The graphics are absolutely amazing and is easily the best-looking Xbox 360 title right now. It’s hard to believe everything is rendered in real time, as it can sometimes be mistaken for a pre-rendered CG-animated movie on the level of Final Fantasy and the Animatrix.
The characters are easily recognizable from previous games, but have much better detail. Once you get past the novelty of the graphics and look at the gameplay, you’ll notice the game has changed for the better. The overly simplistic counter system has been replaced, and the characters are now harder to control and master. Instant recovery is not possible, and there are interactions with the environment. The button-mashers are now easily seperated from those with genuine ‘disciprine’.
The scenery actually takes part in strategy, and is not just something to look at. Knock people over tables, carts, cars, walls, etc. The atmospheric effects such as light blooming, water reflections, blurring…etc all make everything look photorealistic. Only the velvety-perfect characters and over-the-top moves provide clues that these are not images from reality.
Character graphics look good and are very detailed. The women have silky hair and clothing that react to their body movements. The character’s skin looks a little plasticy, but much better than the previous DOA games. The character models are very realistic, with excellent (although exaggerated) musculature. You can see more expression in the character’s faces. The motion-captured animation is smooth and realistic. There is alot of contact between the characters and clipping is hardly ever seen.
Background environments are terrific and realistic There are lots of scenery features and objects you can use against your enemy. There are lots of cars, tree trunks, and stairs to throw your opponent down. There are many breakaway sections that reveal another tier of the environment, like throwing your enemy through a window to a lower level. There are also creatures in some of the levels that may attack you if you get too close, like dinosaurs and cheetas in the background. Everything about the sceneries are photorealistic, water reflects everything realistically and moves fluidly. Light blooms accentuate humid or smoky environment. There are too many subtle scenery features to list them all, but they all add up to one georgeous and lifelike battleground.
Breast Physics
DOA is popular for its ladies of mammoth mammories, and Team Ninja has put alot of effort into simulating breast physics for our gravity-challenged friends. The action is so fast that you may not see it all the time, but it’s there. When a character runs, her chest flings side to side violently, but slightly jiggle when the character walks or jumps. Again, the movements are exaggerated, but it’s the attention to detail of every aspect of the game that makes it great.
