Dead or Alive 5 Review Punches Lead To Explosions

Dead or Alive 5

(read as though a rap song)
I see them jiggling. I see them bouncing. I see them swaying, when I'm play'n.

Dead or Alive 5

(end of rap)

With the end of the rap it's the start of the review. Dead or Alive 5 is out now and unless you've been trapped under a rock or something heavy you should've known. It's got all the jiggling and fighting you could need. So put down Tekken Tag Tournament, that was two weeks ago, what are you old? You need to start playing some classic DOA.


For those new Dead or Alive series it has been around for a long time, by chance the movie based on it was playing the day before I got the game for review on my movie channels. Now I own the DVD too and as the other fighter movies like King of and Tekken based on game series go, it is the best one of the bunch. It was sort of a review of what the series is at it's core. Hot girls fighting each other, mix in some ninjas and a plot to make soldiers using stolen moves from the best fighters in the world and you have DOA. It's a delectable fighting game people have been loving for some time now and just like Tekken, Virtua, and Soul its got a nice update for a new generation. For all you fight fans plenty of the insane modes and extra, just like I reviewed for Persona 4 Arena. Come to think of it, if you love fighters its been your year.

Dead or Alive 5 is no exception to the year of the fighter by bringing back it's cast of busty babes who take on the roles of every porno actress, especially with unlockable outfits. You have dudes too and they all have different moves and fighting styles to beat the ever loving "luvin" out of each other. From the insane story, new graphics and action oriented backgrounds you have a brand new DOA to slowly pick away at. There's a new girl Mia and a bad boy named Rig to smash and jab with too.

Action, action and more action is what burst out of the screen in every match. These DOA fighters when not looking off and thinking as much as store mannequin make fights fun and explosive as Micheal Bay film, with a plot still better than any of his films.

For the fight fans you have multiple moves and styles to be perfected with each fighter, learning special moves for some of the more trained martial artists or ninjas. You might want Brad Wong who can pull off some spectacular moves with his drunken boxing style or why not try new fighter Mia's MMA fighter style. No? How about old school martial arts with Gen Fu or his student Eliot? Then how about some wrestling moves with Tina or her Dad, Bass. No? You're killing me here, or you would if you had the multiple ninja fighters from Kasumi to Hayabusa as your fighters. Then there's even more characters to unlock.

The new interactive stage have plenty of places to re-enact a Jackie Chan movie, be it a Jungle, Circus, Lab, Bar, but no space ship? Anyway just knock someone into steel girder or a propane tank and watch them fall or explode. This of course might not kill them so you can keep beating them to death. When you smash an opponent to another stage of some arenas you can attack them going down, but they might have a chance to block you.

DOA has you blocking by pressing down a button other than the old just the going back on your joystick and with high-middle-low kick and punches there's plenty of variation. You can of course side step for 360 attacks on your opponent. You'll be able to this through all the modes you fighters love with versus, which does have tag team now, missions, arcade, survival and of course spectator.

You might be spectating for dirty reasons as this game is all about very well endowed ladies. It's completely unrealistic, but so funny you can't not look. The design of some of the women or maybe all characters hits me more with their big anime eyes, they have creepy dolls eyes if you watch them in cut scenes. Voice acting is up there with the first Resident Evil game, but I'm guessing there really wasn't much of a story to begin with. Nice thump sound and impact sounds for hits though.

Japan storytelling isn't know for it's strong narrative or easy to follow logic and DOA's story mode could have been written by a five year old and made more sense. It's not hard to piece the time line together, but your not playing this game for the story. My favorite part has to be Tina running for Governor, I hope she wins!

Now DLC wise, it's seems like you'll just be getting costumes , but characters and stages are unlikely and none are planned for launch.


With power blasts, other worldly bouncing beauties and stages that would make Micheal Bay rev up his Transformer, DOA is one of the better fighters to pick up this year. Go kick butt and see boobies bouncing at the same time.

The video game was provided by the publisher for review.