Dead or Alive 3

The Good
The first thing that you notice when you insert the game into your XBox is the absolutely stunning graphics. This title really shows off the power of the XBox, and puts other titles to shame. Another cool thing is that the arenas are interactive, and many have multiple levels, for example, when fighting in the DOATEC building, if you are hit hard enough in the proximity of a window, you will go flying through the window, sometimes shorting out the neon sign as you fall down, the fight then continues in the street. The characters themselves are very detailed, clothes and hair move in the wind, the animation is very realistic, and there is a good range of moves for the characters. There are a few different modes of play, survival, versus, tag-team, and story mode. There is also a sparring mode that has a very helpful onscreen display of your button presses. The computer AI is fairly tricky and is quite the challenge on the higher difficulties.

The Bad
The soundtrack is generic and repetitive, as are most of the sounds. The split-second countering that is often necessary can be frustrating to learn, a tutorial mode would have been very helpful. This title could also be much better if they included more modes, and extra costumes and characters, they can certainly fit it all onto a DVD. These are small quibbles, though, and shouldn't keep you from playing this stunningly beautiful fighter.

The Bottom Line
A great looking, fun, fighting game that shouldn't be missed.