Dead or Alive 6 Review

by Davies Green | March 1, 2019 9:04 am

 

Known for its edgy fan service since 1996, the Dead or Alive franchise is back and better than ever with Dead or Alive 6. When people think of the DOA series, they immediately think of big breasts, revealing clothing, and some very questionable camera shots. Throughout the years however, the series has gradually relied more on its fight mechanics rather than all the sexiness. With Dead or Alive 6, Team Ninja has found a good balance between the competitive fighting game community and the casual gaming audience.  Here is our review.

Dead or Alive 6 is simply a gorgeous fighting game. The aesthetics, interactive stages, and even the background characters come together to create an amazing presentation. Certain features that were introduced in its predecessor such as visible battle damage on your fighter are greatly improved in DOA6. Be wary when your opponent does a move that causes you to force your hair down, break an accessory you were wearing, or even tear off or damage a piece of clothing. In regards to the latter, I do have to say the fan service is still there a little.

You can choose from familiar faces like Ayame, Hayabusa, Zack and more! The character models in Dead Or Alive 6 are even more refined and incredibly crisp. The level of detail and fluid animation brings each character to life. Every attack is different per character and it makes each feel uniquely distinct. With a large assortment of stagger moves and stun setups, the excellent animation adds a lot impact to everything the player does.

When you dive into the mechanics in DOA6, it still uses a rock, paper, scissors like system of punches, kicks, and throws. In no way is that a negative thing. The series as a whole has always been criticized for being too simple and isn’t considered to be a legitimate mainstream fighter. To be honest, I was one of those people! After playing the latest entry, I found it is much more than a guessing game of what your opponent will throw at you. It’s also truly satisfying landing combos with your fighter. With features like critical blows, lowered damage on counter attacks, and the amazing combo juggling, DOA6 in my opinion is the most balanced game in the series. Veteran fighters and casual fans can fight toe to toe and not feel that it’s too easy to perform a multi hit killer combo or find it too hard to execute special moves. Mixed with interactive stages, like the fire cracker stage, it’s anyone’s game. One of the features that I fell love with is the aforementioned critical blow. This attack comes with a beautiful closeup cutscene moments before impact. There are times where I flinch when these attacks occur.

 

 

DOA6 has a variety of different modes. In DOA Quest mode, your fighter has to perform certain requirements to earn in game currency, items to make new outfits & accessories, and encyclopedia pages to complete the DOA book. One of the stipulations could be to perform three throws on your opponent in one match and then not to lose a round in another. Once you get all the moolah from DOA Quest mode, you can go to DOA Central to spend your recent, well deserved fortune on purchasing new fighter outfits, sound bytes, and more. From what I have seen from previous DOA titles, expect a massive amount of DLC outfits in its future. Also in DOA Central, there is the DOA Encyclopedia that basically goes into the full story of the series so far. The encyclopedia even has character side stories as well as in an depth look at certain fighters. 

 

 

The story mode really missed the mark for me. The way the game tries to tell its story is literally all over the place. There is not a consistent direction on where the story is going. One minute, I am fighting on a ghost ship, trying to find a treasure without any explanation or context. Then the next minute, I am Marie Rose tagging along with a friend aimlessly fighting people. What makes the story even more disappointing is how you progress in it. After you’re done doing a scenario in the story, it takes you back to a giant grid and magically unlocks different story scenarios at the same time. There is no explanation and no order on what you need to do next. You just beat them to progress. It kind of feels as if the character endings of Tekken were all linked together and then the developers slapped a giant Story tag right in the middle of things.

Overall, Dead or Alive 6 is a great game if you are new to fighting games. Current DOA fans will also enjoy playing more of the series as well. With minimal tweaking and sticking to its core, DOA 6 does not bring anything new to the table, but rather more refinement on its base fundementals. Now, we just have to debate if we will go all in on the $100 dollar Season One pack …. Thank you watching our review. If would like to checkout more reviews like this, like and subscribe on our youtube channel or go to confreaksandgeeks.com for even more amazing content!. 

 

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