Originally released in 2012 for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, Dead or Alive 5 has since received 3 updates, with a 4th on the way next February 17th. Entitled Dead or Alive 5: Last Round, it appears that Team Ninja‘s roster of scantly clad women and buff sweaty dudes will be heading to Xbox and Playstation platforms with both a free-to-play and paid content model.
The free “Core Fighters” edition offers four different characters — Hayate, Kasumi, Ayane, and Ryu Hayabusa — and a majority of the game modes. For $4.99 you can unlock four additional fighters in Bass, Hitomi, Jan Lee, and Tina, although the other content will remain the same. Those that opt to go the free-to-play route will also be able to play against other fighters online who are using the paid version, which is a nice touch.
If you’re committed to the series, or possibly just looking for a solid fighter on new-gen consoles, you can always purchase the full retail version for $39.99. Last-gen versions will run at the reduced price of $29.99, and will also feature a lower resolution and frame-rate compared to the Xbox One and PS4; which are both confirmed at 1080p/60fps. Dead or Alive 5: Last Round is said to have the largest roster of any other game in the series, and features guest appearances from Virtua Fighter veterans Akira, Pai, Jacky and Sarah Bryant.
If you’ve already invested countless hours in to the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Dead or Alive 5: Ultimate, you’ll be happy to know that you can transfer all of your titles, costumes, and Story Mode progress over to Last Round, regardless of platform.
Those interested in upgrading to Last Round also have a few new additions to look forward to. Team Ninja will not only introduce a brand new fighter, but Nyotengu will be joining the roster from the arcade release of Dead or Alive 5: Ultimate. Fans of the early Dead or Alive games will also recognize two new stages in Danger Zone from the original, and Crimson from Dead or Alive 2.
Dead or Alive 5: Last Round will be available as a digital download only for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, but will be offered as a physical release as well on Xbox One and Playstation 4 on February 17th, 2015.
Hidden under its over-sexualized exterior lies a rock solid fighting franchise, and I personally can’t wait to check out Dead or Alive 5: Last Round once it hits new-gen consoles early next year.
Bradley Keene is the Executive Editor here at What’s Your Tag?, generally handling news, reviews, public relations, and our social media communications on Facebook and Twitter. He’s an aspiring video game journalist, Baltimore native, and on again/off again WoW player that blasphemously favors consoles over PC. He’ll always have a soft spot for Nintendo, and his favorite game is the original Metroid on NES. As a Marylander he naturally puts Old Bay on everything, loves the Orioles, reads a lot of Poe, and says “son” too much. Contact him by e-mail at the address above, or follow him on Twitter.
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