Dead or Alive 6, much like its immediate predecessor, is one part fighting game, one part fashion show, and one part schlocky action movie. Individually, each of the game's widely differing elements might not stand up to scrutiny. After all, DOA 6 isn't the best fighter, doesn't offer the deepest character customization, and doesn't quite reach the Tekken series' level of story insanity. Yet, Dead or Alive 6 is an entertaining and surprisingly strategic PC game that offers enough freshness to warrant playing. Just know that Dead or Alive 6 has a handful of issues—some minor, some major—that keep it from entering the upper echelon of PC fighting games.
A Tough Tale
Dead or Alive 6 picks up after the events of Dead or Alive 5 and focuses on a young fighter who has mysterious powers and the ability to mimic any fighting move. That may sound relatively tame when compared to other fighting games that feature Hadoukens and Sonic Booms, but the Dead or Alive series, despite some silliness, has strived to represent real-world martial arts, such as karate, jeet kune do, and MMA. The Story Mode boasts multiple, branching paths that let you take control of the various fighters, so it's a good way to test run multiple characters before deciding on a favorite.
To be honest, I wasn't fully invested in the story, and there was obviously a lot of series lore that went over my head due to my being a casual Dead or Alive fan. Still, I must give props to developer Team Ninja for including an encyclopedia with unlockable entries that gives you details on past DOA happenings. Fighting game stories are typically secondary attractions, and DOA 6's Story Mode is no different. The game's combat, however, is quite entertaining.
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The Triangle System
Like Dead or Alive 5 and the other titles in the series, Dead or Alive 6 hangs its hat on a rock-paper-scissors, or Triangle System, combat mechanic that gives the games their unique feel and pacing. Here's how it works: Strikes beat throws, throws beat holds, and holds beat strikes. When you unleash the appropriate attack that beats your opponent's move, such as landing a strike when an opponent attempts a throw, your attack does even more damage. Dead or Alive's combat may seem simple at first, but mastering the systems underneath the game's hood is extremely rewarding.
Why You Should Game on a PC
Not unlike Tekken 7 ($39.99 at Humble Bundle) , Dead or Alive 6 has 3D-based gameplay, so side steps and wall splats are essential tools in your arsenal. Likewise, DOA 6 focuses heavily on stunning opponents and executing attack juggles. Fighters have special attacks or combos that put their opponents in a Critical Stun state, leaving the foes open to further beatdowns. Stunning and controlling your opponent is essential to winning Dead or Alive 6 fights, and the Triangle System compliments this extremely well.
For example, you may go for a Critical Stun right away, but if your opponent reads you well, he or she can reverse your attempt with a hold. On the other hand, you may misread an opponent's attack string and prepare a hold, only to be countered into a throw instead. In addition, you must be mindful of whether attacks are coming from a high, medium, or low angle. Guessing correctly lets you execute a successful counter.
There's a lot of strategy at play, but Dead or Alive 6 may be easier for casuals to play than King of Fighters XIV , Mortal Kombat XL, or Street Fighter V, as you don't need to learn overly complex controller inputs to bust out effective moves. In fact, all you need to do is press a button and direction to unleash a move variation. For example, one fighter's strike button may be a front kick, but if you press up while simultaneously tapping that same button, it may turn into a launcher that sets up an air throw. If even that is too challenging for beginning players, Team Ninja includes a Fatal Rush auto combo that lets you deliver a predetermined, impressive-looking attack string.
Cinematic Kung Fu
Developer Team Ninja understands what makes fighting look cool. Taking a cue from action movies, Dead or Alive 6's camera is in constant motion. The camera is nowhere near as bad as the chopped-up action seen in, say, the Taken flicks, but it highlights reversals, throws, and the moves made possible by the new Break Gauge.
This mechanic, new to Dead or Alive 6, is represented by a blue meter that fills as you take and dish out damage. With Break Gauge, you can unleash the offensive-orientated Break Blow (a highly damaging super move) or the defensive-orientated Break Hold (a move that lets you counter attacks coming in at any angle). Think of these as DOA 6's version of Tekken 7's Rage Arts and Power Crush mechanics; highly damaging moves that the camera loves to zoom in on when executed.
