Publisher: Tecmo

Platform: X-Box

Genre: 3-D Fighting

# Of Players: 1-4

Difficulty: Variable

Fat: Odiferous eminations...phew.... that can only be maintained by an intensive curriculum of constant gaming (without the inconvenient, time wasting endeavors of menial tasks such as bathing...), hang in the air as we bring you the review of a game we've been waiting for since it's announcement, a mere 14 months ago.

Geeky: That's right, we've been playing this game for 2 days straight,,,with very little rest, and no time for cleanliness. In fact, I'd say that right now, Fat's B.O. factor is kickin' in overtime...

Fat: Whilst Geeky smells of a daisy... growing in a massive pile of burning tires with dead fish in them...that is to say, your funk ain't no better...

Geeky: True enough...though I think your stench may be a bit sharper than mine... but enough talk of odors, we have a game to review....Dead or Alive 3, for the X-Box!

Fat: Ah, the memories...first appearing in 1996 as a game that used Sega's revolutionary Model 2 engine, originally created for Virtua Fighter 2, Tecmo made a Dead or Alive a game that made many a fanboys' scrotum twitch, but also introduced some interesting new concepts to the 3D fighter, namely move counters for all characters, and an explosive "death zone" surrounding the fighting ring. The Saturn version of the game came first in Japan, and later , the Playstation version that more US players are familiar with appeared.

Geeky: Fat and I were instant fans of this game from the first time we saw the arcade game at E3 years ago. So it was great news when we heard of it's sequel for the Dreamcast, which arrived in early 2000. This was a true next-generation game, with amazing multi-teired levels, more fighters, more techniques, and arguably some of the best graphics ever in a fighter. This game later got an upgrade with more levels, moves and characters, in DOA2 Hardcore for the PS2, and DOA2 Limited Edition for the Dreamcast.

Fat: And now, the third incarnation of this game has arrived, and this time, Tecmo made the questionable (to some) decision to make this game exclusively for Microsoft's new mega-powered console, the X-Box. The reasoning for this is stated to be because the other consoles could not so this game justice. After seeing it, I can say that while the gameplay and sound could easily be reproduced on the PS2 and the Nintendo Gamecube...I'm not so sure about the graphic splendor.

Geeky: Yep, by far the biggest improvement here is the game's look. It's easy to see it in the new fighting arenas, with bigger environments, more going on in the backgrounds, and basically every graphic effect the X-Box's G-Force 3 card has put to good use: Water, fire, glass, breakable stalagmites, tracking snow, dust, exploding barbed wire fences...All these effects are realized in detail never seen before in a game.

Fat: Something less apparent by the still pictures you've seen is that the characters are now much more detailed as well. Different fabrics, loose clothing, tight clothing, muscles, tattoos, and better facial features abound. While it's obvious that the character design is basically the same as Dead or Alive 2, the textures, polygon count, and nuances of these characters are far more extensive than ever before.

Geeky: We could write novels about the game's beauty, it simply has to be seen to be believed. Even the most stubborn single system fanboy will find it hard to deny this graphic wonder.

Fat: It's a bit easier for them to dispute this game's play, because playwise, it feels a whole lot like Doa2, at least at first. Once you get into the game, however, you'll begin to find quite a few differences from the previous incarnation. The game moves a bit faster, and each of the game's existing characters have some new moves and techniques added to their repertoire. While some have more than others, you'll find that some characters have one or two new moves that make them MUCH more dangerous than before. Multipart throws and Counters have been simplified further, and are easier to pull off, as are air combo juggles, especially if you get someone against a wall. Some characters now can catch and throw in mid-air, and some have ground grapples as well. Arcade purists will be disappointed to find that the "arcade style" of parrying has been removed, but the counters have been tweaked, so they don't do quite as much damage as before, and for some characters, the arcade counter motions get NEW counters that do more damage.

Geeky: The controls are basically the same, except that the "Free" button (originally for side-stepping, Counters, and Defense) is no longer used for sidestepping. Instead, moving the pad up or down will make the character jump, hop, or sidestep, depending on the speed you do it and the distance from your opponent. This usually works well, but I won't say that it has never stepped when I wanted to duck, because it has. To simplify controls further, there is also the "Analog button" method, which does more powerful moves based on how hard you press the buttons. This mode lets you use the analog pads on the X-Box as well, but It's way too sensitive, and like the "one button throw", we feel that it cheapens the game, as it makes power moves really easy to do, though not consistently.

Fat: Let's do a quick recap the game's characters: returning is Kasumi the runaway ninja (she now has more useful moves), Ayane the Kunoichi (she isn't much different really), Hayabusa, the original Ninja Gaiden (he's got more combos but is mostly the same as well), Hayate, formely known as Ein from DOA2 (He now has a mix of moves from Kasumi and Ein, making him interesting to play), Zack the kickboxer (much more useful air kicks now), Bass the wrestler (he's sped up with better counters, an air throw, and a ground grab), Tina, Bass's wrestling daughter (she now has air and ground throws as well, making her much more formidable), Bayman and Leon, Assasin and soldier (they have similar fighting styles, but Leon is now more brutal, with moves that pummel his opponent, and Bayman is faster and more technical), Helena the opera singer (her style now has some lethal combos), Gen-Fu, the old master (he's got better combos and an air grab), Lei Fang, master of T'ai Chi Quan (she now has better combos and some new counters), and Jann Lee, who is more like Bruce Lee than ever (he's got trickier kicks, can switch foot positions, and has some new counter).

