Dead or Alive 5: Last Round is an expanded version of Dead or Alive 5: Ultimate, which was an expanded version of Dead or Alive 5... I'm starting to think that Team Ninja don't really have much else going for them.
There is not much to say on DoA5: Last Round that I didn't already say about Ultimate.
Dead or Alive has always been in another class of fighters compared to Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter. They have always been more fluid and faster, requiring more skill. Watching someone who is genuinely talented at DoA is far more entertaining than Mortal Kombat, there is just something very impressive about it.
I have always said that Dead or Alive was visually stunning to look at and the animations were absolutely top-notch, and in Dead or Alive 5: Last Round it does not disappoint. The character models are fantastic and they have added a few nice little touches to the areas that really make it great. This is again where watching people who are actually good at the game pays off, it flows beautify between blocks, counters, throws and strikes, and really makes me wish I was better at it. With such a large roster of fighters, I'm very impressed that they all feel unique to play as. Everyone has a feel to them and a style all their own, be it an American style wrestler, a Ninja or Brad Wong, the Drunken Fighter.
Also, to have stage transitions in a fighter isn't something new, but DoA5 nails them. They come across as believable and organic. They just work so well in the flow of the fight.
Much like the previous version of DoA5, the characters sweat while fighting. This is actually a really cool feature, especially with the current gen graphics - watching the slow motion replay as the sweat flies off on a solid hit really adds to the moment. But its true nature is revealed when fighting as one of the female characters and the convenient shots of cleavage glistening in sweat. It isn't helped with the effect of fighting in water - your characters outfit gets soaked, which when used right looks genuinely impressive, until you get to a female character and all it does it soak through their clothes to reveal their underwear.
So... one step forward, two steps back.
I think one day I'm going to sit down and play all the Dead or Alive games just so I can make sense of the storyline. I feel like it should be genuinely interesting; however it's presented in such an awful way that I had no idea what is going on. You eventually use every character, but just in three random fights at some point in the storyline. I could never really figure out what was happening.
Team Ninja hasn't really done anything incredible with this third remake. They have stuck to the same formula that has worked for them in the past and have come out with a fairly solid and fun to play fighting game. But when you are working off DoA5 (an already successful game), you can't really go wrong by adding more content. As far as anything new goes, they have added two new fighters, taking the total roster to an impressive 34 in total, and added in two new arenas. So as far as new content goes, it's nothing overly ground breaking.
So yeah... that’s about it as far as the game goes. Storyline is still a complicated mess and the game still suffers from the massive over-sexualisation of the female characters. And yes, I still think this is solely aimed at 12 year old boys. But it’s still one hell of a fighter to play.
A quick side note about this game as a series.
Even with the exceedingly pointless Dead or Alive: Extreme Beach Volleyball, it has finally happened; DoA has finally come full circle and will be turning into very soft-core hentai. It was announced that the first DLC for DoA5: Last Round will include, and I quote, ‘Explosively Destructible Costumes". So basically, you will strip characters as you fight them.
I shouldn't act surprised this is a thing though, especially when you look at some of the goodies available in the collectors editions. Ranging from poster of half-naked female characters and one of those mouse pads where it has massive boobs built in to rest your wrist on. Oh and codes for the Beach Party and Ultimate Sexy Costume DLCs.
Oh Japan, you so crazy.