This is my first time playing the first game, and to my surprise I enjoyed the hell out of it.

The way it plays is really quite different from pretty much every other fighting game I've ever played. Perhaps reminiscent of Virtua Fighter and Tekken on the surface, but there's so much more physicality to its combat. A lot of grappling and aikido-style redirection of opponent's attacks, and the animations convey so much weight, every punch and kick feels very impactful. In fact, they ARE very impactful, as they can take away huge chunks of health. You can end fights in 2-3 attacks, perhaps even in one, I would assume. And it all controls very intuitively and flows so well. I also think that, because of how many options for evading you're given, two skilled players can probably have very long and spectacular fights. I should probably look up some esports matches for these games.

The visuals are very nice for 97/98. The locations are mostly flat planes, but the backgrounds are beautiful and atmospheric, and the music is just perfect. I love the overall art direction here. And, of course, who can forget the boob physics? As if in zero g, they're jiggling all over the place, often in opposite directions, defying all laws of physics. It's like looking at a lava lamp. Frankly, I never understood people who take them seriously. They're outlandishly exaggerated to the point of absurdity. Personally I find it funny, but this most sublime feature can be turned off in the settings.

Sadly, there isn't much content in this game. Very few fighters compared to Tekken 3 or Mortal Kombat 4 which came out around the same time. Game Modes are a standard affair (Tournament, Time Attack, Survival, etc.), lacking the more creative and unique modes of its competition. And there doesn't even seem to be any story here. Beating the tournament just leads to the credits. Apparently there are a few "extra configs" to unlock, but idk how much they change. The first one I unlocked just allows you to reorder the fights.

So, after playing the game for about half an hour and trying out every character, I feel like the game doesn't really have much more to offer. Yet its excellent core gameplay is perhaps one of the best of its era. I can definitely see why a more competitive player would prefer this to Tekken 3, Soul Edge or Mortal Kombat 4. And, I think, whenever I want to play against a friend, I will consider Dead or Alive over those games. But, as it stands, I can't really rate it higher, as I find those fighting games to be more complete experiences.