Dead or Alive 3 is a 3D fighting game where you must KO your opponent to win. You have 17 unique characters to choose from. (16, plus 1 unlockable.) Each character also has multiple costumes, many unlockable. So what\'s the big deal? Sounds like any other fighter, right? Well, read on and you\'ll see.

Gameplay

The fighting mechanics are simple. You have 3 main buttons - Punch, Kick, and Free. (Free is mainly used for countering opponents\' attacks.) It is very simple and fast-paced, yet it is far from being a button-masher. Fights can come down to knowing when and how your opponent is going to attack, and using good timing to counter. Knowing when and how to attack is also crucial. The game also makes good use of the environment. Several levels are multi-tiered, meaning you can knock your opponent from your current location, and on to a level below. You can also use walls, trees, etc., to aid in attacking. There are all the game modes that you would expect - Story, Versus, Survival, Sparring, etc... One thing DOA3 has that most other fighters don\'t have is a Tag Team mode, which allows up to four players, and features unique moves depending on which two characters are on a team. In other words, it?s a fun game to play with friends.

Graphics

Even though this was one of the first games ever released on the Xbox, it is still one of the best-looking games out there. From the characters, to the seagulls flying around the background of the beach, everything is very detailed. Team Ninja is always pulling out some of the most advanced graphics in their games.

Sound

The sound is good. It has some original music that plays while you?re fighting, as well as three songs by Aerosmith that play during other parts of the game, such as the opening movie. The characters\' voices are all in Japanese, which people often complain about, but I really like them.

Appropriateness

Everything has been great so far, but unfortunately, this isn\'t the most appropriate fighting game out there. The game revolves around violence, however you never actually kill anyone, and there is no blood. The main problem is sexual content. When you beat story mode with a certain character, Christie, you see a brief scene of her in the shower from behind. This can be skipped, or viewed at any time afterwards. There is also plenty of revealing outfits. One thing that has been popular in the DOA series is a \'bouncing breast\' feature. Thankfully, this has been taken out, and any \'bounces\' are usually very minimal, and mostly unnoticeable.

Overall

This is a very fun fighting game that I would recommend to anyone that can stand/resist the sexual content.