The movie-like presentation extends to DOA's Danger Zones. These interactive stages possess traits that you typically don't find in fighting games, such as explosive floors or canisters. In addition, a handful of stages feature background characters on the perimeter of the playfield who push a fighter back into the main combat area after the combatant is pushed into them. For example, if you knock an opponent into the crowd in the New York City back-alley stage, the rowdy onlookers push the foe back toward you in a wobbly state that's just asking for a big combo.
Like Tekken 7, Dead or Alive 6 lets you knock an opponent through a breakable stage barrier and into an additional play area, and the stage transition is awesome. For example, I punched Ryu Hayabusa and sent him bouncing down a huge hillside, and I couldn't help but to chuckle at the action-movie-like shenanigans as the ninja's body rag-dolled its way down the hill, taking damage along the way.
These interactive elements venture into the ridiculous, with dinosaurs and giant squid monsters making appearances. This goofy, B-movie element is what gives DOA 6, and the series as a whole, a fun, lighthearted charm.
Fan Service
It's impossible to talk Dead or Alive without talking the series' other defining feature besides the Triangle System: fan service. The DOA games have a long, rich tradition of skimpy outfits, panty shots, and boob physics that cause the female fighters' mammaries to bounce and sway with even the smallest character movement. They make an appearance in Dead or Alive 6, but due to changing mores in Western society, the Japanese developers at Team Ninja decided to bury them. A bit.
Dead or Alive 6's women now sport default outfits that are more suitable for combat, such as full-body suits and tactical gear. As a result, the T&A factor is dramatically reduced. In fact, even the boob physics are less pronounced in this default gear.
That said, if you want the classic Dead or Alive fan service, you simply have to play a bit in order to earn the costume parts and Player Points to unlock the skimpier outfits. Play a few rounds with vs. a human or the CPU and you'll snatch up outfit parts and money rather quickly. Still, I wish there was an easier way to acquire whole costumes without first collecting their parts (single pece items, like sunglasses, don't require parts and can be immediately purchased). If DOA 6 walks Dead or Alive 5's path, there will be an opportunity to purchase outfits using real-world money, so you don't have to grind for Player Points.
And on the topic of purchasing costumes, Dead or Alive 6 has one of the most outrageous season passes I've ever seen. DOA 6's first season pack, which includes two characters and 62 costumes, costs an incredible $92.99! Most season passes are in the $25 to $30 range.
New Modes
Dead or Alive 6 has two new modes: DOA Quest and Training. In DOA Quest, you're tasked with clearing various objectives during a match (such as landing a high-damage combo or executing a ground attack) to earn the Player Points in-game currency and unlock cosmetic, character-tweaking items. It's a slick way to master situational techniques.
The other new mode is Training, where you can practice on your own, or master the Command Training and Combo Challenge obstacles.
Specs and Online Battles
Dead or Alive 6 doesn't demand a high-end PC for combatants to participate in the fisticuffs, but its minimum system requirements are beefier than you might expect. According to the game's Steam page, your gaming laptop or gaming desktop needs the 64-bit Windows 10 operating system, an Intel Core i5-4690 CPU, a Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 graphics card, 8GB of RAM, and 50GB of disk space. if you have a 4K monitor or TV, you'll be happy to know that DOA 6 supports that Ultra HD resolution.
My gaming desktop that packs an Intel Core i5 CPU, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080ti GPU, and 8GB of RAM pushed DOA 6's polygons at a locked 60 frames per second rate. I experienced zero hiccups other than the occasional audio skip during Break Blows.
Online battles are buttery smooth affairs, though I didn't see many people online; I was constantly matched up with the same handful of people. I'm not sure if that's due to a small player base or a busted matchmaking system. Unfortunately, Dead or Alive 6 only has ranked online fighting; there's no non-ranked modes for casual play.
Keep Rumbling
Dead or Alive 6 is a fun, relatively safe sequel that doesn't deviate much from the tried-and-true DOA formula. That's a not a bad thing. DOA 6 is solid 3D fighter that should enjoy a healthy run, even if it's not a showcase game at Evo 2019. Tekken 7 is still our 3D fighting game of choice, but if you're looking for an accessible fighter game that was a terrific pick-up-and-play quality, Dead or Alive 6 may be for you. Just don't expect it to have Tekken 7's level of polish.
Team Ninja adds the new offensive- and defensive-minded Break Gauge to its trademark Triangle System. The result is a Dead or Alive title that retains its fan service and boasts additional strategies, but a few issues keep this fighting game from ranking among the genre's best titles.
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