Dead or Alive 4 [Xbox]

In the fighting game pantheon, Tecmo's Dead or Alive series sits slightly on its own. The first entry was noticed more for its T and A rather than its gameplay or graphics, and its penchant for the consoles less traveled (Dreamcast, Xbox) separated it from the other big names in the genre. Dead or Alive 4 strikes the first blow for next-gen fighters, and much like its predecessor, it's a hit whose effects will likely linger throughout this console generation.

If you're looking for Team Ninja and its outspoken leader, Tomonobu Itagaki, to reinvent DOA, you obviously haven't been paying attention. Dead or Alive has been known for its counter-centric gameplay, hot women, and gorgeous graphics; DOA4 doesn't betray any of those things. Rather, it accentuates them, along with the online component begun in DOA Ultimate.

You start with a slightly smaller cast than you're probably used to; mainstays like Helena and Ein are absent from the beginning roster! Beating story mode isn't even a sure-fire way to get a new character. Still, the initial group has more than enough hotties, bruisers, and new faces to satisfy. Kokoro is an elegant geisha-in-training; La Mariposa is a masked wrestler who will be familiar to DOA Volleyball fans; and Eliot is an eerily effeminate young boy. Of the hidden characters, all eyes are on the Bungie-made female version of Master Chief, if only for a glimpse of how Halo may look on the 360 (you won't be disappointed).

The cast dukes it out in the predictably wacky story mode. Reasons for fighting include beaten-up dinosaurs and arguments over fresh produce. As usual, the boss is a bad-ass who will have her way with you regardless of your skill level. This is one of the knocks on DOA 4: cheap AI that hits you and dodges your blows at will. At least you only need to beat each character one round to continue. Gamers with a short fuse may consider renting this first before they end up breaking something valuable in a fit of frustration.