Title: Dead or Alive 3
Genre: Fighting
Company: Temco
Platform: X-Box
Release Date: 2001

Synopsis: After Dead or Alive 2 and the defeat of Tengu, Dr. Donovan took Genra, head of a team of ninjas, and turned him into the ultimate warrior, Omega. Your mission is to win the Dead or Alive Tournament and then destroy Omega.

The Highlights
Graphics: Smooth; beautiful scenery.
Gameplay: Diverse and entertaining.
Story: Bare bones plot; lack of background.
Other: Awkward camera angles.

DOA3 is known as one of XBOX’s best fighting games. While it is not a bad game, it in no way deserves the praise it usually gets. One of the reasons for this game’s wild popularity is the amazing graphics that make the game, not to mention fifty percent of the cast of characters, very easy on the eyes. But, if all you want is needless fan service and amazing graphics, then just pick up DOA: Beach Volleyball.

DOA3 does, however, have an interesting and unique fighting engine. There is a punch, kick, and throw button, each of which can be combined with a direction from the joystick or D-pad to do a move. These moves are then connected to make a special move. I really enjoyed the counter system for the game. To counter you simply had to hit the block button along with a directional button at the same time your opponent attacks you. However, there are far too many counter moves. Each character has at least ten counter moves and usually one is enough to counter most of your opponent’s moves. Altogether, the fighting engine is rather enjoyable and can leave you battling your friends for a long time. Unless of course your friend feels like training for a while, in which case you’ll be left waiting because the training system only allows one player to train at a time, which may be inconvenient for your friends who might also want to train.

Also, you’ll need to get better just to overcome some of the terrible camera angles. Sometimes camera angles are so bad it makes it almost impossible to defeat even the simplest opponents or even get close to them. For example, you are put at an angle that makes it extremely difficult to dash at your opponent during the final battle. The final boss also has long range unblockable attacks that knock you all the way back if you get hit by him. Don’t get too mad though, after the defeat of a boss you unlock a short clip of your character’s ending, which usually has nothing to do with anything. The most glaring flaw in DOA3 is the complete lack of a story. Some characters have their own background stories and their own little mini stories, but it never explains what brings them all together. It feels as if some people are battling each other for no reason!

All in all, DOA3 is a good game. However, when it all comes down to it, 3D fighters just are not as appealing as 2D fighting games. So for now, I’d stick with Streetfighter, King of Fighters, and Guilty Gear XX.

The Rating: 7

Reviewed by: DarkKanti