I'm not gonna lie, contrary to this game's marketing slogan, I am not a fighter. That doesn't stop me from buying fighting games though, for some unknown reason. If you're looking for a review from someone who actually knows how to play these kinds of games, look elsewhere. This is essentially just a summation of the things I liked about this game.
First thing I did was stop by the training area, and this game already gets points in my book for being one of the fighting games I've played that has an in-depth tutorial on how all of the game's systems work. On top of that is the "Command Training", which tasks you with executing every single move that an individual character could possibly perform. I'm fond of this mode not just because of its utility, but I like having the opportunity to execute a bunch of flashy moves that I would never accomplish via button-mashing alone.
That leads into what I really like about Dead or Alive's style of fighting. It's reflexive, fast-paced, and packs a real vicious punch. While it's still fictional, (almost) all of the characters are human, and use punchy moves that feel like they're modeled after wrestling and martial arts. I also like the stages you fight in. Their hazards are fairly subtle, but lead to really flashy moments when utilized, and can even move the fighting to an entirely different arena mid-combat.
Exclusive to the Vita version is a mode called "Touch Fight", where you fight against an opponent using highly-simplified touch controls, from a first-person viewpoint. Say what you will about simplifying a fighting game's combat down to mindlessly tapping a screen; I actually got a kick out of this mode. It's extremely cathartic to be viewing the world of DoA from a perspective like this, it almost feels voyeuristic in nature. (How fitting, since "5000 touch actions" is the criteria for unlocking the "OMG" breast physics setting.)
I gotta hand it to the story mode. I had basically no idea what was going on the whole time, but it was so silly and endearing that I kept playing anyways. It had heart, and it felt like the people who animated/acted for the cutscenes were really enjoying themselves.
Overall, if you want a fighting game on the Vita, while it's not the only option, I personally think DOA5+ is the best option. It's an extremely solid 2.5D fighter, only elevated in my eyes by its portability.Also, it allows me to beat up the women after they piss me off in DOAX3.
First thing I did was stop by the training area, and this game already gets points in my book for being one of the fighting games I've played that has an in-depth tutorial on how all of the game's systems work. On top of that is the "Command Training", which tasks you with executing every single move that an individual character could possibly perform. I'm fond of this mode not just because of its utility, but I like having the opportunity to execute a bunch of flashy moves that I would never accomplish via button-mashing alone.
That leads into what I really like about Dead or Alive's style of fighting. It's reflexive, fast-paced, and packs a real vicious punch. While it's still fictional, (almost) all of the characters are human, and use punchy moves that feel like they're modeled after wrestling and martial arts. I also like the stages you fight in. Their hazards are fairly subtle, but lead to really flashy moments when utilized, and can even move the fighting to an entirely different arena mid-combat.
Exclusive to the Vita version is a mode called "Touch Fight", where you fight against an opponent using highly-simplified touch controls, from a first-person viewpoint. Say what you will about simplifying a fighting game's combat down to mindlessly tapping a screen; I actually got a kick out of this mode. It's extremely cathartic to be viewing the world of DoA from a perspective like this, it almost feels voyeuristic in nature. (How fitting, since "5000 touch actions" is the criteria for unlocking the "OMG" breast physics setting.)
I gotta hand it to the story mode. I had basically no idea what was going on the whole time, but it was so silly and endearing that I kept playing anyways. It had heart, and it felt like the people who animated/acted for the cutscenes were really enjoying themselves.
Overall, if you want a fighting game on the Vita, while it's not the only option, I personally think DOA5+ is the best option. It's an extremely solid 2.5D fighter, only elevated in my eyes by its portability.