90
Incredible at the time, DOA2 did things the "big boys" hadn't even dreamed of. [Oct 2004, p.122]
80
The action is fast and exciting, the breasts still jiggle and the scene interaction could actually see you saying the word "wow!"
100
One of the best looking fighters so far for the PS2, it eclipses "Street Fighter EX3" and "Tekken Tag Tournament" for beauty.
10
Fun fact: it originally came out for sega dreamcast in 2000 as a popular dreamcast game in history
8
feels like Tekken in many ways, biggest difference is just more sexual characters For 2000 this game has beautiful graphics.
I didn't like that it has few characters
1
I can't understand the rating at the time - in the end, it's just a rip-off of Virtual Fighter that's been polished up to a technical showcase without any unique features worth mentioning, as long as you exclude the creepy sexism and the questionable, stereotype-oriented portrayal of Zack. It's not for nothing that the game has never played a significant role in e-sports, but rather seems to represent a sort of digital rubber doll for middle-aged virgins. The former will be mainly related to the poorly implemented gameplay, which robs the matches any dynamics due to the counter mechanism. The game rewards a restrained fighting style, with the often underworldly collision detection doing its part and ensuring that the input of attacks remains ineffective. This is especially noticeable in the unevenness of the various stages. I find it almost ridiculous to stylize the game into a myth and therefore advise the successful Soul Calibur, Virtual Fighter or Tekken representatives.
DOA2: Hardcore
PlayStation 2
Released On:
Oct 25, 2000
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
91
User score
Generally Favorable
8.0
My Score
Drag or tap to give a rating
Hover and click to give a rating
All Platforms
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
100% Positive
20 Reviews
20 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
100
For fighting enthusiasts, DOA2 Hardcore is the first must have game for the PlayStation 2. End of story.
99
It's the best fighting game on the planet! If you've already got this game in another form, though, and you aren't obsessed with it, then there's no real reason to upgrade.
User score
Generally Favorable
77% Positive
40 Ratings
40 Ratings
19% Mixed
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
4% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
Jan 3, 2026
10
Fun fact: it originally came out for sega dreamcast in 2000 as a popular dreamcast game in history
Aug 11, 2019
10
This is my favorite fighter on the PS2, right up there with KOF XI. I have many fond memories of this game, and as it was my intro to the DOA series, it has a lot a value to me. The characters are all excellent and fun to play as, the multi tiered environments and detail in the stages is something to this day that is still extremely impressive, and the combat always feels deep, all while maintaining a flashy, aesthetically pleasing battle experience. There are quite a few modes in addition to learning the ins and outs of different characters by taking them to training mode and seeing how they move, what they can combo, and so on. Great experience, and even to this day, it feels more impressive than the offerings we get in the fighting genre on PS4 and Xbox One.
91
What began as a second rate Virtua Fighter clone with dubious buster designs has evolved into a dazzling tactical fighter, littered with original and superbly implemented ideas.
89
Looks simply amazing. The animation is smooth, but the character models are what really stand out.
87
Stone me for heresy if you like (excuse me while I duck and cover), but I'll always prefer DOA's speed, balance, character design, and levels, even if Tekken may be the majority choice.
80
Stands proudly as a solid game for enthusiasts and casual players alike. It has a fair amount of kooky characters, wonderfully fast-paced gameplay, a fair amount of extras, and great presentation to round it all out.
80
The action is fast and exciting, the breasts still jiggle and the scene interaction could actually see you saying the word "wow!"
Dec 21, 2017
10
Great game, though the story lines are short and hard to follow. Excellent graphics and lots of playing options.
Aug 16, 2021
9
A spectacular fighting game that looks absolutely beautiful for being made in 2000. Great mechanics, lovable characters with great designs. This is only a 9 because DOA 2 Ultimate exists. A game that will go down in history as one of the best fighting games to ever exist.
Mar 12, 2017
9
DOA 1 was nothing special... DOA2 was better but still lacking... DOA2HC is really good and is what the game should have been... Part 3 was good but the xbox controller blows for fighting games... 4 was terrible as they made counters harder to pull off and that was the whole reason why you played this fighting game over tekken/streetfighter/soul calibur etc etc... It's like if they took knocking people off the map in smash brothers. They essentially killed the best/most unique part of the game by making the counters too hard to use rendering them mostly useless. Attack/block/grab is in every fighting game but the counter system was bad ass. Shame the series drew away from it... Doa2 online had the same prob. Then we got part 5 which also **** in the same way part 4 does. So in short... This is the best DOA game as far as controls go and fun times.
Mar 31, 2018
7
Still the best Tekken-style game I've ever played. Graphics and move sets are on point.
Aug 13, 2022
1
I can't understand the rating at the time - in the end, it's just a rip-off of Virtual Fighter that's been polished up to a technical showcase without any unique features worth mentioning, as long as you exclude the creepy sexism and the questionable, stereotype-oriented portrayal of Zack. It's not for nothing that the game has never played a significant role in e-sports, but rather seems to represent a sort of digital rubber doll for middle-aged virgins. The former will be mainly related to the poorly implemented gameplay, which robs the matches any dynamics due to the counter mechanism. The game rewards a restrained fighting style, with the often underworldly collision detection doing its part and ensuring that the input of attacks remains ineffective. This is especially noticeable in the unevenness of the various stages. I find it almost ridiculous to stylize the game into a myth and therefore advise the successful Soul Calibur, Virtual Fighter or Tekken representatives.
SummaryThis third version of Tecmo's acclaimed fighter "Dead or Alive 2," ported to the Dreamcast ealier in the year, is a visual feast for PS2 gamers with the addition of new costumes, levels, hidden characters, amped-up graphics.
Rated Tfor Teen
