Fatal Frame 5, the fifth entry in Tecmo Koei’s creepy survival horror franchise, will be launching exclusively on the Wii U in Europe on October 30 as Project Zero 5: Maiden of Black Water. The game will be available on the Nintendo eShop, with the retail release being limited to a special Limited Edition bundle, featuring a copy of the game in its standalone packaging, a double-sided poster, an art book, four Spirit Photographs, and a SteelBook cover.

In addition, the game will also get a special demo on the Nintendo eShop, which will let players play the first two chapters of the game for no cost, before deciding whether they want to commit to the game and buy the rest of it as well- presumably, your progress from the demo will carry over into the full game.

Fatal Frame 5 has been confirmed for a release in North America too, although right now, we don’t have any specific day nailed down. We’ll keep you posted on all developments, though.

And then Dead or Alive 5: Last Round came along, and now the words I wrote about the series two years ago look really, really dumb. Don’t get me wrong: Dead or Alive 5: Last Round is a great fighter, and probably the best entry in the Dead or Alive 5 series of games, but it brings back longstanding elements that were better off left behind, even if it’s not immediately obvious.

Initially, Last Round seems like your standard, innocuous fighting game update. It takes all of the content that’s been added to the game, from the original all the way through Ultimate (including the DLC), bundles it together, adds some new extras, like costumes, characters, and stages, throws in a few cosmetic enhancements, and calls it a day. As you’d expect, that means that the sheer amount of content on offer in Last Round is incredibly impressive. The two new characters bring the total roster to 34, a series high, and the addition of the DLC costumes from the previous titles bring the total number of outfits to 400, according to Tecmo. I’ll take their word for it. I wasn’t going to stand there and count them.

"The game’s other visual addition are the new costumes. Some of the new costumes look cool and fit the characters they correspond to, while others are there for plot purposes. The rest, however, are fanservice. There’s really no way to put it.

Normally, I’d be the first to praise this sort of thing, because new content and balance updates are the best way to keep a fighting game interesting over the long term, and Last Round even has the common sense to include costumes that were previously DLC free of charge (Yes, Capcom, I’m looking at you).

There are even graphical updates. The power of the new consoles means that the game runs in 1080p and 60 FPS, but the biggest change comes in the form of the Soft Engine, which utilizes the power of the PS4 and the Xbox One to enhance the game physics engine and make the characters’ skin look more realistic. If you’re surprised don’t be. This is Dead or Alive. The game has always featured good looking characters, and Last Round goes a little further with minor enhancements, though it should be noted that the game largely looks the same overall, which is to say “damn good.”

The game’s other visual addition are the new costumes. Some of the new costumes look cool and fit the characters they correspond to, while others are there for plot purposes. The rest, however, are fanservice. There’s really no way to put it. Sure, the male characters have some bathing suits, but the majority of the new costumes focus on the female characters. In fact, the first character I fought in Last Round’s arcade mode was a woman in a bikini and heels. That should give you some idea of what I mean here. The sheer number of additions, in addition to the Soft Engine, make it pretty apparent where Team Ninja’s focus was this time around, but again, I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised. This is Dead or Alive.

"The game’s core mechanics, still built around punches, kicks, throws, and holds, are still extremely enjoyable and provide a lot of meaty gameplay to chew through.

To Team Ninja’s credit, they didn’t skimp on variety. Last Round has it all: nurse costumes, police uniforms, shirt, maid outfits, schoolgirl outfits, gym clothes, bunny costumes; you name it, they got it. You can also choose a character’s hair style and whether or not they wear glasses (I’m talking about librarian Bayonetta glasses, here).

Then there are the Private Paradise videos, which can be purchased. These allow you to look at any of the game’s ladies on a private beach, wearing any of the costumes you own, and take pictures of the action, if that’s your thing. As you might’ve imagined, there’s no gameplay in this mode, which given Team Ninja’s efforts on this particular update, shouldn’t really surprise anyone.

All of this, the costumes and the videos, are spread out over a ridiculous amount of DLC, even if you opt for the full version of Last Round, and not the free Core Fighters edition. All told, there’s more than 300 pieces of DLC here, ranging from the $1.99 Private Paradise videos to costume packs that range anywhere from $14.99 to $27.99. The Season Pass (and the Ultimate Costume set) cost $92 apiece. Chew on that for a second. It’s staggering.

" If you’ve never played Dead or Alive 5 before, Last Round is a good deal at $40, though you should probably give the free Core Fighters version a spin before parting with your cash.

This focus on skin, beach photo shoots, and dress-up aside, however, Last Round is still a fighting game, and a good one at that. The game’s core mechanics, still built around punches, kicks, throws, and holds, are still extremely enjoyable and provide a lot of meaty gameplay to chew through. Matches are still fast paced, and the ebb and flow of the game, which relies on trading attacks and counterattacks, is still extremely satisfying. The story mode is still impressive and well put together, the tutorial is still among the best in the genre, and online play still works very well. In all, it’s a great fighting game, even if the game’s new focus isn’t really on the fighting. Still, there is a great deal of pleasure to be found inside of Last Round’s game systems, especially for those with the time and dedication to master them.

It’s a real shame that the game is saddled with what is, at this time, a poor port, at least on the Xbox One. I’ve had the game crash on me in the middle of matches more than a few times, and that’s not counting the fact that everything on screen can freeze for a split second when something particularly intense happens. The game’s FAQ even takes time to warn players about certain bugs, which can be triggered by doing something as simple as completing a mission in the tutorial mode, and Team Ninja has even gone so far as to implement a code that unlocks pretty much everything to help those who have lost their saves to unexpected errors. Perhaps the PS4 version fares better in this regard, but without having played it, I can’t say for certain.

