There has been a myth concerning one-on-one fighting games that I have believed for some time. Basically, this myth is that all such games stink. However, I realized that this myth came from a Nintendo bias. After all, for a while, the only fighting game on the Cube was Super Smash Bros. Melee, which I heard was the only good fighting game, and it wasn't a one-on-one fighter. Then Soul Caliber II came out, and all of a sudden the myth got changed to "all one-on-one fighters stink except Soul Caliber II". Of course, if I believed myths like this, especially ones with a Nintendo bias, I wouldn't be me, would I? So, when I decided to get an Xbox, this was one of the games I got, being an Xbox launch title. It is Xbox-exclusive, unfortunately for Cube-only owners, but that reason never stopped me from reviewing a PS2-exclusive game before. It has a "T" rating, for nudity and violence (don't ask me how SSBM and this game got the same rating, I don't get it either). It's a one-on-one fighter, with a distinct Japanese feel (all characters speak Japanese, with subtitles).

This game will be reviewed on the usual 0-4 star rating. Yes, it's an Xbox game- forget all the junk I said against the Xbox in 2001 and early 2002, as that was before a certain "sunny" Mario game.

Graphics: ****

I guess the makers of this game decided to show off the Xbox's graphics early on in its lifetime, because I haven't seen a game this beautiful. Ever. Seriously. I mean, there's the CGI sequences, which are like watching one of those computer-animated movies, being as good as it gets. But even the normal graphics are spectacular. They are made to be incredibly realistic. The forest, the snow, the glass buildings, the electric bolts... it's spectacular. I can't seem to find "cardboard" anywhere, while finding such realistic-looking environments that I can't believe, as they look so good. While the GameCube seems to favor graphics like cel-shading (Wind Waker), sugary environments (Mario Parties), and paper (The 1000-Year Door), you may not get to see beautiful games like this that often. Now of course graphics don't compare to gameplay, but let's face it- what would you rather have? A beautiful game, or an ugly one? Please don't say ugly.

Sound: ***

The music in this game is pretty good. While I'm so-so on the group Aerosmith, who sing two songs in this game (I think it's two), these ones are pretty good. The best song in this game is a Japanese soundtrack in some battles that reminds me of the Fire Emblem song. It gets you in the fighting spirit. Some other songs aren't that great, are repetitive, or are not very memorable, but overall it's pretty good.

As for the speaking, it's mainly in Japanese, with only a few English exceptions. The voices go great with the characters, I do have to say. And it does add to the Japanese feel, with the Japanese voices. It's better than that stuff that's in some anime... what's that called? Dubbing? Yeah, that stinks, for the most part, when they try to make Japanese characters speak English, and they fail miserably.

Characters: ****

I love the cast of characters in DOA3. Of course, that's mainly because seven of them are girls, and they're attractive. Kasumi, the red-haired girl, is my absolute favorite. There is a collection of guys, who have really strange personalities, such as a wrestler, a gambler, and a drunk old guy who carries around wine and barely can stand up. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, such as power, speed, and their ability to be blocked. It's easy to see why this collection of characters (mainly the girls) is the real face of the Xbox, which doesn't have real mascots like Nintendo does.

Controls: ***½

The controls are very easy to follow. The R button is a powerful kick, the B button is a quicker kick, Y is punch, A is grab (and throw), X is block, Black is a very weak and quick punch, and White is some strange move. I really don't have any big complaints about them. One minor problem is that sometimes you'll move instead of ducking, if you don't push exactly down on the Control Pad, but that's very rare. Otherwise, the controls are awesome.

Gameplay: ****

For those of you who know SSBM, DOA3 has many differences to SSBM. First of all, the goal in DOA3 is to knock out your opponent's health meter, not knock them off the platform (though knocking them off a high platform can hurt their health). Second, the movement of the characters is in 3D, meaning it's not all side-scrolling like SSBM. Now you'll still fight in 2D, side-to-side, but you can move in a circular fashion (it's hard to explain). It's also all one-on-one. Even in tag team battles, you can only have one character on your team that's fighting at a time. There are no items or weapons of any sort, as the game combines karate and wrestling (when you grab and throw opponents).

The actual fighting is great. Violent, yes, but also really fun. The moves are spectacular, even if they may be painful to watch at times (hey, maybe some of you out there get offended by violence of this sort, so I'd better let you know). It's not just button-mashing. You may have some sort of combination that's working on your opponent, and your opponent figures out something that beats you even worse. I love making great comebacks in battles, looking like I'm dead, when I come back to win. That makes this game great fun.

