Dead or Alive 5: Last Round Reviews
A solid, extremely accessible fighting game, Dead or Alive 5: Last Round is certainly worth adding to your collection if you're a fan of the genre.
As competent as the last two updates but still a fighting game held back more by its creepy designs and boring characters, than its purposefully simplistic action.
It is far from being considered the definitive fighting game on the planet and should quickly be overshadowed by Street Fighter V's pending release but if you are a fan of the franchise or someone looking for some mindless fast paced fun, Dead or Alive 5: Last Round should be right up your alley.
The optional PAYG purchase model and cringe-worthy sexy lady stuff might distract you from the fact that this is a hugely entertaining fighting game. Slick, spectacular and fun to play, Last Round is right up there with the best games in the whole Dead or Alive series, and one that's worth paying upfront for if you don't want to end up paying over the odds. It's not a must-have for those who've already played Dead or Alive 5: Last Round on other formats, but if you haven't, it's a good time to give the game a try.
Dead or Alive 5: Last Round is a good fighting game that remains similar to the last release, building on the already strong foundations created by the game two and a half years ago.
Dead or Alive 5: Last Round takes everything fans could love about the series and cranks it all up to 11, but that doesn't mean it's doing anything new.
A great fighting game that is unfortunately let down by a few bugs.
Dead or Alive: Last Round doesn't have the contortionist special moves required to master its Street Fighter rival, making this the more immediately accessible game by some margin. But neither does it have the mascots of Capcom's stable (it's telling, perhaps, that the most recognisable characters here are borrowed from Ninja Gaiden and Virtua Fighter). But at its deeper levels, it's an equally engaging and challenging proposition as its rivals, a quick tempo test of dexterity and reaction that, at its best, transcends the mildly grotty aspects for which it is best known.
Undoubtedly Dead or Alive 5: Last Round’s strongest selling points are its gameplay and its goofiness.
I'm blown away by how well thought out the base design in Dead or Alive 5: Last Round is. The designers stuck with a traditional, no-thrills, rock/paper/scissor foundation that provides for depth and complexity to evolve on the player's part.
While the new additions and the costume collection are nice, the strongest value of Dead or Alive 5: Last Round is its clean 1080p presentation on new-gen consoles where it performs cleanly and admirably.
Dead or Alive 5: Last Round is the final version of a game released in 2012. That means it includes three years worth of available DLC, but it also means the graphical improvements weren't as grand as they could've been. DOA5 is still a solid fighter, but a lack of ambition, focus on DLC, and severe bugs in the Xbox One version means it's not amazing.
Dead or Alive 5: Last Round is a good re-release of the original experience on the PS4. It manages to keep the trademark low barrier of entry and complexity, but it still offers plenty of depth for fighting game fans. Even if it advertises its DLC a lot, and the titillating physics aren't to everyone's taste, you can have a lot of fun with the new title.
Dead or Alive 5: Last Round amounts to the definitive version of a game released back in 2012, which is both a good and a bad thing.
Overall Last Round is a good example of a solid current-gen remaster; the final edition of Dead or Alive 5 offers enhanced visuals, plenty of DLC, new content while maintaining what was great about the original.
Fundamentally, many of you may have been playing Dead or Alive 5 for the last two and half years now, perhaps with a sojourn into Dead or Alive 5 Plus on your Vita, before upgrading to Dead or Alive 5: Ultimate along the way. For the stalwart fan, it's possible that Last Round contains just enough additions and upgrades to make a purchase necessary, especially when you consider its budget pricing, but for the less committed it may not be enough. Meanwhile, for those yet to play Dead or Alive 5, Last Round is the most complete and attractive version of an enjoyable, albeit ostentatious, fighter despite a few minor issues.
Despite the occasional freezing, I enjoyed my time with Dead or Alive 5 Last Round. Its updated visuals, huge character list, and numerous costumes set it apart from previous versions of DOA 5, and the fun and interactive environments really kept me interested in the core gameplay. While the story mode was confusing and the characters felt somewhat bland, Last Round is a game that fans of fighting titles should probably check out. If you're still on the fence about it, remember that a free version — called Dead or Alive 5 Last Round: Core Fighters — can be downloaded on the PSN Store or the Xbox Games Store right now.
Even though feminist may cringe at the Dead or Alive franchise, the overtly sexualised content is also what made this franchise so popular and giving up on this would just turn the game into another bland fighter. Given that, most of the female characters are quite powerful characters, although some have one too many clichés.
Dead or Alive 5: Last Round doesn't add enough to tempt new players while doubling down on bugs. The core fighting is as fun and frantic as ever, but it's hard to fully recommend to anyone but die-hard fans.
Though the novelty has worn off, the action-packed battles remain among the most enjoyable and accessible in the fighting scene