8.7

Dead or Alive 5

Breasts breasts breasts! Upon first glance and play of Dead or Alive 5 (DOA5), you might be mistaken in thinking that this game is all about the titillation factor and to an extent it is, however upon further investigation, DOA5 has some really great fighting mechanics behind the gameplay.

Apart from the bevy of beauties in this all-star line-up that include familiar faces and bodies such as Helena and Kasumi, the cast also includes some Virtua Figther inclusions such as Akira Yuki and Sarah Bryant which actually work well with the familiar Dead or Alive cast.

The story of Dead or Alive 5 is set two years after the previous game (Dead or Alive 4) which saw the destruction of the TriTower and Helena Douglas becoming the new head of DOATEC. Opposed to DOATEC's nefarious past, Helena has ceased the biotechnology and military departments of this company and as a gesture of good faith to the world that DOATEC has changed, she is hosting the new Dead or Alive Tournament.

The story mode is quite fun, over the top and it's great for newcomers as it introduces each of the characters, their motivations and serves as a great tutorial for the fighting mechanics. For those gamers who may have missed the previous games, it's a great little way to catch-up and best of all, the story mode has an auto-save feature after each main fight. Add in some gorgeous cinematics and there's plenty of reasons to complete the story mode.

Apart from the story mode, there are a variety of gaming modes in DOA5 such as Arcade, Survival and Time Trial... not to mention some fun online options. Unlike Tekken, Dead or Alive 5 is considerably more accessible, especially when it comes to the fighting mechanics and is not as convoluted as the aforementioned game with its detailed move list.

New players can easily jump straight into the game and veteran gamers will be challenged by the higher difficulty levels. At its basic core, the fighting mechanics are broken into strikes (punches and kicks), holds and throws which must be used in conjunction to defeat your opponents. Attacks can be stringed together and you have access to a variety of powerful combo attacks.

Another new addition to the gaming mechanics are critical bursts and power blows. Critical bursts increase the damage you deal against your opponents which sets them up for a finishing manoeuvre. The other new attack is power blow which can only be initiated when your health is below 50%. Once initiated, this creates a devastating attack upon your opponent and due to the nature of the damage, it can only be used once.

To add to your fighting skill, you need to use the environment to your advantage such as getting your opponent trapped against a wall and then using multiple strike attacks while their defences are down or knocking them into a totally different area. It's so cool. In relation to throws, when your opponent is blocking your strikes, nothing is more fun than getting a throw in and them slamming them onto the ground. These rock paper scissor fighting mechanics work well, especially as you juggle them around trying to outwit your opponent.

Like most fighting games, as you progress through your fights, the difficulty of your opponents increases. By default, the game does start on casual mode but this can also be increased by the player to match their current skill level. By progressing through the various fights and levels, players are awarded a few bonus like new costumes for their fighters. There are also some premium "swimsuit" costumes available as well!

Online multiplayer is equally as satisfying as local play which allows you to test your fighting prowess with other DOA fans from around the world. Ranked matches are available as are leader boards for those users who want to fight for their recognition with the rest of DOA gamers from around the world. Online play will keep you busy for hours upon hours... provided your skill level is high enough.

Graphics/Audio

Graphically, Dead or Alive is a good looking game on the PlayStation 3 and the fighting physics are great. Of course, I'm sure the developers would like us to spend a sentence or two on the physics of the buxom players. Interestingly enough, this animation can be quite distracting at the start and at times, it appears that their movement has a mind or two of their own. However Dead or Alive has always been about the sexy female fighters and DOA5 is no exception to this rule.

Characters, both female and male are modelled well with some great animation techniques used. Facial features look realistic and all the characters move with this real-world grace that flawlessly melds with the gameplay. Backgrounds are a little simplistic at times but overall, DOA5 is a decent looking title on the PS3. Voice acting is clichéd as is the almost porno inspired soundtrack that adds to the quirkiness of the DOA5 franchise, especially the theme song of Zack which is first played when Hayate is flying to DOATEC's headquarters with the enigmatic Zack. Together with the gameplay, graphics and audio, DOA5 creates this fun fighter that is accessible to everyone.

Final Level

Dead or Alive 5 may not have all the fighting complexities of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (even though this game features a "small" tag" system) but it still has its place in next-gen gaming as a good mid-range fighter. Dead or Alive 5 provides some well balanced fighting mechanics that ensures endless hours of fun on your PlayStation 3 as you pummel the absolutely living daylights out of AI controlled opponents and online opponents. Thankfully it doesn't take itself too seriously which goes in its favour of one of the most entertaining fighting franchises available.

Definitely worth checking out!