Dead or Alive Dimensions

Whether you are a hardcore DOA fan, online junkie, or just looking to add a solid game to your 3DS collection; you won't be disappointed. The 15-year-old Dead or Alive series is known for its' beautiful femme fatales and intense 3D fighter gameplay. Now, think Tekken, Soul Calibur or Virtua Fighter. The distinctive mechanic that sets Dead or Alive apart is the 'Triangle System'.Ever play rock-paper-scissors as a kid? Remember how you used to always read your opponent, into guessing which move he will make next? Well think of DOA as a glorified rock-paper-scissors game. Rather than SSF4's 6 button layout, DOA uses a 4 button layout, which is surprisingly comfortable the 3DS controls. Strikes (punches and kicks, 1 button each) negates throws (1 button), and throws are negates holds (counters). Simple enough, right? Yes! But don't let the simplicity fool you. The TS adds an enormous amount of depth and intelligence in high level play, while at the same time be very noob-friendly for casuals. 'Chronicles' mode, which I will dive into later, provides the ins and outs of the Triangle System.The touch screen implementation will please both returning fans of the series and newcomers. Fans will feel right at home; the combo system immensely gratifying and flashy as ever. Not only do you have visuals of which buttons to push next, the inputs flash as you press- making it a very reliable(and easy!) training source. If you are a newcomer or just don't want to invest the time to learn combos, Team Ninja's got you covered with automated touch screen combos. Now you must be thinking, 'Well why doesn't everyone just use auto combos? That's lame!'. Well said, reader, but as the Triangle System dictates, I wouldn't put too much faith in automated combos. See where the depth comes in? Mind games > Automated.Should you prefer to just use touchscreen combos, the touch screen actually has its' own guard, hold and block keys, right next to the combos. So yes, the game can be solely played on the touchscreen. No awkwardly switching your thumb to the actual buttons like on Super Street Fighter 4: 3DS.Online matches are insanely good. Yes, better than SSF4. The reason being is whenever it lags in SSF4, I experience input lag; basically you push a button and 2 seconds later you actually see your character pulling it off. Frustrating. Now, I have played in over 100 matches in DOAD, and I can proudly say that I have seen very little to literally no input lag. There were some matches where the framerates (the actual game slowing down) dropped, but the input lag is literally non-existent. That's saying a lot considering I'm in California, and some of the opponents I've fought were in Japan.Finding an online match is easy; just hit Internet Play where you get options to fight your friends, regional, or worldwide match. Within 10 seconds, you'll be off to the character select screen with your opponent in Europe. Unlike SSF4, there is no filter to rule out players who use automated combos. That said however, when you do fight an automated user, a touchscreen icon will pop up during the fight whenever they use a touchscreen control. Sort of a nifty nods up from the game to change your tactics.For those of you who are lucky enough to have friends that actually own a 3DS and DOAD, you have the option to play locally as well. If you are the solo non-online type, but would like to take advantage of the online Ranking system- you have the ability to fight a computer based on a players' rank you meet on Street Pass. This mode is called, 'Throwdown' where you will go for all your street pass needs. Also note, it's possible to receive a Street Pass battle directly from Spot Pass from Team Ninja.Multiplayer is key to this game, but that doesn't mean single player is lacking. In Chronicles mode you experience a cinematic retelling of DOA's 15-year history, and learn the basics of battle. It's so user friendly that at times the game actually freezes (think Matrix), at the moment you need to block/hold/strike, giving you literally top notch advice when to execute in a real fight. The use of the 3DS's 3D screen (and yes, even the touch screen is