Playing Dead Or Alive is an experience similar to reading Playboy for the articles. There’s some genuinely quality stuff in there if you can paddle through the waves of bosoms, but you still feel awkward when a family member sees you indulging in it. Last Round , being a improved version of 2012’s mammary-heavy Dead Or Alive 5, does nothing to alleviate this quandary.
What’s certain is that Dead Or Alive has never looked this good. Rendered at 1080p and running at 60 frames per second, the detail extends to improved character models. It also makes use of Team Ninja’s new Soft Engine, which results in skin so detailed you can see blushing. It’s genuinely impressive, even if staring at it for too long makes you feel like a deviant.
This improved visual quality is the main selling point of Last Round, as everything else is more or less business as usual. The Story mode has been lifted straight from Dead Or Alive 5 and remains untouched. The standard Fight and Online options are present and accounted for, with no other modes added.
The only other major addition is two new characters: Raidou, the boss from the original Dead Or Alive; and Honoka, an 18-year-old schoolgirl (naturally). These bring the character roster up to 34, making it the biggest in any Dead Or Alive game to date.
Even despite this, it still isn’t really the definitive version of the game. Whereas Capcom’s Ultra Street Fighter rewarded players with every DLC costume previously released for the previous version, Last Round refuses to follow suit. Those wishing to have the full package, then, will need to buy two DLC bundles one offering all the DLC from Dead Or Alive 5 Ultimate, and a Season Pass offering new upcoming costumes which each cost over £60. That this is constantly forced on you with an obnoxiously large “Check out the DLC!” banner on the main menu every time you start the game makes it all the more grating.
It’s worth noting that there’s also a free-to-play version of Last Round entitled Core Fighters. Containing only four characters with other fighters and the Story mode available to buy separately, it’s a good way for fans of the series to gauge whether the visual improvements alone are enough to justify buying the full game.
For those who don’t already have a version of Dead Or Alive 5 however, this is undoubtedly the best way to play it. Put up with its farcical levels of misogyny and you’ll find an approachable, satisfying fighting game that feels smoother and looks sharper than it ever has before.
What’s certain is that Dead Or Alive has never looked this good. Rendered at 1080p and running at 60 frames per second, the detail extends to improved character models. It also makes use of Team Ninja’s new Soft Engine, which results in skin so detailed you can see blushing. It’s genuinely impressive, even if staring at it for too long makes you feel like a deviant.
This improved visual quality is the main selling point of Last Round, as everything else is more or less business as usual. The Story mode has been lifted straight from Dead Or Alive 5 and remains untouched. The standard Fight and Online options are present and accounted for, with no other modes added.
The only other major addition is two new characters: Raidou, the boss from the original Dead Or Alive; and Honoka, an 18-year-old schoolgirl (naturally). These bring the character roster up to 34, making it the biggest in any Dead Or Alive game to date.
Even despite this, it still isn’t really the definitive version of the game. Whereas Capcom’s Ultra Street Fighter rewarded players with every DLC costume previously released for the previous version, Last Round refuses to follow suit. Those wishing to have the full package, then, will need to buy two DLC bundles one offering all the DLC from Dead Or Alive 5 Ultimate, and a Season Pass offering new upcoming costumes which each cost over £60. That this is constantly forced on you with an obnoxiously large “Check out the DLC!” banner on the main menu every time you start the game makes it all the more grating.
It’s worth noting that there’s also a free-to-play version of Last Round entitled Core Fighters. Containing only four characters with other fighters and the Story mode available to buy separately, it’s a good way for fans of the series to gauge whether the visual improvements alone are enough to justify buying the full game.
For those who don’t already have a version of Dead Or Alive 5 however, this is undoubtedly the best way to play it. Put up with its farcical levels of misogyny and you’ll find an approachable, satisfying fighting game that feels smoother and looks sharper than it ever has before.