Video game review by ERIK LEIJON

Known primarily for its scantily clad, large-breasted combatants, the Dead or Alive franchise is back to showcase the graphical prowess of the Xbox 360. Dead or Alive 4 (X360/Tecmo, Team Ninja) is here to do to Microsoft’s new console what the previous Dead or Alive did for the original Xbox.

Based purely on graphics, this game is a success—if you overlook a couple of gaffes. The gameplay, which mostly left this reviewer wanting for more depth due to its tap friendly system and the annoying presence of a “counter” button, actually feels fresh and more complex than ever before. There’s also a topless mermaid.

Is this the best looking game for the 360? Yes, but it’s not leaps and bounds ahead of the previous Dead or Alive game, nor Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball. The character models are extremely detailed, to the point where there is a noticeable difference between various characters’ clothing fabrics and even their skin. The levels are huge and most objects can be broken or moved. There are also secret areas that can be reached during fights, which is something you don’t find in other fighting games.

Where Team Ninja—normally anal perfectionists when it comes to graphical detail—falters slightly is the characters’ hair, which clumps together, with each strand not flowing naturally. A minor concern to be sure, but the hair has been done better in the past. It looks strange to see all of the work that went into the rest of Kasumi’s body, yet her hair looks like a dozen large spaghetti strands.

Dead or Alive’s fighting system has never had the depth of a Tekken, but after multiple iterations the game has become less about tapping and more about timing. In the past, novices could easily win by mashing the punch and kick buttons excessively, and while that still works from time to time, the counter system has more teeth to it, meaning a well-timed counter will basically turn the tables on any match. The AI difficulty has also been tightened—you can only pull off the same move a couple of times before it adapts.

DOA4 offers online play for those with an Xbox Live gold package. Since fighting games are more conducive to multiplayer gaming, this mode is a must, but if there’s even a tiny bit of lag it could throw any battle plan you have out the window. Unfortunately, this happened quite a few times when I played, and the two-on-two tag matches were almost unplayable because of lag. Of course, the result could be different when you play, but it’s unlikely that your experience will be lag-free, thereby negating any potential fun you may have.

DOA4 is the first big game to come out in 2006, and though perhaps it’s not the quantum leap many were expecting for a next-gen game, it’s still an amazing looking game with a refined fighting system. At the very least it should instill some hope for the new generation of consoles.

One good fighter

On the subject of fighting games, One (N-Gage/Nokia, Digital Legends) is a pretty decent portable brawler. I’ve never been a big fan of the genre on portable consoles, but One puts emphasis on avatar creation and practising, both largely solo affairs.

You start by creating your fighter using the very deep creation mode, and then build him or her up using the standard solo or multiplayer modes. There’s a world ranking system as well.

The fighting system, which has you alternating between three fighting stances, is complicated but ultimately quite fun, and the 3D graphics are simple but effective.