Xbox One: Dead Or Alive 6
After a seven year break between installments, Dead or Alive finally returns to our screens with more over the top, furious 3D fighting. There's a plot, but that's not really what you're coming to a Dead or Alive game for, is it? More importantly, returning characters include Ryu Hayabusa, Kasumi, Hayate, Helena, Jann Lee and Zack, and they'll be joined by some newcomers, too. New stages include the mysterious M.I.S.T research facility and a new wrestling ring, and you'll be able to execute some powerful new moves in them, too. Team Ninja has made a big effort to keep the core Dead or Alive mechanics the same, though - the developer wants to make sure that longtime fans who have been following the series since its 1995 debut feel right at home when they pick up the controller for the first time. That means, for example, that Zack's low kicks are still lightning fast and Ryu Hyabusa's flying kicks are still glorious to look at. That doesn't mean there's nothing new in the controls. One notable change is the inclusion of the new 'special' button, which Dead or Alive 6 s producer/director Yohei Shimbori calls a rescue button for beginners . The aim is to give newcomers a way to play that's as simple as a one-button smartphone fighter, and mashing it will allow players to execute a Fatal Rush, a powerful combo that will make even newbies look like seasoned pros. Also new this time out is the Break Gauge - the first ever super meter for the series - which will get charged up with each blow landed or block successfully pulled off. Fill it up and you can unleash a 'Break Blow', a super-powerful and flashy special attack, or the Break Hold, a similarly powered counter attack. You'll be able to put all this to work either in local multiplayer or online battles, too. The graphics have been brought bang up to date, of course, and those characters and interactive stages will look better than ever, right down to the sweat on their brow or the splinters of scenery flying across the screen. Fans of the series and newcomers alike are in for a pulse-pounding treat!
