Solid gameplay and beautiful graphics--great fighter for the 3DS!
Dead or Alive: Dimensions (DoA:D) is a fast, slick fighter for the Nintendo 3DS. It has tons of unlockable content and very fun gameplay. The main problem I had with the game was with the online multiplayer, which lags pretty often (at least in my experiences with it so far). I bought this game because I really like solid fighters like Street Fighter, Tekken, Marvel vs. Capcom, etc. and have been looking to round out my 3DS collection.
The character models and backgrounds are beautiful, true to DoA's usual presentation. Many of the levels have multiple floors, which is really fun. The level of detail is on par with any console fighter. Several spiffy costumes are available for each character as unlockable content. Other unlockables include new fighters, levels, and figurines of the characters in different poses that you can set up and take pictures of within the game. The 3D really pops and is really great to look at, but slows down the fighting just a little bit (hardly noticeable to me).
As for the gameplay, controls are solid and moves are much easier to pull off than in Super Street Fighter IV, also for 3DS. They are also a lot faster and smoother. This allows the player to really hone his skills in chaining together brilliant combos. The fighters are very well-balanced, for the most part... though there is one character in particular that really annoys me with his cheap long-distance attacks.
From what I understand, DoA:D is a sort of amalgamation of some previous DoA games... I'm only slightly familiar with the DoA franchise so I can't really compare it with previous titles. I'd say that one unfortunate result of this approach is that the main "storyline" makes almost no sense. Then again, when has a fighting game's storyline ever made sense? You're really there just to fight everyone in sight! However, I still wish that more time was taken to smooth out the story and make it more approachable and memorable. Street Fighter has a much better storyline, in my opinion.
The online multiplayer is fun, though limited... and about 1 in every 10 fights is really choppy from lag. I don't know if this is the fault of the game itself, the Internet connection, or what, but I had a much easier and smoother online experience with Street Fighter. I wouldn't let this keep you from purchasing the game, though; I still really enjoy sparring with people online.
Bottom line: If you like fighting games, pick this one up. Great replay value, solid controls and balance, beautiful graphics, and fun online multiplayer. I took a star off because of the online lag and the nearly incomprehensible plot, but as a whole the game is really enjoyable.Read full review
