The 3DS is getting a bit more attention from fighting titles than it has before. (In that it’s getting any at all.) Dead or Alive: Dimensions is clearly battling Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition for gamers’ cash at launch, and that’s a tough battle.
The game is structured like the rest of the series, with free battle or a story mode. While the story is mostly superfluous, it clearly gets more attention here since everything is structured to look cool in 3D. We know that’s not important, though. What about the gameplay?
Well, it’s solid. The game looks to have the full console roster, and like Street Fighter, moves are all intact. DoA uses a list of moves you can tap on the bottom screen, which gives you many options but may not be the most intuitive choice for something so fast-paced. Another worry: the game slows down a bit when running in 3D, and framerate issues are serious business in 2D fighters.
Ultimately, Dead or Alive is shaping up to be a solid experience on the handheld, but without any of the innovative additions Street Fighter is working on, it will have trouble competing.
