Dead or Alive Dimensions Review

It has been fifteen years since Dead or Alive made its debut in arcades. While it has since become a favorite of console gamers, the franchise has never appeared on a Nintendo system before. That changes with Dead or Alive Dimensions, an original fighting title designed specifically for the Nintendo 3DS. Fighting fans are sure to be more than pleased.

The minute that you start playing Dead or Alive Dimensions you notice how beautiful it looks for a portable title. Certainly graphics have always been a big draw of the Dead or Alive franchise, but I really was not expecting to see such a stunning title this early in the 3DS’s life cycle. Characters are well-detailed, although there are moments when you notice jagged edges.

The 3D is the most striking of any game on the system to date. The levels (and even the menus) pop right out at you. The game looks just as good in 2D, although this is one of the few games on the system where I can say the 3D has the advantage. The 3D is brighter and seems more vibrant. As usual, cleavage is readily apparent on the female characters, even more so in 3D.

I was surprised to see that Team Ninja went all-out in terms of game modes. I was expecting more along the lines of an arcade experience, but they actually have a ton of content on here for a fighting game. You get a story in Chronicle Mode that spans the entirety of the franchise. This is a great mode to learn some new moves, since it basically acts as a tutorial for fighting techniques.

Other modes include Arcade (where you fight a consecutive number of people), Survival (challenge a set number of fighters and see if you can last), Tag Challenge (team up with the AI to take on powerful opponents), Free Play (you choose the fighters and the level), Training, Local Play (multi-player in the same room with two 3DS systems), and Internet Play. Each of these modes brings something different to the table. You can hone your skills in Training or fight with a friend online.

The fights themselves last less than a minute each. This is exactly the type of game intended for handheld play. You want something fast-paced and over in short bursts of time. Dead or Alive Dimensions does a great job keeping you engaged and interested. You will also need to play a variety of game modes in order to unlock all of the characters in the game. Overall, there are more than twenty Dead or Alive characters that you can unlock.

As someone that does not go out of my way to play a fighting game, I walked away impressed with Dead or Alive Dimensions. The gameplay is not nearly as intimidating for newcomers as some other fighting games. Better yet, you can learn the ropes by playing through the story mode and following the in-game directions for moves. The graphics in Dead or Alive Dimensions are quite amazing for an early release title. Finally, the fact that it packs so many game modes makes it well worth the price.