was kicking it old-school long before DOA), it wasn't until the XBox 360 that we got us a new game.

Fans of Dead Or Alive will notice the tweaks to the core gameplay almost immediatly. For starters, counters are less forgiving than in previous installments, forcing players to be more precise in their fighting and timing. Health of the fighters isn't so easily diminished this time around either. One of the biggest complaints of previous titles was the quickness in which a fight was over. While not quicker than a nervous teen losing his virginity, the fights sometimes didn't feel like they fully realized. Thus different attacks or counters won't take down as much as the health as in past games.

This makes for a better time in my opinion as the fights will last longer and allow the player to strategize more. Ontop of subtle gameplay tweaks, boards have gotten some major life thrown into them. Just about everything you see in an arena can be used to deal damage to your opponent by throwing them or knocking them into it. A handful arenas will also contain outside objects that will suddenly bust in and screw you up. For instance on the Savannah Safari level contains a cheetah that will circle the two players while they fight. Get too close and the cheetah will pounce and knock the players down. The same happens with the stage called Vegas where cars will drive down the street and slam you or your opponent if your not careful. Watch out for the Warthog from Halo, too! Yeah, that's right. Halo. More on that in a few." [more]