Dead or Alive 4 quite miraculously, and probably accidentally, went on sale. The game, rumored to have been delayed until January, materialized on Japanese store shelves on the evening of December 30th. An accident involving a credit card resulted in my playing the game on New Year's day, in a house with no internet. The game is much, much, much better than I had expected it would be. I mean, Dead or Alive never excited me very much to begin with. That this game is actually as fun as it is really surprises me.
In this week's Famitsu, it is reviewed. It scores a 39 out of 40. That is, three 10s and a 9. Some wonderful out of context quotes: "The speedy tempo surprised me!" "While playing, I find myself getting overly excited." "Painless, full service." Scandalous!
Every reviewer uses the English word "Speedy" in his or her review, and I will use it here: the game is speedy. It is also selling speedily. I asked a man with a bullhorn at a shop on the street in Akihabara, on the day after New Year's, how the game was selling: "We sold, like, five Xbox 360s in six HOURS," he said.
