Being a fan of "Dead Or Alive 2" is like being a fan of "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" - there always seems to be a newer, better, and/or definitive version coming out. This makes things particularly difficult for the die-hard fan or collector, since it's hard to determine which version is "best", and being a completist can get very expensive. (at last count, there were ten different versions of "T2") As of this writing, there are five different flavors of "DOA2": the US versions for Dreamcast and PlayStation 2, and their Japanese counterparts. There's also the Japanese "Dead Or Alive 2: Limited Edition" for Dreamcast, but it only differs in packaging. I've also read rumors about "Dead Or Alive 2: Millenium Edition", but I've yet to determine what that is or if it exists yet.

The purpose of this comparison is to definitively enumerate the differences in content between the various versions of the game. The differences in technology and presentation between the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 versions have been well documented by dozens of other sources, but content differences have always been vague. Statements like "this version has more stages" and "that version has different costumes" acknowledge that differences exist, but don't actually tell you what those differences are. And someone like me wants to know what those differences actually are!

To summarize the differences in technology and presentation between the DC and PS2 (which seems to be the only thing that most people care about), here are the pros and cons of each. More details about any of these issues can be found all over the web, which is not the focus of this report.

In the final analysis, even considering the visual presentation issues of the PS2, the Japanese version of "DOA2: Hardcore" appears to be the definitive variation of the game, simply because it has so much extra stuff in it. The Japanese Dreamcast version, however, is still my personal favorite. One final note - like most of my writings, this was written primarily for my benefit, so it only covers the aspects that I'm interested in. It is not an exhaustive and complete study, and things that I'm not sure about have been noted or omitted altogether. So without any further delay, here are the results of my research: