Dead or Alive Ultimate
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If you were to ask any avid fighting fanatic which 3D fighting game they were eagerly anticipating this year, chance are they’d tell you it’s Dead or Alive Ultimate. The latest installment was recently achieved gold status and will be making its way to retailers nationwide next week.

It’s difficult to describe the synergy established between the Xbox and Tecmo’s critically acclaimed series unless you’ve experienced it with your own eyes. Visually the game was breathtaking; featuring multi-tiered levels, dynamic lighting effects and an intricate level of detail which rivaled any 3D fighting game on the market. And naturally, one of the biggest draws to the game were its bouncy female cast of characters. Don’t pretend as if you didn’t know.

Although the combat system has been arguably considered to be less complex than the Virtua Fighter series, mastering the extensive amount of moves for each character required a much higher learning curve than simply knowing how to pull of a half-circle motion. Suffice it to say, I’ve got nothing on our resident DOA player, whose soul tends to burn more with another popular 3D fighter.

According to Tecmo’s recent announcement, Ultimate will raise the bar to another level, featuring "unbelievable graphics, new graphics, staggering new moves and combo attacks." In addition, fans and newcomers to the series can look forward to brand new multi-tiered and fully interactive environments, including new unlockable costumes and yes, even a few secret characters have been tossed in the latest package. And if you’re skeptical about having to experience the same story-line -- don’t worry, Team Ninja’s expanded on the previous saga. Expect a few new suprises.

Of course, one of the most distinctive, highly discussed features is the inclusion of online play. Yes, now you can finally take the Dead or Alive action with Kasumi, Tina, Ayane and the gang to Xbox Live. Log on and choose from six different online modes including Winner-Stays, Tournament, Team Battle, Survival, Loser-Stays, and Kumite Battle, and all using the highly anticipated online feature, "Virtual Arcade", where 8 players are able to participate in a fighting session at one time. Tecmo promises players can look forward to a smooth, lag-free experience so you’ll be able to sit back and enjoy dishing out the digital whoop-ass to your friends and rivals, whether they’re down the street or across the coast.

Players can also check out the official Dead or Alive World Wide Ranking Chart, allowing them to post their online scores and ultimately check up on their rankings against other online players around the globe. We predict a lot of trash-talking, ego-smashing experiences to take occure on a regular basis.

So, will Dead or Alive Ultimate kick ass? John Inada, Tecmo’s Director or Marketing is counting on it, declaring that it will "blow all other fighters out of the water this fall." Judging by the benchmark established by its predecessor and Team Ninja’s integrity, we’re confident DOA Ultimate is destined to revolutionize the genre and leave the competition looking up at the new king of fighters.