Overview
Dead or Alive: Dimensions is the fifth game in the Dead or Alive series and is notable as being the first released on a Nintendo system (the Nintendo 3DS) and was developed by Team Ninja and published by Koei Tecmo. It was also the first game in franchise to be developed with no involvement from series creator Tomonobu Itagaki.
The game remixes stages and characters from earlier games in the franchise and features a roster of 26 playable characters although the only new character being Shiden and a mixture of stages mainly taken from the third and fourth games in the franchise.
The game was released in North America on May 24, 2011, with the year of 2011 marking the fifteenth anniversary of the Dead or Alive series.
Gameplay
Dead or Alive: Dimensions is a fast paced fighting game which runs at 60 frames per second (30 when switching to 3D mode) and can be played with up to four players. The game uses the following control system of having two buttons dedicated to punching and kicking attacks (L-Trigger & R-Trigger, X & A) as well as having a throw button (B) and block button (Y) which can also be used to perform a counter.
Use of the 3DS's Touch Screen
Like Super Street Fighter IV on the 3DS, the game utilises the 3DS's bottom touch screen to assist players in learning and performing moves. Unlike Street Fighter which maps special attacks to the bottom touch screen, the game provides a list of all possible moves which a character can perform and tapping an attack cause the character to execute the move.
Game Modes
Chronicle Mode
Dead or Alive: Dimensions features a story mode entitled "Chronicle" that serves as a tutorial for newcomers but also as the main story mode of the game. Various fighting game techniques and concepts are gradually taught to the player over the course of the 5 chapters and the actual story is a full-fledged recounting of the major events of the DOA storyline from the first game up through Dead or Alive 4. During cutscenes, the touch screen is used to display various notes to explain character backgrounds and factoids relevant to the game and its story and the cutscenes themselves are a mix of fully cinematic CG cutscenes and static images in which the dialog continues to voice over.
Arcade Mode
The game also features an arcade mode in which players must defeat a pre-determined selection of opponents in a set order of various difficulties.
Survival Mode
This mode pits players against a set number of opponents ranging from 10 to 100. At the end of each fight the players overall health recovers slightly.
Tag Mode
This mode teams players up with an AI opponent in a tag battle against various tag team and solo opponents.
Throwdown
This uses the 3DS "Streetpass" system to exchange data with fellow owners of the game and the collected data is then used to make the A.I opponents in the game fight like the exchanged players data.
Online Play
The game also offers the standard online match-making options, allowing players to square off against either random opponents or friends on their 3DS friends roster. Matches can also be set for either two or three rounds in length.
Roster
Stages
Stage | |
---|
999 Meters | |
Azuchi | |
Danger Zone | |
Dojo | |
Eternal Helix | |
Fallen Miyama | |
Freedom Survivor | |
Frozen Peaks | |
Genetic Biolab | |
Genetic Biolab - Advanced | |
Geothermal Power Plant | |
Hellfire | |
Kyoto in Bloom | |
Lorelei | |
Sacred Miyama First Appearance: Dead or Alive 2 | |
Tao First Appearance: Dead or Alive 3 | |
Whitewater Valley | |
Metroid Crossover
In reference to Team Ninja's work on Metroid: Other M, Dead or Alive: Dimensions features an all-new stage set in a chamber similar to the one in which Samus fights Ridley in the Wii action title. Ridley himself makes an appearance in the stage as an obstacle to be avoided and will breathe fire projectiles at the fighters. Samus makes a cameo appearance in morph ball form, as well although Samus herself does not feature as a secret character as rumours surrounding the games release often speculated.
DLC Costumes
Tecmo Koei announced on March 12, 2011 that players would be able to download free daily DLC costumes, which would be distributed via the Spotpass feature of the 3DS. The costumes were originally offered as a daily download, limited time download but were later re-released allowing later players to obtain any additional costumes they were missing.
Alongside the daily costumes were weekly "Throwdown Challenges" which provided the A.I with various ghost data and fighting style and players would be awarded an in-game figurine for defeating the opponent with the week's given challenge data.
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