For the last decade Tecmo has been fighting the critics and competition alike with their own 3D fighting series, Dead or Alive. Though with every new entry into the series the franchise reaches new heights and truly impresses, it has never seemed to outshine the big dogs of fighting games like Soul Calibur, Virtua Fighter and Tekken. Dead or Alive Ultimate is not a new DOA game, it is simply the ultimate version of Dead or Alive, which hit the original PlayStation in August of 1998 and Dead or Alive 2, which hit the Dreamcast in mid-2000 and the PS2 in late 2000 as DOA2: Hardcore. It is generally a little gutsy to label your game Ultimate, as it is just asking to be abused if it doesn't live up to expectations. Fortunately for Tecmo, this collection easily justifies the Ultimate tag.

Though the original DOA has been only upgraded slightly and includes online play, the real part of the Ultimate collection is the tremendously upgraded version of DOA2. On a separate disc to the original DOA, DOA2 features breathtaking graphics and the best online fighting engine to date, while the original DOA just features the latter. The original game just feels like an added extra, thrown in to please long time fans looking for some nostalgia and for the few people out there who may prefer the stripped down gameplay and explosive arena boundaries that have been removed from every DOA since. The graphics in DOA1 just go to show how far games have come and you'll probably find yourself wondering how you could stand to look at it (though this version is much smoother around the edges, it is still no comparison to modern games).

If you're not familiar with the Dead or Alive series, you're in for a treat. The gameplay is top-notch, lighting fast arcade action. Though with this incredibly fast pace comes the fact that a new player could end up beating a very experienced player simply by hitting a lot of buttons, it is rare, as people who comes to grips with the simple controls can reverse a lot of basic attacks. Playing against advanced players will also open gamers' eyes as to how deep the game can actually become when you decide to master a certain character.

One thing DOA has been known for, other than its well-endowed female characters, is the great counter system. Every strike can be blocked, or better yet reversed, but this requires precision timing and the right combination of buttons. Once you get the hang of the system, matches will become ten times better, as you and your enemy reverse strikes, counter with amazing throw attacks and just have great back and forth bouts. Though sometimes they don't last long, the matches are not only fun to play, but also watch, especially with DOA2's great arenas that have multiple levels to fight on. Unlike, say, Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter, mastering each character's signature attacks is not necessarily needed to win matches; it's all about knowing when to use certain attacks, counters and throws. Once you come to grips with the speedy gameplay you'll be winning a lot of matches online and have a blast with the game engine. Just be prepared to have patience if you're new to the DOA series, as the game has no tutorial mode and people online will absolutely demolish you until you figure out exactly how the game works.

One high point of the DOA gameplay is the combo system; a lot of fighting games suffer from combo systems that are too strict, forcing you to push specific buttons at a specific time to pull off a combo and thus forcing you to memorise huge strings of button commands. DOA is a freeform combo system, allowing you to come up with awesome combos on your own. Though there are still some preset combos in the game, they are not too strict and can be entered from other combos, allowing you to come up with some devastating attacks.

While the single player modes offer lots of things to unlock, the AI isn't exactly challenging and this is especially true when compared to the talent you'll come across online. The story modes are a bit bland, but DOA2 comes packed with other great modes to play, including survival and team battle (which can be played online as well). Hundreds of extra costumes and unlockable characters (including one from DOA3 included in DOA2) are there as well, though if you've played and beaten DOA2 completely you're going to feel a little sick when you realise you have to do it all again. Most people will be getting this collection specifically for the online play and they're in luck because it is absolutely superb.

Though Tecmo claims the opposite, this is not the first online 3D fighting game; however, it is the first to actually feel like you're at an arcade. Online games can have up to 8 people, with 6 watching the action and controlling the camera and the other two duelling. This system may not seem like much fun, but those who miss the days of going to the arcades and standing around a DOA cabinet watching the action and waiting for a turn will absolutely love it. It's a great social experience, allowing the players to converse about the battle and have a grand time while battling. The gameplay online has some hiccups here and there, but as long as you find a session with a good connection speed you should be fine. The online play comes complete with rankings and scoreboards, as well as a letter grade for each player (starting at C and working up or down, with F being horrible and SS being godlike). It's a great system that works well and the menus are easy to navigate and look appealing, though some of the icons will remain a mystery to people until they're explained by other players.

The Dead or Alive series and Team Ninja in general, has always been known for delivering stunning visuals throughout the series and pushing each console to their limits. When Dead or Alive 2 debuted on the Dreamcast and even on the PS2, it looked absolutely stunning and now it looks even better than the Xbox launch title Dead or Alive 3! The backgrounds you battle on are so mesmerising that you may end up losing bouts because you can't help but look at the great particle effects or interactive environments! That's one thing about DOA that I love: the backgrounds not only look incredible but are very interactive as well. If a character performs a throw but something is in their opponent's path as they are thrown, there are specific animations that take over when they collide with it. Fighters can slam each other up against surrounding barriers and even kick objects at each other. It all not only feels great and is lots of fun, but looks phenomenal as well.

Another thing I love about DOA is the soundtrack and vocals. The music itself pays homage to the great arcade songs from years gone by, specifically those found in OutRun. It doesn't try to be tough and too heavy to be cool, it has its own unique style but yet sounds familiar and very arcade like, giving the game an authentic feel that brings back fond memories for players who used to huddle around arcade machines. The vocals are mostly all in Japanese, thankfully, and have not been poorly dubbed over, with the exception of the "Fight!" voiceovers and other narratives that are all done fine and sound great.

Though DOA1 seems like an extra thrown in and doesn't offer a whole lot of new stuff, DOA2 is fully worth the price of Dead Or Alive Ultimate alone, even if you've played it in the past. The visuals are absolutely stunning, there are dozens of things to unlock (including some things that were not originally in DOA2) and the online play has been implemented flawlessly, giving us, for the first time, an online 3D fighter that actually feels like a group of players at an arcade and even includes tournaments and championships. Some players will surely be turned off by a couple of the stereotypical characters, but that really doesn't matter at all, as the gameplay is too good to miss and the online play easily tops Mortal Kombat's great attempt. If you're a DOA fan then you already know you can't miss your chance to have all three games on the Xbox and if you're a fighting game fan in general, this collection will probably please you, though if you already have these two titles on another system and don't have access to Xbox Live then you may want to seriously contemplate if this is really worth the buy. This is not only one of the smoothest, most stylish and highly entertaining fighting games around, it is now the absolute best online fighting game ever made and it'll take something pretty special to beat it.

Reviewed by Christopher Martin for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).