Another great thing about this game is that it's a pick-up-and-play game. Anyone can learn how to play this game in practically no time, and do pretty well at it. The game is made to be easy for beginners to learn and start playing, but include subtle moves and combinations that experienced players can figure out over time that will lead to more effective fighting. It reminds me a lot of Super Smash Bros. Melee, which is the same way in the "pick-up-and-play" category.

So overall, the gameplay is awesome. It's really fun. It's already made the Xbox worth getting. It's one of those games that you can just turn on and start playing without really having to think about some difficult battle that's facing you shortly after you turn the game on. It's a very fun game, with no pressure on you.

Difficulty: *

Well, I'll be honest: this is an easy game. This is good in a lot of ways, but it does lack the challenge that SSBM offered in its event stages. In story mode, there's no pressure; if you lose a match, simply replay it. I like this, though of course the fact that the matches aren't too difficult on the most part means that you can breeze through quite easily. The hardest thing in this game is the boss battle in story mode, which is unfair; the boss can use long-range attacks and knock you a long way away from him. Then, he can continue to attack you while you try to make it back to him, and you can only attack from close range. That's the one difficult thing about this game, really.

Story Mode: **½

This is really a collection of battles with characters, with a tiny bit of a storyline in between. Each character has a couple of rivals that tie into the story. At the end of the story, they all take on the same boss, a guy who's a cross between Black Shadow from the F-Zero series (that's who he looks like) and Darth Maul (he carries a double-bladed lightsaber). Any time you lose a battle, you can still just replay that battle right afterward, so there's no real pressure on having to win specific battles. This mode is pretty fun, though not much different from normal battles, just against computer-controlled opponents. The best thing about it is the character-specific CGI sequences following each character's victory, which you can then watch any time once you win for that character.

Time Attack Mode: **½

This is simply a race to win a certain number of best-of-3 matches with a bunch of computer-controlled opponents as fast as you can. If you lose a match, you can keep on going, though of course you lose time in the process of losing and having to fight that match again. There's no boss match, thankfully. It's pretty fun, just like story mode, though not great.

Survival Mode: **½

You may be sick of the **½ star rating, but that's what these one-player modes get, in my opinion, at least. Survival mode is you fighting opponents until you get knocked out (you get at least half your energy refilled for every opponent you knock out). Again, it's a pretty fun mode, though not especially awesome.

Tag Team Battles: ***

Tag team battles can be played in multiplayer, which I like. Each team has two characters. When one team has both characters knocked out, they lose the battle (and each match is a series of battles; the default is best-of-3; I like best-of-5 better). The Black button tags one character out for the other, who sometimes comes into the arena with an attack. A character gets his or her energy slowly replenished while the other one fights, so sometimes you can pull off a comeback even if one character is beaten up badly but manages to get out of the ring in time. One problem is that sometimes you can't tag out because you're being hit too much by your opponent. That's a frustrating moment, when you lose because you can't get one character out of the ring. That's the main problem with this mode, which is still more fun than the previous modes I mentioned.

Single Battle: ***

These are one-on-one matches, with the winner being the one who wins the set number of battles first. It's a pretty fun mode, though it lacks the excitement of a partner helping you out if your character is mismatched against your opponent. This beats the one-player modes because you can play two players in this one, which is a lot more fun, of course.

Team Battle: ***½

This is my favorite mode in DOA3. Each team has a list of fighters that is used in the battle, one at a time, in order. Each one fights until he or she is knocked out. The team that knocks out all of the other team's fighters is the winner. This makes for some real excitement; sometimes one character will give his or her team an early lead, but weak teammates will hurt the team, making the match even again. Most team battles I've played in have gone down to the last fighter. Of course, you can play two players in this mode, so it's a lot more fun than being available for just one player (although you can play against a computer team if you wish).

Replayability: **½

This game doesn't offer that much when it comes to one-player replayability. Like NFL Street, it doesn't take long to beat it (actually, NFL Street's one-player mode lasted longer than DOA3's story mode). However, multiplayer battles make this game playable over and over again, which really helps the replayability score.

Fun Factor!: ***½

DOA3 is really, really fun. That's the best part about the game, being a pick-up-and-play game that you can enjoy from the first battle on. The reason it doesn't get four stars? It still can't touch SSBM's three-and-four-player battles, which are pure craziness and excitement. Still, DOA3 is a lot of fun.

OVERALL: ***½

DOA3 is a must-have for any Xbox owner. It proves that the myth about one-on-one fighting games not being good is just that, a myth. It's a spectacular game. Is it the best fighting game ever? No way! SSBM is still #1 in my book. Still, it's better than the original SSB, and a real joy to play. It's also cheap, being a Platinum Hit title, so you can get a good deal by buying this game now (though it's worth $50, that's for sure).

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