Dead or Alive: Dimensions

Dead or Alive: Dimensions

Dead or Alive Dimensions is a solid debut for the series on 3DS and makes good use of the hardware to provide an entertaining experience. It features a ton of content, great visuals, and the controls very responsive as well. The Chronicles mode, which attempts to explain the entire Dead or Alive timeline in one story mode is a bit confusing at times and turning up the 3D slows down the framerate, but overall this is a great title for fans of DOA and newcomers alike.

Gameplay: Fast and fluid, provided you turn the 3D down.

Graphics: The game looks great, with and without the 3D.

Sound: The soundtrack is great and all the characters are fully voiced

Dead Or Alive 2

Dead Or Alive 2

Dead or Alive 2 is a much faster fighting game than other 3D titles, but with some practice it is a lot of fun. The game might appear to be very simple at first, but mastering all the techniques will take a while. The beautiful visuals will draw you in but there is more than enough gameplay to back it all.

Gameplay: Fast and frantic.

Graphics: Great compared to other fighters on the market.

Sound: Decent

Senran Kagura: Estival Versus

Senran Kagura: Estival Versus

Senran Kagura Estival Versus offers an impressive amount of fanservice mixed up with some solid hack and slash combat. The game does have its fair share of questionable elements, but it certainly doesn’t skimp on content. There is a meaty story mode to complete, along with plenty of side missions, while the money you earn can be spent on clothing and accessories for the girls. Like most hack and slash games it can get a little repetitive, but despite the large cast none of the girls feel alike in personality or fighting style. If you are a fan of the series or enjoy fighting games, this comes highly recommended, as long as you realize you are going to get bombarded by fanservice around every turn.

Gameplay: Features plenty of content and a learning curve that eases you into the various combos and attacks you can pull off.

Graphics: Looks great on PC and the detail as well as animations are impressive.

Sound: Full Japanese voice acting for all the girls and a funky soundtrack that complements the action nicely

Virtua Fighter 4

Virtua Fighter 4

Virtua Fighter 4 is aimed squarely at the hardcore fighting brigade so if you do not have the time and patience to devote to this game you will not get your money’s worth. It seems to be a bit more accessible than previous entries, but is unlikely to wow fans of Tekken and Soul Calibur.

Gameplay: A beat ’em up where the focus is purely on the fighting and not the story or other bonus thrills.

Graphics: Pretty good considering its age.

Sound: A mixed bag, but not bad overall

Koihime Enbu

Koihime Enbu

Join the all-female cast of fighters in Koihime Enbu for some great 2D fighting. The character roster is fairly small, but very unique and the game is designed to be accessible to newcomers. However, there is still plenty of depth and experienced players can take the fights to a whole new level. Even if you are not familiar with the source material we recommend the game to anyone looking for a fun, accessible and great looking 2D beat ‘em up.

Gameplay: Deceptively simple, but with enough depth to keep you coming back for more.

Graphics: Great character designs with plenty of detail and colors.

Sound: Full Japanese voice acting and some nice background music

Final Fight One

Final Fight One

The Gameboy Advance needs more original titles and less ports, but at least Final Fight One demonstrates how to do a port right. Based on the original 1989 Arcade title this brawler packs a lot of action and some pretty big sprites. It also includes the level that was cut from the SNES port of the game so fans finally have the full experience in the palm of their hands.

Gameplay: True to the Arcade so expect lots of action with little depth.

Graphics: Large sprites and colorful visuals.

Sound: Not bad considering the hardware

Dead Or Alive 5

Dead Or Alive 5

Apart from the more realistic visuals and a couple of new characters, Dead Or Alive 5 isn’t that much different from the previous game. Fans of the series will still enjoy it as it contains all the outlandish female characters and breast physics that made the games famous. Those expecting a complete redesign will probably have to wait a bit longer.

Gameplay: Not a drastic leap forward for the series but still entertaining.

Graphics: A more realistic approach than past titles.

Sound: Passable

Dead Or Alive 4

Dead Or Alive 4

An impressive debut for the series on Xbox 360 but it is far from perfect and is way more suited for the multi-player crowd than those that prefer their fighters single player only.

Gameplay: Highly frustrating in single player, but a blast in multi-player.

Graphics: It’s good, but there are still some noticeable flaws.

Sound: Nothing really remarkable about it

GUILTY GEAR Xrd -SIGN-

GUILTY GEAR Xrd -SIGN-

With its crazy cast of characters, baffling storyline and perplexing amount of technical terms Guilty Gear Xrd can be a little daunting at first, but a comprehensive tutorial will ease you into things. After mastering the basics you’ll find a ton of modes to try out whether you want to take on the computer, your friends or random strangers on the internet. The visuals are excellent, the audio incredible and the gameplay very entertaining, which makes it an all-round great game. It also features enough content, including a lengthy story, to keep you busy for ages.

Gameplay: Plenty of depth for veterans, but thanks to the tutorial it is also very accessible for newcomers.

Graphics: The perfect fusion of 3D graphics and 2D style.

Sound: The soundtrack is rocking and the voice acting great

Injustice: Gods Among Us

Injustice: Gods Among Us

While Injustice doesn’t surpass Mortal Kombat, it at least doesn’t feel like a clone either. There is a sizeable roster of heroes and villains plus plenty of extras. The story mode is over in a flash, but it is just a small part of the overall package. If you are a fan of the DC comic universe, then you will thoroughly enjoy this game. If not, it is still a great fighter.

Gameplay: Very easy to get into but can feel a bit stiff initially.

Graphics: A very gritty interpretation of some famous superheroes.

Sound: The voice acting is good and the music fits the game