Parents' Guide to

Dead or Alive 5 Last Round

By Marc Saltzman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Fast fighter has lots of sexy imagery, minor game additions.

Game PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One 2015
Dead or Alive 5 Last Round Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • Dead or Alive 5 Last Round Game: Screenshot #1
  • Dead or Alive 5 Last Round Game: Screenshot #2
  • Dead or Alive 5 Last Round Game: Screenshot #3

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 3 parent reviews

RealReview007
RealReview007 Adult
June 26, 2020
age 16+

A 3D Fighting Game for Mature Minds

Dead or Alive: Last Round is one of the many fighting games that started in 3d. Along Virtua Fighters and the Tekken franchise. Each of them started in the mid 1990s. Each of them succeeded to in the fighting genre, with Dead or Alive taking the sexy route. Tecmo who are the creators of Ninja Gaiden and the makers of the DOA franchise, marketed their fighting games with beautiful stunning female leads with oversize breasts in skimpy outfits. They think that this move will sell big, considering the fighting genre is overpopulated with boys. The game consists of mostly women in tight or revealing outfits. Some are pretty, some are cute. But most of the outfits are too sleazy for children and young adults to see. The costumes they have available for women is pretty distracting to some that you can use it as a strategy. Also the DLC costumes that they have available for the male characters are only a third of what the female characters have. Aside from the costumes and the DLCs, the game mechanics are pretty simple. You Punch, you kick, you grab, you block, you counter. It's a pretty balanced game. There is no character that is overly powerful. The visuals and the sounds are pretty well done. Each stages are wonderfully detailed and pretty interactive. The sounds and music can be set up in different ways. The only downside of this game is the online community is very few and limited. Other than that, this is a pretty solid game for any fighting game fans who are mature enough to ignore the visual distractions this game has.

This title has:

Easy to play/use
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much consumerism
BounceMaster
BounceMaster Adult
December 31, 2017
age 11+

not gory at all

the violence is pretty tame for a fighting game, but yes all the girl's boobs bounce but that's gravity for you. some outfits do show the girls in an almost topless manner, but not quite, there is usually something covering the nipples. most of those outfits you have to pay extra for anyway. I think most kids 11 and up can handle covered boobs bouncing on the screen, I mean I could.

This title has:

Easy to play/use
See all 3 parent reviews

What’s It About?

DEAD OR ALIVE 5 LAST ROUND is an update of the original game released in 2012, and includes even sharper graphics, now in HD quality, along with new content such as extra fighters, stages and previously released downloadable content (DLC). The familiar Dead or Alive (“DOA”) gameplay remains the same: chose a male or female character, and by utilizing their skillset – a series of punches, kicks, throws, and some bonus attacks (including weapons and magic) -- defeat the opponent you’re pitted against. The fighters in the game are balanced against each other, so you’ll learn which moves work best on specific characters, whether you’re playing against the game’s computer controller fighters or against a friend -- think of it as a violent rendition of rock-paper-scissors.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3):
Kids say (4):

Dead or Alive 5 Last Round is the best version of an already stellar fighting game – but just don’t expect it to be much different than other versions of the DOA game it’s based on. In other words, if you already own another version of Dead or Alive 5, such as Ultimate, there’s no need to buy Last Round. Newcomers to the franchise should also be aware that many of its (mostly female) characters dress and move very provocatively. The fast action, multiple fighters and interactive environments are complimented by greatly improved graphics, bonus fighters and extra locations (though not many of the new characters are memorable, including a bland schoolgirl named Honoka). Some players are also complaining about various bugs that cause the game to freeze or crash altogether – which will be fixed in a downloadable “patch,” apparently.

Along with a few single-player modes and head-to-head fighting in front of the same television, the game offers online matches, tournaments, and a global leaderboard to compare your performance with others. Dead or Alive 5 Last Round might not be ideal for younger players but mature fighting game fans will no doubt have a blast playing it.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the impact of media violence. Should parents be worried about the fighting in this title, or is it simply part of the game (and the genre itself)? Do parents mind that men can beat up women in this game or is it ok because women can also fight men – and win?

  • Talk about the role of women in this fighting game. Does it objectify women? Are female characters turned into sexual objects because of the game's focus on breast size, skimpy outfits, and zooming in on body parts?

Game Details

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