ALIVE AND KICKING!
IN AN (ever so slightly) more enlightened world, you’d think there would be no place for a game best known for large, bouncing boobs. And yet the Dead or Alive (DOA) franchise appears to be very much well ... alive.
The series started life way back in the mid-nineties, when developer Tomonobu Itagaki bet the head of struggling studio Tecom that he could create a fighting game that would win an instant fan base.
Itagaki took the fast gameplay and sexual appeal of the hugely successful Japanese titles Virtua Fighter and Fatal Fury, and combined them with the three dimensional, multi-platform landscapes of Mortal Kombat. He called it Dead or Alive, to emphasise the game’s succeed or fail nature.
One of the game’s biggest innovations was the countering system, which gave players the ability to anticipate their opponent’s move, and, if timed correctly, launch a powerful counter-attack.
When it was initially released in 1996 however, most of the focus was
DEAD OR ALIVE 6
on the game’s ‘breast physics’ which saw the ample chests of its female characters bobbing merrily around during bouts – taking the shine away from what was a genuinely good fighter.
Now, after more than two decades and five mainline games, the franchise sees its first major release in nearly seven years.
One of the other good things about DOA is the simplicity of the controls – there’s a single button to punch, kick, throw and guard, making it much easier for first time players to pick up and have a fair crack at winning a battle.
That simplicity remains, with an expansive tutorial geared at taking you from novice player to expert in a short space of time.
There’s an impressive initial roster of 27 characters, with two new faces, and the rest returning from previous outings.
DOA5’s sweat effects have been carried over and improved, and for the first time players sustain visible damage during a scrap.
Even for a fighting game the action here is fast, sharp and violent, with environmental hazards – like explosives – and short combos making it easier to get your opponent airborne, where you can finish them off with a juggling flurry of high kicks and punches.
New gauges have been added in the form of Fatal Rush and Break Gauge – meters at the top of the screen that, when filled, allow you to deliver brutal attacks which, thanks to only having to press one button, makes you look – and feel – like a fighting master.
Alternatively, when fully powered, the Break Gauge will help you to counter any strike (if you time it right), giving you a fighting chance to escape vicious combos.
And it would appear the developers got the memo, with the women on the roster (for the most part) actually looking like they’re dressed for a fight. As it’s now a trademark of the series, the bouncing boobs are still there – although you can now turn them off in the options.
That being said, playing new mode DOA Quest allows you to unlock a range of new costumes for your characters – and, should you want them, the skimpy favourites are all present.
While there’s plenty here to keep single-player and local multi-players entertained, those venturing online will find very little in the way of extra features.
Being matched with an opponent was fine, but the gameplay felt clunky and jittery.
The biggest shock of DOA6 for me was the season pass, which will set you back an eyewatering £74 (only £59.99 on Xbox Live for some reason) which will only get you two new playable characters and 64 new costumes over the next 12 months – that’s £10 more than the game itself.
All that aside, this is a super fun fighter offering relentless and remorseless action – with or without the bouncy distraction.
EDGING CLOSER
THERE’S been a few films of late which have taken inspiration from Harold Ramis’ 1993 comedy classic, Groundhog Day.
One of the better ones was Edge of Tomorrow (also known as Live. Die.Repeat) which saw Tom Cruise, above, and Emily Blunt reliving the same day over and over until they could figure out how to kill an invading race of aliens.
The sci-fi film proved a huge success, and as such a sequel – tentatively called Live Die Repeat and Repeat, is in development at Warner Brothers.
The Hollywood Reporter says Cruise, Blunt and the film’s original director Doug Liman are all eager to reprise their roles – if they like the script.
Here’s hoping success will repeat itself.