Dead or Alive last hit Xbox 360 in 2005 and has lain dormant until this fifth instalment was unveiled. With such a large gap between games, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this new game shakes up the formula considerably.
But rather than risk alienating long-time fans, developer Team Ninja has created a solid, yet safe, fighter instead.
The game’s hook is “Fighting Entertainment” and it achieves this by pitting classic and new combatants against each other in a wide range of mad arenas, from lively circus tents to electrified wrestling rings. It’s a spectacle, make no mistake, but it doesn’t reinvent the genre. What does add spice to proceedings is the inclusion of Sega’s Virtua Fighter characters, including favourites Akira and Sarah Bryant. These new fighters bring a level of strategic combat to the fore, and will really put your countering skills to the test.
Aside from the Virtua Fighter roster, MMA fighter Mila is a great new addition.
Thankfully, even if you’re new, the all-new story mode perfectly explains the game’s mechanics – from throwing, counters to tag team battles and more – ensuring that you get better at the game the further you progress. It’s a decent mode, even if the story is confusing and the cut-scenes drag a little.
There’s a lot to experience here, even if some of it feels overly familiar. If you’re a fighting fan on the fence about the Dead or Alive series, now is the right time to try it.
Dead or Alive 5
£39.99, PS3/Xbox 360