DEAD OR ALIVE 3

Reviewed By: Mark Rickert
VOLUNTEER GUEST REVIEWER

GAME TECH INFO

Computer Platform: Xbox
Produced by: TECMO and Team NINJA
Price Range: $41-50
Learning curve time: 1-2 hrs.
Age level: Mature Teen to Adult
ESRB Rating: Teen

Genre: Fighting/Martial Arts
Christian Rating: 3 of 5
   (some objectionable elements)
Gameplay: 3 of 5
   (average)
Violence: 1 of 5
   (extreme)
Adult Content: 2 of 5
   (heavy)

"Dead Or Alive 3" (DOA3) has been hailed as the “flagship for graphics” of the Microsoft Xbox. There are virtually no games that can touch it when playing on a HDTV with the Microsoft Advanced AV Pack. “DOA3” is the next installment of the highly successful DOA series from TECMO, a Japanese based company. This game takes you into a fantasy world where massive arenas and serene outdoor locations are turned into brutal fighting grounds. TECMO and Team NINJA have truly outdone themselves in this latest addition to the saga, introducing all new levels and even a new character.

Overall, there is no real plot to the game, it's just a rough-em-up, beat-em-up, hand to hand combat game. As you play with each character there is a new sub-plot that emerges, telling you about relationships that each character has with the others (usually 2 or 3 of the 14 available characters know each other or are related somehow). While playing the game, I could not tell whether it was supposed to be like a “Mortal Kombat” style game where there was a grand tournament, or if these people were just duking it out for the fun of it. It seems to me that the latter is true, but there were some hints during the game about a tournament.

Beating the game with all of the characters is no hard chore (I did it in one evening) and you always have to fight the same ending character who possesses special powers (almost demonic).

Screenshot from 'Dead or Alive 3' I would never recommend this game to a parent for a child who is under 18. Even though the ESRB rating says “T” for Teen, there is a little too much sexuality and violence in this game for a 13 year old. All of the women in the game are “Large Busted” (including the 18 year old character, Hitomi), and sport VERY revealing costumes. When you beat the game with any character there is a 3-5 minute movie telling you about the character and his/her past. They were all beautiful and some even awe inspiring, but you'll be in for a surprise when you beat the game with the newest character Christie; there she stands in the shower as the camera moves up from her calves to her shoulders, revealing her entire backside! There is another movie where a woman is in a very skimpy bathing suit and multiple others where violence is advocated as a means to solving problems and where rage is uncontrolled by the characters. In the game, each character says something to his or her opponent, like “bring it on” or some other trash talk.

Overall the gameplay is straight-forward; there is more of a learning curve than most games because there are so many moves that can be executed (High, Mid, and Low variations of punches, kicks, jabs, throws, and counter moves). The physics engine that TECMO has developed is truly amazing and the characters respond to your commands in fluid motions. The players' moves are true to form and you can be any variation of fighting from Russian Martial Arts, to Ninjitsu, to Thai Kick-Boxing and Drunken Boxing. This game is OK when playing by yourself, but get 3 friends over and you'll probably have a blast with the 4-player tagteam mode of gameplay.

Year of Release—2001

Comments from Young People…
Positive—DoA3 was an excellent game…for the first month. Not much to do on the Gameplay part, but the graphic engine was amazing…(HEY, It's Xbox after all!) My Ratings: [2/4]
—D-Mac, age 15

Neutral—This game is hard to rate. It's a great fighting game and all. But the only thing is the women. TECMO did a great job at making such hot babes, but this is a game I probably would not get, because the women are VERY suggestive [very large breasts proportionally]. And so I would not recommend this game to…anyone who is weak in the pornographic area. My Ratings: [2/5]
—Vince, age 13

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this Christian Spotlight review are those of the reviewer (both ratings and recommendations), and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Films for Christ or the Christian Answers Network.