Official Score
Overall - 60%
60%
Dead or Alive 5: Last Round is not a bad game -- just the opposite. The cast and crew of Gamers Heroes has spent countless hours throwing down with the cast and crew of DoA. However, there is not enough here to justify upgrading so fast after Ultimate. If this is your first foray into Dead or Alive 5, this is the one to get. However, those who already fought their way to the top might want to hold off until the inevitable revision.
Hot on the heels of Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate comes Dead or Alive 5: Last Round, an updated version of Tecmo Koei’s chop-socky fighter. Is this upgrade worth throwing down for, or is this a bunch of fanservice fluff?
Dead or Alive 5: Last Round Review
New to the Dead or Alive universe, but love a good fighter? Dead or Alive 5: Last Round will come as second nature after a few rounds. Much like Namco’s Tekken series, fights in Dead or Alive rely on combo-heavy inputs and the juggling of characters in the air. Danger zones add a dose of, well, danger to the proceedings, and forces players to consider their placement far more than your typical fighter. It’s patented “Triangle System” also helps it stand out, placing a rock-paper-scissors-like game with counters, throws and holds. Everything moves extremely fast, and rounds are oftentimes over in less than a minute. It’s fast, it’s furious, and it’s fun.
But is it balanced? Not necessarily. There are some characters in Dead or Alive 5: Last Round that have a distinct advantage. Newcomer Raidou can easily stun any character with a few hits, while the cameo characters from Virtua Fighter come with a far more complex command system. There are a lot of mid-tier characters, but do not expect a fair fight overall.
So what’s new in Dead or Alive 5: Last Round? At first glance, not much. Menus are unchanged from Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate, the Story Mode is the same, and even the characters movelists are virtually the same. A few new fighters make their appearance, including the drunken master/capoeira/Honoka-fu schoolgirl Honoka and the aforementioned Raidou. A few new stages make the rounds as well, each with lots of life, character, and outrageous circumstances. There are also some new costumes for both the dudes and the ladies, in case you ever wanted to throw down in a Santa outfits or some bits of string.
The online mode of Dead or Alive 5: Last Round did receive a new mode in the form of the Prize Fighter system. In it, players are awarded points after securing five or more wins. They then have to hold on to their title as long as they can, increasing their rank along the way. It’s a novel feature, one that is welcome in the online modes. However, something like Street Fighter IV’s Elite system would really go a long way.
Dead or Alive 5: Last Round is not a bad game — just the opposite. The cast and crew of Gamers Heroes has spent countless hours throwing down with the cast and crew of DoA. However, there is not enough here to justify upgrading so fast after Ultimate. If this is your first foray into Dead or Alive 5, this is the one to get. However, those who already fought their way to the top might want to hold off until the inevitable revision.