incorporated), storytelling, and nostalgia will bring you right into DOA lore. Fans will cry with nostalgia as their favorite past DOA cutscenes are re-imagined. Some cutscenes only feature non-animated character models, while some actually show them animated. It's understandable since the 3DS cartridge can only hold 2 gigs. Besides, the scenes that are not animated are usually just talking scenes, while most of the action scenes are. If you've enjoyed Mortal Kombat's cinematic story mode, Chronicles will be right up your alley.Arcade, Tag Challenge and Survival mode are split up in courses and difficulty. Which is great because the length of the easy courses are perfect for mobile gaming, while the difficulty level of the hard courses will provide you the much needed challenge while you're at home.There is something I want to point out about Tag Challenge, you remember tag mode from DOA2? Well it's been completely reworked for offline, and the change is very positive. You partner up with an AI of your choosing against another AI(s). Your AI partner is tough though, you will see him/her pulling off air combos, launches, etc. Whomever is tagged out regenerates life at a fast pace. Should be easy riding right? Wrong. Here's the catch: your opponent is no pushover while at the same time is vastly powerful offensively and defensively. That premise, offers some insanely exciting battles, and Team Ninja executes it so well.Free play and Training modes are your candid bread and butter for any fighter. In free play you choose the difficulty, life meter, time, stage and opponent to fight. Training mode offers an in-depth training source for hardcores. You can customize computer reaction, movements, counter settings, etc.DOA is known for its' large amounts of unlockables and fan service. Showcase is the camera/model viewing mode, where you can unlock an insane amount of character figures in different outfits by playing offline or online. I've played a total of 5 hours and only unlocked a total of 5%. This game should keep you busy for a while. You can control the camera by zooming in or out with the d-pad, and moving your 3DS around like a camera. Yes, you can look up the female fighters' skirts. Yes, the boobs do bounce in showcase mode if you shake the 3DS. Not in a gratuitous fashion like DOAX2, but it is noticeable.In Options you can change the controls, voice announcers, network settings. I come from a DOA2 background, so I immediately set mine to Type 2 controls. The network settings consist of DLC download options, street pass, etc. You can also set the language to Japanese for all you purists out there. The 3D is great in this game, especially in story mode, but drops the framerate considerably. It makes up for it though, by seeing Kasumis' hand pop out of the screen, Tina smiling at you, or Ayane shrugging her shoulders in disgust. Apart from the 3D in cutscenes, don't expect anything mind boggling during a fight. Though occasionally the added hit-effects will pop out from the screen. Slide the 3D off though, and you will enjoy 60FPS glory.The visual presentation is very nice, on par with console DOA's. The added hit-effects make the most use out of in-game battle 3D. The beautiful stages are multi-floored, meaning you can knock your opponent out a window or ledge. People who were disappointed with SSF4's stages will be surprised at how much Team Ninja managed to do with DOAD.From the get-go fans will be treated to a loyal DOA soundtrack, remastered. The Japanese voice overs make a return. All your favorites: Ayane, Kasumi, Helena, Lei-Fang are reprised by their DOA2 originals. Though, they seemed to tone down Jann Lee's WATAAH to be less annoying.Like any game, DOAD is prone to get repetitive. Take that for what you will, but DOAD provides much staying power through its' crazy unlockables, all (and new) past DOA characters return, animated cutscenes, various single player modes and a insanely GREAT online netcode. Newcomers will love this as their first entry to the Dead or Alive series, while returning fans will be overjoyed with the amount of DOA lore provided. Not to mention DOA on the go? Come on. That's a WINNAH!! in itself.

