Reviews// Dead or Alive 5: Last Round

So what does Dead or Alive’s first outing on the new consoles offer over the last gen version? Well, not much. It does look slightly better; character’s faces and hair are noticeably improved and, current bugs aside, the framerate is solid but there’s not much else to speak of.

This is simply a refined version of the already excellent fighter, jammed with most of the DLC that came out before it and packaged up in a way that finally stays true to the series.

All of the new characters from Dead or Alive 5: Ultimate return and we’re treated to two even newer ones. Raidou, the boss from the first game, but returning as half-cyborg, and Honoka. Both are fun to play but neither have the instant feel of a classic character when compared to the likes of DOA5’s Mila or Ultimate’s Nyotengu. Thankfully neither are as creepy as Marie “No, I promise you she’s 18” Rose.

What I liked most about Last Round was the fact that it felt like I’d got one of my favourite fighting games back. What Dead or Alive 5 was missing, was ever present here and I slipped back into my ritual all too easily.

I set myself goals. Picked a character and tried to learn their move set. When I was comfortable with them I’d do a few Arcade runs increasing the difficulty as I went. I then moved onto the excellently challenging Survival mode and then tried and beat my personal best score in Score Attack mode.

If I feel as though I’ve clicked with the character I’ll take them online to see how I hold up. If not, no problem, I’ve unlocked enough costumes to make my time with them feel worth it and have learned their combos well enough to make it easier to counter them when they come up against one of my preferred characters.

There’s a lot of reward in spending time with Dead or Alive 5: Last Round and as I was playing, I was genuinely excited about achieving the next goal that I’d set myself. Usually what started as a quick couple of frames soon became the long gaming sessions that I’m all too familiar with.

If you’ve played Dead or Alive 5 to death, especially 2013’s Ultimate version, then there isn’t enough here for you to spend out on again. But if like me you were disappointed in Dead or Alive 5 and stopped playing, maybe it’s time you forgive and forget, because Dead or Alive 5: Last Round is the best the series has ever been.

Pros:

+ Fun fighting
+ Slick animation
+ Gorgeous visuals

Cons:

- A few bugs to iron out

SPOnG Score: 8/10