Dead or Alive 6

DoA 6 proves there's plenty of depth to this fighter beneath its skimpy outfits, but its story mode is disjointed and its multiplayer features are currently bare.

The beautiful visuals, fun battle arenas, and easy-to-grasp fighting gameplay of Dead or Alive 6 make for a brawler that packs a punch.

Dead or Alive 6 stumbles into 2019 like a drunken uncle staggers onto the dancefloor at a wedding: past it and likely to embarrass.

An immensely fun fighting game with some flaws

Varied fundamentals and a new mission-based mode that drills into the series' intricacies almost help offset a disastrous story mode and lack of online options

Impressive graphics and an innovative story mode make for faultless gameplay in the latest instalment of this series, but its hyper-sexualised characters feel out of touch

While it still makes for a fun fighting experience, Dead or Alive 6 shows that the brand has unquestionably run out of ideas. With little to showcase in the way of fresh concepts, exciting gameplay ideas, or brand creativity, this long-running series chooses to coast by on being "more of the same.", whilst hoping to be the engine that pulls the DLC train. During this competitive era of fighting game reinvention, that just isn't going to cut it for your 60 bucks.

[Dead or Alive 6] strips away the tawdry trappings of past installments, leaving a fabulous fighting game with compelling characters worth caring about.

Dead or Alive 6 finds itself in this slightly awkward middle space where it's certainly a sequel, but it's not nearly the jump that we were expecting -- especially since it's been almost seven years since Dead or Alive 5. The new additions to combat are welcome but they're not exactly exciting, and the overall package is reasonably robust, but let down by tedious grinds and a terrible story mode. As a fighter, Dead or Alive is still fun, punchy, and accessible, but as an upgrade on the already solid Dead or Alive 5: Last Round, it feels underwhelming, and even a little rushed.

Dead or Alive 6 has complex, satisfying combat and enough variety to keep players of all skill levels happy.