DEAD OR ALIVE 2
Original Release: Tecmo, 1999, Arcade
Other Releases: Dreamcast / PS2 (2000), Xbox (in Dead or Alive Ultimate, 2004), PS3 (2012)
Tecmo's jiggly counter-focused fighter took a huge step forward in both graphics and gameplay with this entry, establishing it (at least for a while) as a popular upper-tier fighting game
DOA 2: Hardcore (PS2, Tecmo, 2000)
Where to Buy: Amazon
How to Emulate: PlayStation 2 Emulation Guide
Review by: C. M0use
The Dreamcast had already introduced the era of home console ports now being pretty much exactly on par with arcade releases in terms of overall quality, but the debut of the PS2 was the real existential threat to arcades: it promised that the home version would be even better. That prophecy would come true eventually, but launch title Dead or Alive 2 fumbled the ball on the opening play with the developers not seeming to know how to navigate the complex PS2 architecture just yet (bugs and crashing) and also not using it to maximize the graphics (the US-only Dreamcast release actually looked better).
To their credit, sorta, Tecmo was quick to correct the mistake by releasing DOA 2: Hardcore just six months later. I say "sorta" because they still expected people to pay for the game again. But Hardcore was actually the superior version of the game that should have been released in the first place. It sported better (and much more colorful) graphics, more elaborate fight animations, consistent 60 fps through the entire game, an English voiceover option, eight new levels, new outfits, and a bunch of other bonus materials.
But whether it's the "best DOA2 available" is a more tricky question. There was another re-release for the Xbox about two years later, but that one basically redid DOA2 with the DOA3 engine. The Japanese release of Hardcore also came after the US/EU release and sports some minor new additions and features.
If you're just questioning whether to get into DOA2 at all, these game are their own brand of fun and impressive in their own way, but they've been pretty much banned from the "fighting game community" competitive scene due to the perception of being unbalanced. While the counter system adds competitive depth and makes it much more than just a masher ... you can still get pretty far with just mashing, and the series never really shook its rep as being more about the leading wave of boob and upskirt physics rather than serious fighting. This game in particular also doesn't offer a whole lot to the solo player despite the seeming slew of game modes.
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