PixlBit

The 3DS is going to get all jiggly in May.

The Dead Or Alive series is once again returning to the 3-D arena fighting that made the series famous in the first place.

For those of you who are not familiar with Dead Or Alive (DoA), a refresher: the first DoA game was released in 1996 as the brainchild of Tomonobu Itagaki. To set itself apart from other 3D fighting games of its time, DoA employed a counter system with its attacks; and the boobs. From the second entry on, the series has not changed much besides a growing roster with each new iteration. With DoA: Dimensions launching at the end of May this year on the 3DS, it will be the first one on a Nintendo console.

DoA: Dimensions, like Super Street Fighter IV 3D, will take advantage of the touch screen by laying out character moves; combinations can be performed with a simple touch of the screen. As seen in SSFIV3D, this will serve as a great learning curve for beginners who may be turned off by complicated combo move inputs.

The next addition unique to DoA: Dimensions is the Chronicle mode. Unlike previous Story modes, Chronicle mode will be split into chapters set around the ninja-centric characters Kasumi, Ayane, Ryu Hayabuse and Hayate. Chronicle covers all four DoA games, and the one thing DoA is known for is how silly its story can get. Cutscenes, while having good (Japanese) voice acting, were hilarious to watch with expressionless characters. Dimensions' cutscenes, as previewed in trailers, are far more expressive and less wooden. Whether or not the story will remain as silly is yet to be seen.

In addition to a roster of thirty characters, DoA: Dimensions will also include Arcade and Time Trial modes, along with StreetPass and SpotPass functions. Extra characters such as Shiden and Omega are confirmed to be unlockable, but the biggest addition is the Metroid: Other M stage. The arena will have Metroid series antagonist Ridley flying around, shooting fireballs, and unleashing his wrath on any fighter knocked off the stage. Samus Aran, in Morph Ball form, will make an appearance to ward off the troublesome dragon. As of now, Samus has not been confirmed as a playable character.

DoA: Dimensions will be released on May 24 next month.