Graphically - most definitely. Dead or Alive 3 is without a doubt the best looking 3D fighter available. The backgrounds are a sight to behold, and certainly the most impressive of any fighter to date, detailed and sumptuous. Dead or Alive 3 is the showcase title for demonstrating the graphics capabilities of the most powerful games console money can buy. Every texture is deep and detailed, heavy use is made of bump mapping whilst the game is a lexicon of 3D techniques. Neon lights, smoke, snow effects, cloth movement, explosions, water effects, birds in flight, swaying palm trees are just some of the environmental effects and details seen throughout the game. nVidia's graphic chip has been put to good use here, and at no time does the game ever slow down or lose frame rate, remaining a solid 60fps throughout. Dead or Alive 3 is a benchmark fighting game in terms of sheer graphical quality.

Each of the levels is impressively rendered. The beach scene for example with an entire flock of well modelled birds is stunning; the ice cavern is beautifully drawn, with icicles and shallow water areas, whilst the woodland scene is simply jaw dropping. The Hong Kong scene is also excellent. Kicking an opponent out of a window will drop them down a neon sign exploding each bulb as they fall, and is a demonstration of the games multi-levelled fighting arenas. Impressive as they are, all the levels are not equal however. The dojo scene and the machine room scene don't look a million miles away from the Dreamcast version, although flicking between Dead or Alive 3 and Dead or Alive 2 LE on the DC the difference becomes more apparent. Dead or Alive 3 also can display 16:9 and this is a welcome addition.

The character models are again superb. The improvements over the Dreamcast version are often subtle but are there. They now have realistic hair modelling, a few more polygons, and more detailed textures. New fighters are available; one is Brad Wong who's a clone of Shun Di in Virtua Fighter complete with drunken kung fu moves. Think of him as a younger, fitter Shun Di, only without all the cool things Shun Di does like standing on his hands and kicking or sitting down and looking at you. Also included is Hitomi, a German karate student. There are 16 characters compared to Dead or Alive 2's 12. The numerous extras obtainable in Dead or Alive 2 like multiple costumes have been omitted in this release, a great deal of the appeal in Dead or Alive 2's single player mode was through unlocking these, and they are sadly lacking in Dead or Alive 3, although there is talk of obscure codes in the high score tables, whilst talk of add-on disks being available appear to be confirmed. Also forget about hidden characters by the dozen like in Tekken, there are none.

The moves have been improved. Side stepping is now easier, but the special moves in Dead or Alive 3 are rather underwhelming. Normal kick/punch combinations are the order of the day, and the special moves are fairly unspectacular, whilst there is none of the sword flurries, spectacular Tekken-style throws, nasty leg breaks and fire balls that other fighting games have to that make them stand out. There is a lot of fun in kicking, pushing or throwing your opponent through the scenery onto a lower level, and you get a damage hit for that, yet the background interaction is minimal at best, and it seems Dead or Alive 3 has adopted a safe approach building on Dead or Alive 2 rather than revolutionising it.

The biggest problem with Dead or Alive 3 is its shallow single player game. Whereas Soul Calibur had its quest mode, Tekken 3 had its Tekken Force mode, Super Smash Bros Melee has its quests and adventures, Dead or Alive 3 has nothing for the single player. Once you've finished the game with each character and seen the rather odd end movies, and gotten your fill of the survival mode, there's nothing left for you. The lack of costumes in Dead or Alive 3 makes it in some ways a downgrade from Dead or Alive 2, and for this reviewer, Tina's cat-suit is particularly missed.

All the options that were in Dead or Alive 2 are present like the survival mode and Tag Team Mode, but there's nothing new. It seems that none of the thought that was put into evolving the graphics has been put into evolving the gameplay which is the games basic undoing

In general Dead or Alive 3 does little to counter the dominance of the Tekken, Virtua Fighter and Soul Calibur's in the 3D fighter market. Whilst it is both glitzy and sparkling at first glance, upon closer inspection it's apparent that the series has progressed very little with this instalment. Its looks will win it fans without question, but those wanting a little more for their money may be somewhat disappointed, with little incentive for progressive play one player, Dead or Alive 3 strengths lie in its ability to impress visually, and of course, the two player mode. As a demonstration of what the Xbox is capable of, and remember this is still only the first generation, you need look little further than Dead or Alive 3, if you are after a more technical fighting game then theres little to draw in the Tekken/Virtua Fighter devotees..