Geeky: This game's got three new additions to the DOA roster: Christie is a white-haired, ultra quick assasin with some lethal fast moves and counters. Hitomi learned from the same teacher as Ein, so she fights with her own faster, sometimes more powerful version of his style. And then there's Brad Wong, a drunken master along the lines of Virtua Fighter's Shun Di and Tekken's Lei Wulong, but he's smoother than both of them.

Fat: Aurally, the sound and music in the game isn't as much of a step up as the graphics, but it is significant, particularly if you have a Dolby Digital 5.1 compatible system. The new in-game music is better done than the previous game, with rock and techno suitable to the combat, and the game has three licensed songs from Aerosmith...why, I can't say, but the two songs I've heard (one in the intro and one in the game's credits) aren't too bad. By the way, this game doesn't have dubbed English voices, like DOA2: Hardcore did. It's just as well, 'cause the voices sucked anyway.

Geeky: You said it, bunky. This game has most of the same playmodes as DOA2: Story mode, Time Attack, Versus, Team Battle, Survival, Sparring, and Tag-Team. The exercise and movelists present in DOA1 but missing from DOA2 are back in this one, making it easy to learn all the moves. Time Attack and Survival can now be played with 1 player, or a tag-team. Tecmo boasted that the new storylines would be better and make more sense. I don't know about that, but the story mode's endings are now Full motion video, much like Tekken 1, 2 and 3 on the PS1. The quality of these endings is very high, at least as good as any Namco or even Square FMV.

Fat: Make no mistake, we love this game, but just like any other title, there are some things that we have minor gripes about. One is the afore-mentioned "duck-jump-sidestep" control, that's just a bit annoying.

Geeky: Maybe that'll be better once we get an X-Box compatible joystick. The big ol' monster pad is OK, but it doesn't cut it for a fighting game like this.

Fat: Another gripe I have is the final battle with the game's boss. Omega is a samurai warrior with a Darth-Maul-esqe double saber, and he's an extremely cool looking boss, surrounded by fire and gleaming with reflections. However, fighting him is just not that much fun. Basically, the game puts you in a strange camera view, and you have to run up to the boss and combo him to death. He shoots fire, blue shots, and ground waves from his hands that push you back. You can block the waves, and duck the fire, and you're SUPPOSED to be able to side-step the blue shots, but the control sucks so bad here that you're going to be hit by them nearly every time. Once you get close to the boss, you combo him. If you knock him down, you're automatically pushed back. Also, you CANNOT use throws, but he CAN throw you. To add to the woes, that stupid blur effect that marred the PS2 version of DOA2 hardcore returns here with a vengeance. The battle is not all that difficult, but it's not fun either, and it feels more like a bad RPG minigame than a climactic boss battle.

Geeky: We're not sure, but we're betting this boss isn't going to be playable. One more gripe is that there seems to be a lack of secrets to find, unless they're very well hidden, or there are additional downloads coming from Tecmo (which we're starting to believe is the case). Additional costumes are a pain to get, and we found the original Ein from DOA2, but we don't believe there's too much else. Many players are going to get bored with this game before everything is unlocked.

Fat: Like most fighters, this one is the most fun with 2 (or 4) players. If you can unlock secrets in the multi-player modes, that would be ideal, but it doesn't look like you can.

Geeky: Overall though, this is the best looking game I've ever seen, and it has that DOA style of play that I love. If you didn't like DOA2, chances are you won't like this one either, but if you did, and you try this one, I guarantee you won't ever wanna play DOA2 again.

Fat: Well, I guess that about wraps things up...

Geeky: What's my fave outfit so far? Glad you asked....

Fat: I didn't...

Geeky: I'm torn between the naked clone Kasumi's in the underground lab, or Tina's outfit where only a short tank top is coverin' her...

Fat: yeah, I know the one...

Geeky: Then there's the FMV endings...Helena's got a real strainin' bikini, and Christie's Nekkid!!!

Fat: Yes, yes...but let it be known that this game is more than just cheesecake...

Geeky: ..but the cheesecake doesn't hurt.

Graphics: 9.9

Sound: (Fat)8.6 (Geeky)9

Control [On Pad]: (Fat)7 (Geeky)7

Worth a rent?: Yes, if for nothing more than to see it in action.

Worth a buy?: If you like DOA, definitely. If you like a good 3D Fighter, Yeah.

Worth buying the system for?: This is a touchy subject to some people...but to us, yes, it is.

Fat & Geeky's Final Thoughts: We've seen a lot of controversy about Tecmo's decision to make this game exclusively for Microsoft's system (we believe there probably WILL be other system versions eventually), and in response to that we say this: DO NOT let a stupid system or company bias prevent you from enjoying this game, if you want to. In our opinion, this is a great game no matter what system it would be on. Sure, Microsoft is a big, corporate evil (and what's Sony, corporate goodness? Please...), but with games like this, it shows us that the X-Box could be a serious contender in the system wars.

Gen-Fu finds a good way to scratch that hard-to-reach part of his back.

The new girl's Hitomi. She's like Ein from DOA2, but faster.

Tina finds the drunken monkey style doesn't work too well for her...

Jann-Lee's as cheap as ever.

Introducing the drunken master, Brad Wong.

Introducing the cool-looking but lame boss, Omega.

Tina shows Newcomer Christie one of her new moves.

Bass ain't a joke no more.

"This ain't the floor...this is an operating table...

Uhh.....we can't show this one, Geeky.

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