Name: Dead or Alive 4
Genre: 1-2
Type: Fighting
System: Xbox 360

There are some game series that should have stopped years ago; games that people continue to buy, regardless of the quality, out of a sense of nostalgia or optimism.

The general rule I follow is if nothing new was added for a sequel it will not be as good as the original. Each incarnation of a franchise that just adds updated graphics seems to do nothing but lessen the whimsical charm that the original may have had.

Welcome to the Xbox 360’s early days – namely Dead of Alive 4.

I never played far too much of the DOA series but what I did play I enjoyed. It never appeared to be any better or worse than the general fighting game, so when I started seeing mites carving “PLAY ME” into the thick layer or dust that coated my 360 I decided to buy my first game for the otherwise dead system.

And do you know what? At first it was kind of fun. The plot was wacky and more prominent than it was in other fighting games and the characters were interesting and seemingly unique. However, the more I played the more I realized that the computer was overly good, the controls were overly bad, and I was becoming overly bored. Playing with friends was fun enough, but even they became bored of the button-mash-fest it took to win.

And then there is Alpha-152.

Alpha-152 might be the stupidest, cheapest, and overall lamest boss I have ever fought. She is some kind of energy creature that has the better and stronger abilities than any other fighter in the game. She has moves that are unblockable that can take your life from full to near dead in one teleport. Yeah, she can teleport.

The repetitive game play and overall mediocre graphics (come on, their hair doesn’t move realistically, what is this, PS2?) turned me off over time. I would recommend its worth renting, but there is the chance that you might get to the boss and break your XBOX 360. I can’t live with that on my conscience. Do yourself a favor and...