Welcome to our CHEATfactor Game Review of Dead or Alive 5: Last Round. We review the game and then factor in how the available cheats affect the overall game experience. For better or worse, our reviews will help you decide whether or not to use cheats when playing the game.

You walk into your favorite fast food restaurant and you see a giant poster on the window that says that your favorite burger is now "new and improved!" Reluctant, you order it and find that they've just added some extra toppings that don't add much at all and charge you a new higher price. Then your burger falls to the floor before you can eat it. This, in essence is what playing Dead or Alive 5: Last Round feels like. It's the same Dead or Alive formula that's been around for years, but you know, this is newer. Hardcore fans are sure to notice the small tweaks and additions but if you're just the type that plays for fun with your friends, buying the latest Dead or Alive is sure to give you a strong sense of dejavu.

It's a bit daunting to think that there have been three versions of Dead or Alive 5 in the last three years but for what it's worth, this is by far the most complete. Last Round serves as a sort of best of collection of all of the content that been released for the game in all of it's different versions and as such, there's a lot here for fans to like. Of course, this is Dead or Alive and it's reputation proceeds it and half of the costumes are skimpy bikinis for the game's female roster but hey, if it's what fans like right? You've got to appreciate just how much the DOA series has embraced it's wacky side, and that's on complete display when someone dressed as Santa is fighting a girl in a bikini in the middle of a war zone.

Don't expect any big changes to the Dead or Alive formula with Last Round though, it's tied firmly into the foundation that the original iterations of the game, and those that came before it have set - and it's a foundation that's having trouble hiding the forming cracks. Don't get me wrong, the core fighting mechanics are still solid and fun enough but they're also really dated. As someone who played the hell out of the original Dead or Alive 5 and the games that came before it, I noticed very little in the way of new content in Last Round save for the costumes, I can only imagine what someone who has played each version of the game extensively is feeling.

Still, the spectacle of knocking an opponent through to another level of a stage remains incredibly fun and long time fans of the series will find Last Round to be the best iteration of one of the best games in the series. It's still a lot of fun to get friends together and battle it out. Dead or Alive has always had a great rhythmic feel to it and Last Round's improved visuals and improved framerate, it all feels a lot smoother than it has in previous games.

There are two "new" fighters that join Dead or Alive for Last Round but they too feel recycled, and that's partly because they are. You've got Raidou, the final boss from the original Dead or Alive becoming playable and Honoka, a truly new character...whose move list is comprised of a mix of other fighters moves. Seriously, even the only actual new feature in the game is a mix of stuff that's already in the game (ok, maybe there are two new stages, but still). Honoka is admittedly fun to play and much like the game itself acts as a best of feature for the series.

Last Round's improved frame-rate and resolution make the game's busy stages look all the better and the fighters feel more alive and real. Again, this is Dead or Alive and as you might have expected, the updated visuals work best for the female fighters and make their skin look softer. Be warned though, Last Round is littered with bugs and crashes, especially in the PC version. While some of these have been addressed since the game's tumultuous launch, the game still remains unplayable at times. I experienced multiple issues while playing review copies on both the PC and console, and there was no real predictable pattern to them so hopefully we see a few more patches to fix these issues sooner rather than later.

If you've played the last few Dead or Alive games and weren't the biggest die-hard, Last Round won't do much to change your mind; it's really the same content you've seen before wrapped up in a little bow to make a more comprehensive package. That being said though, it does Dead or Alive as well as any game in the series has before and it's still a lot of fun to play, especially against a group of friends. If you've been looking to get back into DOA, this is your chance, but just don't expect to be surprised.