While Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate was the expanded version of 2012 fighting game Dead or Alive 5, Team Ninja seem to still be staving off attempts at releasing a proper sequel by instead publishing yet another enhanced edition dubbed “Dead or Alive 5 Last Round”. Complemented by a reduced-functionality yet free-to-play “Core Fighters” edition, this marks the very first time that Dead or Alive has been on the now current generation of video game consoles in addition to the PC platform. Although you do end up feeling like you are playing significant chunks of a game you have already purchased two or three times already for different consoles; new characters (Including the largest character roster in the franchise), new stages and a plethora of costumes both new and returning do help lessen the impact of this considerable similarity.
Many comments I could make about this latest fighting game release can be found in my original review of Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate, with little in the way of significant gameplay additions. That being said, from the story and competitive training modes to the Versus Modes where you can challenge a CPU or Friend to an epic 7 vs 7 battle, there is a lot on offer for those looking to enter the franchise with this enhanced version. The online multiplayer mode comes back as a staple, and is still the shining star of this game in terms of longterm replayability – with many nail-biting moments and visually stunning scenes to witness as you and your opponent give it everything you’ve got. Even if the gameplay is something many fans would have experienced once or possibly several times over the last few years, Dead or Alive 5 Last Round provides some genuinely satisfying fighting gameplay, delivering an experience which should appeal to genre newcomers and veterans alike.
The one thing that has really helped Dead or Alive stand out from the crowd for all these years is how flashy and aesthetically appealing it is. Sure the occasional overly-sexualized costume may put some people off, but each character has a distinct appearance and there is a good range of additional costumes to use for them out-of-the-box or otherwise unlocking through in-game actions, complemented by strong fight animation which suffers from no noticeable lag. Given that all characters bar Honoka and Raidou have been lifted from earlier games, the standard delivered was what I was personally expecting, with the variety of costumes on offer being a nice little bonus. The jump to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC platforms also worked in the design’s favour, with visuals looking considerably more crisp and slightly higher quality than before. Aside from a brief mention pertaining to a music bug, comments regarding general design, music and voice acting from my review of DOA5U are also relevant to DOA5 LR.
While I do personally believe Team Ninja could have better spent their development time on delivering a completely new Dead or Alive experience to the now current generation of video game consoles, Dead or Alive 5 Last Round is nevertheless a satisfying fighting game which offers a lot for both solo and competitive players. It is a game which tries to offer players a lot, irrespective of their playstyle, and succeeds in doing so – from carefully guiding players through an all-encompassing tutorial to providing the epic battles that any hardcore fighting game fan would be expecting. That being said, I did feel that they had reached their limit for console instalments with Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate, and am still undecided if this is one release too many.
