Dead or Alive: Dimensions Review
Just about everyone is familiar with the Dead or Alive saga through its absolutely stellar Beach Volleyball series, the scantly dressed underage ninja girls, or alternative protagonist Ryu Hayabusa from the Ninja Gaiden series. But the main foundation for the cast is based upon a 3D fighter, one that has managed to hold up quite nicely against the test of time. The proof: Dead or Alive Dimensions, a 3DS game that not only goes through the storyline from start to finish, but also features every character, level and camera angle that has encompassed the series up to this point. Is the title fun? Is the 3D worth it? Is the series still a little creepy in how it exploits overdeveloped underage girls? Absolutely, but damn if it isn't at least a little enjoyable.
Dead or Alive Dimensions is a pretty straightforward title in that unlocking characters requires players to go through the story mode, which also serves as an excellent tutorial. In fact, just entering the first fight in the game is a primary example of how well put together the series is for a 3D fighter. Up and down on the D-Pad control 360 degree movement, while forward and back dictate both where a player moves and what kind of attacks/throws/counters are done. For example, pushing Y will make a character block while pushing back and Y will cause the character to initiate a counter stance. The game uses both high, medium, and low attacks. Changing the direction that you'll be making a combo from will change exactly how an enemy is hit and what sort of combo chains you can initiate from there.
It all sounds relatively complex but is handled expertly through both the Story Mode's tutorials and the bottom touch screen of the 3DS. While many fighting games will feature an in-game list of combos and special attacks, DOA:D goes one step further by showing a self-updating combo string in the bottom screen. For example, hitting the punch button will show every single combo that begins with the punch, while hitting punch a second time will then update to show all attacks which use punch twice. This list updates for every single move in the game, no matter how simple or complex, so those who have quick eyes (or good memory) should find it very easy to discover each characters natural combo strings. Coupled with the game's tutorial that walks players through step-by-step on how to do throws, counter-throws, guard breaks, stuns, and air juggling, DOA:D makes getting into the game easy for veterans and newcomers to the series alike.
That being said, the tutorial is just about the only compelling aspect of the Story Mode as the plot story is really rather typical of a fighting game. I personally can't imagine anyone picking up this series for its plot, but with so many other fighting games focusing a bit more on storyline as of late it's hard not to warn people away. Some parts become so cliché it's hard not to simply skip them in hopes of reaching combat quicker, which doesn't really make the game worse by any means, simply a little more tedious.
Fortunately, the title has quite a bit more going for it than just a story/tutorial mode. Together with the traditional Arcade and Survival modes, DOA:D actually becomes a pretty fleshed out title. Online mode exists as well for those who're looking to take their skills to the net, so its hard to say that Tecmo left anything out here. Half of what makes the series so much fun is how fluid the combat is and the relatively wide variety of characters should entertain for quite a while. Levels are just as detailed as previous releases and still feature the multi-level-ness expected from a Dead or Alive game, allowing for players to knock opponents over ledges, down canyons, and off of buildings for additional damage. While the environments aren't entirely interactive, characters do gain new attacks when positioned closer to walls and ledges. It's just another way that the depth of the series really shines through.
