Dead or Alive 3

"Greater than the sum of its bountiful parts."

Who here likes scantily-clad women? Lots of you, I'd bet, and this game has 'em in spades. But you know, ''I like breasts'' doesn't sound like a good reason to say you like a game, so it's a good thing that DOA3 is just plain fun to play.

Graphics: 10
Sweet mercy...this is one darn fine game. Whether you're ogling the fine ladies or bashing them through walls in one of the amazing stages, you just can't argue with these graphics. Every single thing in this game looks absolutely amazing. Thank you, X-Box.

Audio: 10
Yeah, it all sounds good, too. The music's good, the punches are good, the voices are good...even the sound of shattering glass as you knock Bass through a window is good. I really can't complain here.

Control: 8
I don't really have any problems with the basic controls. Punch, Kick...it's all good. But then, every other button on the controller is some strange combination of the two, and once you figure out what it is that each one does, it's far too easy to jam on the wrong button in the middle of a big ol' combo and get your head handed to you when Kasumi blocks instead of doing the cool leg throw you really wanted. It's certainly not the game's fault that the buttons are a bit close together, but it wouldn't be right to grade the control as perfect if you can't always do everything you want.

Gameplay: 8
Uh...beat people up. A lot. Use cool counters to bust up your opponent's combos and start some of your own. Fight solo or against a buddy, in single combat or tag. The usual stuff. The usual Dead or Alive bonuses are in here, with the ability to knock your opponent off buildings to continue the fight at a lower level, or smack him into a tree to inflict extra damage. Coolness. Sadly, the usual Dead or Alive drawbacks are here, in that there are only a few known costumes to unlock, and not much else. Oh well.

Fun Factor: 10
You know you like beating people up as the DOA beauties. Just admit it. It's pretty satisfying to knock a particularly annoying character off a roof or whatnot, only to follow and slam him or her into every single wall you can find. Oh yes, the game is fun.

Replay Value: 6
Uh...you can unlock a few costumes, and there are a few difficulty levels, so you could...perfect your skills, I guess. Not much here that I know of.

Bottom Line:
If you have an X-Box, you should grab this game, especially if you enjoyed the other two games in the series.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/24/01, Updated 11/24/01