Review: DEAD OR ALIVE Dimensions - Knockout Title or Sucker Punch?

Fighting games are not my cup of tea, but Super Street Fighter 4: 3D Edition was able to get me into the genre. DEAD OR ALIVE Dimensions is an equally fun, well-polished fighter for the Nintendo 3DS.

It’s easy for anyone to pick up Dimensions and play a solid game right out of the box. Still, there are complex mechanics and skills for those who are willing to learn them. In-game tutorials make learning the ins and outs of DEAD OR ALIVE a breeze. There’s even the option to perform complex combos using the touch screen, but these are sometimes difficult to execute due to limited screen real estate and don’t provide the satisfaction of pulling off a killer combo.

Fights take place in extremely beautiful, interactive, and sometimes destructible environments. You can use these to your advantage by throwing your opponents into fire, off roofs, and over bridges. Characters also look great, but despite stunning graphics, there tends to be a bit of choppiness when playing in 3D.

In addition to the standard Arcade, Free Play, and Training Modes, DEAD OR ALIVE Dimensions features a pleasingly satiating Chronicle Mode, which ties together the entire DOA storyline and features beautiful cutscenes. There’s also the difficult Tag Challenge Mode and an Internet Play Mode that suffers from a bit of lag. My biggest issue with DOA Dimensions is its online system. It pales in comparison to Street Fighter’s, and really turned me off from that part of the game.

There are 25 characters to choose from, more than any previous entry in the series. Adding to the variety, there are plenty of costumes to unlock and download through SpotPass, and collectible figurines that can be photographed for show. With StreetPass and SpotPass support, there will always be new stuff to check out.

If you’re looking for an alternative to Street Fighter, a gateway drug to the DOA series, or just a chance to fight using well-endowed, scantily-clad women, then DEAD OR ALIVE Dimensions is a knockout. It gets three stars out of four.

Did I get it right?  Is DEAD OR ALIVE Dimensions a knockout, or simply a sucker punch?  Let me know in the comments!