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this game quite as much as I have been. This game comes with a decent diversity of game modes. Unlike other games in the series, this entry is clearly geared toward welcoming new players into the fold. To that effect, a surprisingly lengthy 'campaign' mode introduces you both to the stories from previous games as well as to the controls, giving you advice on various moves and strategies. The 'story' in this is nigh-incomprehensible at points, but what is important is how it allows new players to become acquainted with the DOA universe.The gameplay itself is, as always with DOA, fantastic. Eschewing the combo-heavy action of games like Street Fighter, DOA: Dimensions is more tactical and might be likened to a complex game of rock, paper, scissors. You can, of course, get through quite a number of fights without any kind of discernible strategy, just punching and kicking stupidly, but you'll get creamed if you attempt this in some of the game's harder modes and difficulties.There are various modes on display, such as tag battles, survival battles, and more classic arcade-style assortments of enemies. This title also sports a fluid and workable (if somewhat restricting) online battle system. I suppose I should mention the showcase mode as well, which allows you to take 3D photos of figurines of the various fighters that you win through completing challenges, but most people won't spend much time on this aspect of the game.Control-wise, I am fairly impressed with what is on offer here. The circle pad and various buttons allows for fluid fighting, but there are also touch-screen buttons that allows the player to execute various commands automatically. I personally have no use for this control style, as, even though I kind of suck at fighting games, I still like the jerks and jabs associated with moving an analog stick around and pushing physical buttons. It is nice, though, for people who aren't accustomed to the fighter genre and might have difficulties with the default control style.The number of unlockables in this title is fantastic. Besides the large number of figurines, there are quite a few unlockable characters. The true star of this game, however, is the large number of costumes you can unlock for virtually every character. Many of the characters have 3 or 4 costumes that can be unlocked through completing various in-game achievements, and then have 3 or 4 more costumes that can be downloaded (more on that in a moment). This leads to a variety of looks you can provide for almost any given character.The downloadable aspect of this title is simply awesome. Every day, according to certain release schedules (re-releases of the same costume information are continuing into 2012, which is good for newcomers and bad, I suppose, for early adopters), new downloadable costumes are being released for various characters. Once a week there are special 'throw-down' battles that can be downloaded onto your 3DS. Some of these battles are surprisingly tough, and they can help build your ranking for online battles. The information is automatically downloaded when you turn on your 3DS' wireless capability and close it so that it goes to spotpass. If the information downloads successfully, a little dot appears on the avatar for the game when you're in the main menu, and when you start the game, directly after the title screen, a notification will pop up letting you know what was downloaded. Very useful, and these constant digital releases help keep the game in my 3DS and thus also lead to me playing it more often (almost every day).The graphics themselves, in 2D, are fairly impressive. It looks better than every game that came before DOA:4. Cutscenes are unimpressive, however, as they aren't full motion.Also worth noting is that the language options for this title can be customized. I switch between the Japanese and English language options quite a bit.This review wouldn't be complete if I didn't mention the fanservice/cheesecake factor that is prevalent in this series, and especially in this game. This series became (in)famous partially due to the attention the programmers payed to the breast movements of the female fighters. The breasts are floppy and fluid to the extent that they seem to obey their own set of physics in the battles and elsewhere. The gyroscope function of the 3DS can even be used to shake the breasts of the female figurines in showcase mode (which helps to add considerably to that mode's oddly voyeuristic feel). Moreover, the costumes on these ladies (especially the downloadable ones) can be very skimpy and/or kinky. Consider that at least two female fighters can be dressed up in cat ears and skin-tight leotards which take care to preserve an ample amount of cleavage in the breast area. This will be a definite pro for some and a con to others. This game's focus on T&A will come across as either awesome or creepy, depending upon your personal temperament and proclivities. If you're uncomfortable with women being dressed and presented as sex objects, I'd advise you to either avoid this game entirely or else only play one of the male characters.There aren't too many problems with this game, but a very big one for me is the implementation of 3D. It's not that the 3D looks bad (although some uses of it are better than others: for instance, it is very awesome, when you play this game for the first time, to watch the game's title pop-out at you in the opening screen, but cut-scenes and battles look pretty unimpressive in 3D), but that turning the 3D on during battles cuts the frame rate from 60 fps to 30! This isn't a problem for some other games with less-than-stellar 3D processing, such as certain turn-based strategy games, but a fighting game needs fast gameplay, and the 3D just kills this title's speed. This wouldn't be a huge issue for a budget title, but DOA is a big franchise! Also, I know for a fact that this game could have done better. Mario Kart 7, for instance, both has a far superior 3D effect AND runs at 60 fps with the 3D turned on. Similarly, games like RE: Revelations do great 3D just fine. I play through almost everything on this system with the 3D enabled, even for virtual console games, where the outside border can be given a slight 3D pop. But I just have to turn off the 3D for the battles in this game, which, of course, are the meat-and-potatoes in any fighting game. It doesn't kill my enjoyment of this, obviously, but it does keep it from being a five-star product. A 3D game on a 3D system should be able to process 3D battles without choking on them.Ultimately, game-play is the most importantly aspect of any game, and DOA: Dimensions shines in this respect. The game is available here on Amazon for under $30, which is an excellent price. Fighting games tend to be one of my less favorite game genres, and yet I've spent quite a bit of time on this game. It is fun. Flawed, but fun. Recommended.

If you love the "rock, paper scissors" fighting style of games (as opposed to the pure button masher fighting games), you will definitely enjoy this game. I particularly enjoyed the "click on the bottom screen combo" option if you want to execute those insanely difficult button combinations that you just never can get right while physically holding a 3DS in your hands. The cut scenes in the story mode are very pleasing to the eye and the story is longer than I thought it would be. I almost considered getting a PSVita just because it seemed to have more in the area of fighting games. However, this game has satisfied my craving for fighting action play. For those who enjoy the Tekken series because the Virtua Fighter series was more "unforgiving" when it came to the rock, paper scissors fighting style, you may still enjoy this title as it does allow for a certain style of button mashing. Overall, it's well balanced and visually enjoyable.

A solid fighting game for a 3DS. Its better then street fighter 4 & smash bros. 3DS!

Dead or alive est un jeu très amusant, l'action ne manque pas. L'effet 3D de la 3DS fonctionne parfaitement.

One of the best fighting games for 3Ds. If you got an 3DS and you like fighting games you cant do wrong. Most characters of the "big brother" are included and the controlls work fine with 3DS

I'm a huge DOA fan and this game is wonderful. Fast paced and even novices can use the touch screen on the bottom. Would love if there were more costumes.