Technical hiccups and fanservice aside, however, Last Round is probably the best version of Dead or Alive 5 just because of how much of it there is. The things that made the original game (and Ultimate) good are still here, plus some new things, too. If you’ve never played Dead or Alive 5 before, Last Round is a good deal at $40, though you should probably give the free Core Fighters version a spin before parting with your cash.

"Last Round is really for the diehard fans, and it’s hard to knock Team Ninja for delivering more of what was already a great game, even if the additions to tend to be in the form of fanservice.

Those who already own a version of Dead or Alive 5 might find the upgrade a little harder to swallow, however, especially if they’re not a fan of the nature of the new additions. Last Round is really for the diehard fans, and it’s hard to knock Team Ninja for delivering more of what was already a great game, even if the additions to tend to be in the form of fanservice.

Yes, there’s a great game under all that fanservice, even with the technical issues, which will hopefully be ironed out. And it’s not like anyone is forcing you to watch the Private Paradise videos, no matter how much you might wish they weren’t there. Still, it is more than a little disappointing that a game that managed to move away from this sort of thing eventually ended up being consumed by it.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox One.

But alas, all good things must come to an end, and so, too, did Gundam Wing. But I didn’t stop there. I also consumed G Gudam and Gundam SEED before moving away from the series with the advent of high school and college. I knew there was a lot I still hadn’t seen, but I felt pretty confident that I had an idea of what was what when I popped Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn into my PS3 for the first time. As it turns out, I could not have been more wrong.

"Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn largely plays the same way as other games in the franchise regardless of the mode you choose. Your mech is dropped onto a large map and tasked with plowing through hordes of enemies on your way to capturing an objective, protecting a fixed point, or defeating a boss character."

The game’s story mode, known as Official Mode in the game, sticks mostly to the Universal Century timeline, covering the events of Mobile Suit Gundam, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack, and Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, though it does throw in Gundam SEED and Gundam SEED Destiny for good measure. This decision makes sense, considering their popularity in Japan, but it’s kind of a bummer for those of us who aren’t familiar with that part of the franchise.

That doesn’t mean that things like Gundam Wing, Gundam 00, and G Gundam, or the other parts of the franchise aren’t represented. In fact, almost all of them are. They just have to be unlocked in Ultimate Mode, which consists of a series of vignettes involving heroes and villains from across the various iterations of the series.

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn largely plays the same way as other games in the franchise regardless of the mode you choose. Your mech is dropped onto a large map and tasked with plowing through hordes of enemies on your way to capturing an objective, protecting a fixed point, or defeating  a boss character. You only have access to a few very simple combos and a couple of shooting attacks, but everything looks cool, and it’s pretty satisfying to watch Zakus, Rick Doms, and GMs get sliced up by your laser swords or vaporized by one of your guns.

"The combat isn’t about complexity so much as it is about massacring the enemies that are milling around, patiently waiting their turn to die, and doing it with some degree of style."

The combat isn’t about complexity so much as it is about massacring the enemies that are milling around, patiently waiting their turn to die, and doing it with some degree of style. If you’re feeling particularly flashy (or are just bored of looking at the hundreds of enemies bearing down on you), you can unleash more powerful SP or burst attacks to clear out hundreds of mechs at once. Your pilots will level up as you play, and you can upgrade your Mobile Suits with plans that increase your stats, but this never really changes the way you approach any given situation.

Official and Ultimate are the only two modes the game offers, but they are fairly meaty affairs in their own right: each storyline in Official Mode will take you about two hours. There’s also a ton of content to unlock for those willing to put in the time, as well as an offline co-op mode. That said, however, the game doesn’t do much to change up the traditional Dynasty Warriors formula, though there are some minor changes that fans of the series will probably want to know about.

The most noticeable change is a visual one, as Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn has dropped the cell-shaded look from Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3 in favor of a more realistic approach. The Gundams and characters look great (aside from the rather limited animations on the part of the characters), and it’s clear that great care has been taken to capture the look of each series, both during gameplay and in cutscenes. The same level of care, however, has not been taken in the environments, which are exceptionally bland and forgettable.

"At its best, it’s a fun game that allows you to jump into the cockpit of a giant mech and slice through hundreds of enemies. At its worst, it’s an endless waltz through hundreds of unlocks, bland environments, and dumb enemies."

The same can, regrettably, be said for the localization. There is no option for English voice acting this time around, and the translation is rife with misspellings and other errors. This isn’t something that will seriously detract from the game for most people as it’s more funny than anything else (and the story modes are so truncated that the writing is little more than flavor text, at best), but it does point to the game being something of a rush job.

The final major change is the removal of four player online co-op that has been something of a series staple. This time around, the game features SOS signals which can be sent out on maps in Ultimate Mode, allowing you to ask for assistance and join other players on the level in question. It’s a nice idea, in theory, but it rarely works well in practice, as you’ll rarely find someone to answer your SOS calls, and the ones that you do come across with often be either unavailable or expired.

These little flaws add up, but the game is quite fun in small doses. At its best, it’s a fun game that allows you to jump into the cockpit of a giant mech and slice through hundreds of enemies. At its worst, it’s an endless waltz through hundreds of unlocks, bland environments, and dumb enemies. If you like Gundam and Dynasty Warriors, you’ll probably have a good time. Just don’t go into it expecting to see too much of Heero, Domon and Sutsuna.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 3.