Dead or Alive 5 Game Review [7.6/10 - Great]
Review by G4 TV [3.5/5]
DOA Is Sexy And It Knows It
It’s a step away from the airbrushed anime look the characters previously had, and some fans may not approve. It’s all going to be personal taste when it comes to looks, but I like the direction DOA5 took with the characters. If nothing else, faces are now more unique and recognizable, though they could stand to be more expressive. Stages too have improved in graphical fidelity from previous games in the DOA series. There’s also a lot going on in them: a fight may start on the top of a building that’s in the middle of construction, but soon steel beams begin to swing and knock down pieces of the scenery, or you might knock your opponent into them and they’ll crash down, tilting the entire level. The downside is that Dead or Alive 5 has ditched some of the wackier environments in favor of darker, dirtier locales. There’s still the occasional bright spot, but by and large the jungles, shrines, and opera theaters of yesteryear are left in the cold, replaced by oil rigs, alleyways, and construction sites. Get used to the oil rig, because you’ll see it a lot in Story mode.
Review by IGN [8.8/10 - Great]
Sex sells. Just ask anyone with a marketing degree. But in the case of the Dead or Alive franchise, sex has been both a boon and a curse. After all, you can’t create beach volleyball spinoffs or direct your ad campaign at oversexed college students if you want your franchise taken seriously.
At long last, the folks at Team Ninja have seen it too, and the result is Dead or Alive 5, a fighter that’s far more interested in beating you down than getting you off. Thanks to a number of key tweaks and additions, the fighting system is deeper and more balanced than ever. Mix that with exciting interactive stages, gorgeous visuals, and a comprehensive feature set, and you get a package that can entertain everyone – from the Monday night button mashers to the exacting tournament pros.
Read Full Review
Review by Joystiq [4/5]
Evaluating the plot in Dead or Alive 5 is ultimately a waste of words. Oh, you can make a qualitative judgment – observe that it somehow manages to be a train wreck, a plane wreck and a car crash all in one. It’s like watching all combustible vehicles on Earth hurtle into each other at a singular point of stupidity, and then burning in the consequent fireball of awkward, unintentional comedy.
But we survive, insulated by apathy. What matters is that Dead or Alive 5 is an excellent fighting game. Team Ninja’s approach has always been more inviting to me than other purveyors of pugilism, and not because the female combatants swing everything in addition to their fists. Dead or Alive 5 polishes and speeds up the unique traits that often become obscured by the lascivious camera work. The fighting is fast, multi-dimensional, and exhibits spectacular choreography that isn’t as hard to pull off as it seems. It evokes a willingness to join in, rather than a creeping worry over the technical proficiency required to succeed.
About The Author
