1 of 4

Write now Article Tools

When it comes to fighting games on the Xbox 360, you can either go new school or old school. But I regret to inform you now that you'll need a broadband connection to the internet and an Xbox LIVE Gold membership if you're going to want to get the most out of any choice you make. Let's start with the new school.
While there are currently the only two choices for fighting games on the Xbox 360, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Anyone who remembers the launch of the original Xbox knows that Dead or Alive 3 was worth playing, the forgettable Kabuki Warriors and Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus were not. The truth is that the popularity in fighting games has been waning since the early nineties when the market became oversaturated with cheap imitators. It's bittersweet, but at least now any fighting game that's released has at least some substance to it. Dead or Alive and Virtua Fighter represent two such series' with substance.

Almost as a form of dj vu, Dead or Alive 4, described in one word by its creator as "alligator," launched with the Xbox 360 much like Dead or Alive 3 launched with the original Xbox. While the series has always been passed over by fighting game elitists that assume they are too good to lower their standards and play this series, it is far from a casual gamers romp. Truth is anybody can play, but how well you play is entirely up to you. If you just want to play against friends and mash buttons, you can do that with any fighting game, not just Dead or Alive. But if you're looking for a challenge, Team Ninja was kind enough to include online versus. Some of your opponents will be good enough that they make the computer on the hardest difficulty seem like baby steps.

And although by no means is the fighting system employed in DOA4 the deepest you will ever come across, it plays wicked fast. This accelerated speed along with the counter system are two trademarks of the DOA series. The amazing thing is that DOA4 plays faster than any of its predecessors, meaning series vets like me were surprised that they managed to make it even faster. Add this extra speed with the knowledge that the window to counter an attack is around 30 frames, or .5 seconds, and you see where someone who mashes buttons will have a significant challenge beating someone with skill. I've seen matches where people won by countering, never once throwing a punch.

Other trademarks of the series include its multi-tiered stages with environmental hazards, somewhat absurd difficulty

• 1
• 2
• 3
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Best Xbox 360 fighting games?
We want to hear your view. Write now!