Nicole (Dead or Alive)

General CVG character
name=Nicole (SPARTAN-458)


caption=Nicole, as she appears in "Dead or Alive 4".
series="Dead or Alive" series
firstgame="Dead or Alive 4"
voiceactor=Lyssa Browne
inuniverse=Fighting game character
nationality = UNSC, born on Mars
bloodtype= O
occupation = Commando
fightingstyle= Close Quarters Battle

Nicole, codenamed SPARTAN-458, is a fictional character from Team Ninja's 2005 fighting game "Dead or Alive 4". Originating from the "Halo" fictional universe, she is a result of collaboration between the game's developers and Bungie Studios, the developer of the "Halo" series. After Team Ninja asked Bungie to use the protagonist of "Halo", the Master Chief, in their game, Nicole was created instead to avoid storyline conflicts. Her appearance in pre-release promotional previews of "Dead or Alive 4" raised interest in the game's development.

Nicole is portrayed as a twenty-sixth century human female from Mars who was kidnapped by the United Nations Space Command (UNSC) and placed into the SPARTAN-II Project, and who eventually becomes a Petty Officer Second Class. Her presence in the "Dead or Alive" universe is explained as an accident involving the space-time continuum that has transported her to the twenty-first century.

Development

[
Ryu Hayabusa with a plasma grenade] Nicole is the result of collaboration between Tecmo's Team Ninja and Microsoft's Bungie Studios. [http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=7349 Building a Spartan - Go Tell the Spartans: The Making of Slugfest] . Bungie.net. Posted on 2005-12-13. Accessed on 2007-10-10.] Team Ninja originally asked Bungie for permission to use the Master Chief, which proved impossible due to storyline restrictions. But the staff at Bungie were intrigued with the idea and wanted to try something similar. As a result, Bungie developed the concept of a Spartan not entirely connected to the "Halo" storyline who could conveniently and somewhat plausibly be fit into the "Dead or Alive" universe. This concept evolved into the character of Nicole. Nearly all of the resources for her design came straight from "Halo 2" game data. The data was modified to work in the "Dead or Alive" game engine as a female combatant, but kept to the traditional Spartan design; a feminine figure would have been implausible for such a heavily armored, cybernetically enhanced individual.

Background

According to Nicole's fictional backstory, she is born in the Martian city of Legaspi in 2531. Members of the UNSC Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) kidnap her at the age of six and enroll her in the SPARTAN-II Project, an initiative designed to develop supersoldiers;cite web| url=http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=62151| title=Lady Master Chief unveiled|publisher=Eurogamer| date=December 14, 2005| accessdate=2007-10-12] this is the same program that the Master Chief, and other Spartans from the "Halo" series undergo. Bungie explained Nicole's presence in the "Dead or Alive" setting of the twenty-first century in an article that revealed the character's background. The studio stated that the character, who has never appeared in any other "Halo" fiction, is sent to the twenty-first century when a partially stable "bubble" in the space-time continuum opens near Nassaru Station, where she and her unit are preparing for a secret mission. [cite web| url=http://www.megagames.com/news/html/console/spartan-458detailsrevealed.shtml| title=Spartan-458 Details Revealed| publisher=MegaGames| accessdate=2007-10-12] This "bubble" is created when Apocalypso, an ONI stealth vehicle, interacts with real-space, as a result of an unusual slipspace incident.

This incident traps Nicole in the twenty-first century. While waiting for the bubble to collapse, which she hopes will enable her to return to the future, she protects the station's classified information. [cite web| url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=131237&vid=enable| title=Meet DoA's Spartan 458| publisher=CVG| date=2005-10-14| accessdate=2007-10-15] To keep the space-time continuum stable, she avoids lethal force in executing her current task.

Gameplay

Nicole's fighting style is very quick and powerful, a variation of standard military close quarters combat. Her move list contains moves of other characters in the game, such as Leon and Bayman. [cite web| url=http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/deadoralive4/review.html| title=Dead or Alive 4: Full Review| author=Greg Kasavin| publisher=Gamespot| date=2005-12-29| accessdate=2007-10-12] Her style meant to incapacitate an armed opponent in a matter of seconds and take advantage of her enhanced strength, as well as to exploit any environmental advantages. [cite web| url=http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/678/678269p1.html| title=Reviews: Dead or Alive 4| publisher=IGN| author=Douglass C. Perry| date=2005-12-28| accessdate=2007-10-12] She is described as having great speed despite her large size. [cite web| url=http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?pager.offset=2&cId=3146601| title=Reviews: Dead or Alive 4| publisher=1UP| date=2005-12-29| accessdate=2007-10-12] Many of her moves allude to the "Halo" universe, with names such as "The Great Journey" and "The Grunt Punt"; the former is a powerful move that sends an opponent down stairs or off a ledge. [cite web| url=http://videogames.yahoo.com/newsarticle?eid=428010| title=Halo's DOA4 fighter unwrapped| publisher=Yahoo! Games| author=Tim Surette| date=2005-12-14| accessdate=2007-10-15] Also in Nicole's repertoire are several technologies from "Halo", including active camouflage and the plasma grenade.cite web| url=http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/673/673089p2.html| title=Dead or Alive 4: The Characters| publisher=IGN| author=Anoop Gantayat| date=2005-12-02| accessdate=2007-10-12]

Reception

Previews of "Dead or Alive 4" showed a Spartan among the game's characters; this attracted attention and curiosity regarding whether such a character would appear fully functional in the final version of the game.cite web| url=http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?pager.offset=0&cId=3145772| title=Previews: Dead or Alive 4| publisher=1UP| accessdate=2007-10-12] The character's moves, all of which were homages to the "Halo" series, and the inclusion of a "Halo"-based level were positively described in pre-release reviews. Post-release reviews described Nicole as one of the game's positive aspects; the character being described as not only a way to attract fans of the "Halo" franchise but also as a fearsome, evenly balanced character. Reviewers stated that she has deliberate power and is a dangerous foe when controlled by an experienced player.cite web|url=http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/d/deadoralive4/20060105-preview.htm| title=Team Ninja's Gem| publisher=Microsoft Corporation| accessdate=2007-10-12]

References