Dead or Alive Ultimate E3 2004 Preshow Impressions

Following the unveiling of its new three-minute trailer for the game at Microsoft's pre-E3 press briefing on Monday, Tecmo has today released new information on Dead or Alive Ultimate. Set to be one of the first Xbox Live-compatible 3D fighters released when it arrives in stores this fall, Dead or Alive Ultimate will include enhanced "Ultimate" versions of both Dead or Alive and Dead or Alive 2 and, for a limited time only, will be available as a special-edition two-disc set complete with collectible trading cards featuring character artwork and special move information.

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"Dead or Alive Ultimate is one of our biggest titles for the remainder of 2004, and we're very happy to be able to show a new trailer and reveal new details on the game to the press during E3," said John Inada, Tecmo's general manager. "With more stages and costumes than any other game in the fighting series as well as its worldwide online capabilities, Dead or Alive Ultimate is the link to the future in fighting games."

Dead or Alive 1 Ultimate will mark the North American debut of the original Dead or Alive fighting game that, back in 1997, was released exclusively in Japan. The game will feature the original Team Ninja-crafted 1997 graphics and will essentially be identical to the original game in every respect, save for the addition of online play.

Dead or Alive 2 Ultimate is a completely reworked version of the game released in 2000, and it will use an all-new game engine to deliver the most detailed visuals seen in the series to date. The game will boast a plethora of features not found in the original game, including new costumes, a new opening movie and new cutscenes, seven different modes of online play, and the highest number of battle stages seen in a Dead or Alive game to date.

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Fans of the series will be pleased to learn that the new opening movie and cutscenes in Dead or Alive 2 Ultimate promise to feature never-before-seen episodes from the characters' pasts and to answer some of the questions that were raised in previous titles. Tecmo has also stated that the game will boast plenty of bonus content and secrets to unlock, although no further details have been released at the time of writing.

We'll bring you more information on Dead or Alive Ultimate as soon as it becomes available.