Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore is One of the Most Insane Fighting Games Ever

Suplex your daughter, why not.

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PUBLISHER/DEVELOPER: Tecmo

RELEASE DATE: Oct. 26, 2000

Fighting game sequels are always better than the originals. Specifically, the first sequel, the entry with 'II' on the end. Street Fighter II is, of course, the obvious example. The first Street Fighter was a moderate success, but the sequel is an out-of-nowhere masterpiece that revitalized arcades in the 90s. Mortal Kombat II is still considered the best 2D iteration of the franchise. Virtua Fighter II and Tekken II were staggering improvements over their predecessors' groundbreaking, but unbearably clunky mechanics. Heck, even Super Smash Bros. Melee is seen as the pinnacle of Nintendo's four-player fighting frenzy.

You get the point. Fighting game sequels, more so than other genres, are almost always better than the originals. And while I haven't played the original Dead or Alive for PS1 or Saturn, I've seen video and, well... it actually doesn't look too different from Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore.

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Look at those swift battles and surprisingly smooth polygonal characters. To be honest, I'm surprised that this is a mid-gen PS1 game and not an early PS2 title.

Still, I know my take about fighting game sequels always being better than the originals is the correct one. Dead or Alive isn’t a terrible fighting game by any stretch, but very few discuss it today outside of the hardcore DoA fandom. Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore, on the other hand, is considered one of the best fighting games of all time and one of the best PS2 launch games. I'm not sure where it ranks in my personal Greatest Fighting Games List, but the game absolutely holds up over two decades later.