Every week, Netflix drops new content onto its service for its subscribers to watch. Sure, it could just drop everything it's putting out in March on the first of the month, but where is the fun in that?While all of Disney's movies are eventually migrating to its streaming service--reportedly coming this fall--Netflix still has the rights to streaming, for now. On Tuesday, March 5, Disney's Christopher Robin comes to the service. In the movie, an adult Christopher Robin reconnects with his friends from the Hundred Acre Wood: Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and more.There are plenty of original movies and series headed to Netflix this week as well. The Order releases on March 7. The new series follows a college student looking to avenge his mother's death. On his journey, however, he finds himself pledging to a secret society that's in the middle of a war between werewolves and mystics. If you don't like werewolves, but you're really into vampires, Immortals comes to the service on March 8, and this Netflix original revolves around vampires warring between each other.There's a lot more than those couple of examples. Check out our recommendations for Netflix in March above, a few of which come out soon. Below, you'll find everything coming to Netflix this week. If you'd like to look further ahead this month, check out the full list for March releases.Avail. 3/3/19Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj: Volume 2 (Streaming Every Sunday)-- NETFLIX ORIGINALAvail. 3/5/19Disney's Christopher RobinAvail. 3/6/19Secret City: Under the Eagle: Season 2-- NETFLIX ORIGINALAvail. 3/7/19DoubtThe Order-- NETFLIX ORIGINALAvail. 3/8/19After Life-- NETFLIX ORIGINALBangkok Love Stories: Hey You!-- NETFLIX ORIGINALBangkok Love Stories: Innocence-- NETFLIX ORIGINALBlue JasmineFormula 1: Drive to Survive-- NETFLIX ORIGINALHunter X Hunter (2011): Seasons 1-3Immortals-- NETFLIX ORIGINALJuanita-- NETFLIX FILMLady J (FR)-- NETFLIX FILMShadow-- NETFLIX ORIGINALSpy Kids 2: The Island of Lost DreamsThe Jane Austen Book ClubWalk. Ride. Rodeo.-- NETFLIX FILMInfo from Gamespot.com

Bonnie Ross, the head of Microsoft's dedicated Halo studio 343 Industries, has shared her thoughts on the difficulty of recruiting women in games development, and how she thinks educators could address the gender gap. In an interview with CBS News' 60 Minutes, Ross said she would love to bring more women onto the Halo team."Boys and men, the numbers are moving up. We are getting a lot more into computer science. But with women and girls, it's going down," she said. "In many times there's not even a way where I could bring a woman into a specific job because the candidates are just not there."Ross went on to point out that because women are so in-demand at tech companies, the market is very competitive for recruiting them. She cited that women with computer science degrees who intern at Microsoft are sometimes offered full positions, but already have offers from 5-7 other big tech companies."These women, basically they open every door because we all want them, and there's so few of them, and they're amazingly talented," she said. "There's just not that many of them."Since women with computer science degrees are such a rarity, Ross and other tech companies need a bigger pool of candidates. To address that, more women and girls need to become interested in the profession from an early age. Ross says that could come from how educators position tech jobs."Research that we've done at Microsoft of the girls we've talked to, 91% of them feel that they are creative, they identify with being creative," Ross said. "But when asked about computer science, they don't see computer science as creative. And so I think that we do need to connect the dots. Because it is incredibly creative, it's just that we're not doing a good job of showing them what they can do with it."343 Industries is currently at work on Halo Infinite, which Ross recently called a "spiritual reboot" of the franchise. She was also the latest inductee of the Gaming Hall of Fame award at the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.Info from Gamespot.com

The new trailer for Shazam is here. The latest DC release is a more comedic superhero adventure than many of the studio's movies. It stars Zachary Levi in the title role and hits theaters in April.Like the previous trailers it shows teenage Billy Batson gaining incredible powers that transforms him into a full-size adult superhero. We see him learning how to use his new abilities with his pal Freddy, and then facing the evil Doctor Sivana. Although the movie is clearly packed with action and wild VFX, it doesn't look like it takes itself very seriously. Check it out above.Shazam also stars Asher Angel as Billy, Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy, and Mark Strong as Sivana. It's directed by David F. Sandberg (Lights Out) and hits theaters on April 5. For more check out everything we know about Shazam! so far.A big part of the movie is Shazam's distinctive illuminated costume, and in a recent interview, costume designer Leah Butler revealed that the suit came with an extremely high price tag. "Each suit costs, oh boy, upwards of a million? We have ten suits," she said, via SyFy. "There is actually a battery in the back--we luckily had a cape to cover it all up or I don't know where we would have put all that stuff--and it is remotely lit through a switchboard operator. There is wiring throughout the costume. It's a 26-volt AA rechargeable battery. It lasts about two hours at full charge."It took 16 weeks to build the costume. We had to scan Zach's body and start building the costume even before he started his very strict regime--his diet and working out."Shazam! is one of two DC movies arriving in 2019. The Joker prequel movie releases in October and stars Joaquin Phoenix as the Clown Prince of Crime. Beyond that, Suicide Squad spin-off Birds of Prey arrives in February 2020, with Wonder Woman 1984 releasing in July next year. Dates have also been announced for The Batman (June 2021), the James Gunn-written Suicide Squad reboot (August 2021), and Aquaman 2 (December 2022). Info from Gamespot.com

WWE fans across the globe are looking forward to Wrestlemania 35. However, before we can get to the sports entertainment giant's biggest show of the year, we have to make a pit stop at Fastlane.Traditionally, Fastlane has been the truck stop diner of WWE PPVs. Yes, it's food, but just barely. Because this PPV is a lead in to the biggest WWE event of the year, there is usually very little build to the matches and no big surprises because, well, you can't mess with Wrestlemania storylines. However, with all that being said, this is actually turning out to be a pretty solid card so far.Fastlane comes to PPV and the WWE Network on Sunday, March 10. The show will start at 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET / 12 AM GMT (March 11) with a Kickoff Show starting one hour prior. As of this writing, there are only four matches on the card, but that will obviously change after this week's episodes of Raw and Smackdown.WWE's Monday night program is expected to add a few matches, and many people are hoping that one of them involves recently returned Roman Reigns. There has been speculation that he could be reforming with his former Shield teammates, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, for a 3-on-3 match at the show. However, with Ambrose's story line, it seems a bit unlikely, but we'll just have to wait and see.Below you'll find all the matches for the Fastlane PPV, and we'll keep them updated as more get booked. While it's doubtful we'll see a Universal Championship or the Raw Women's Championship match, there is a good chance that the Raw Tag Team and Cruiserweight titles will be defended on the show.Fastlane Match Card:Asuka (c) vs. Mandy Rose (Smackdown Women's Championship)Sasha Banks & Bayley (c) vs. Nia Jax & Tamina (Women's Tag Team Championship)The Usos (c) vs. The Miz & Shane McMahon (Smackdown Tag Team Championship)Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Kevin Owens (WWE Championship)Make sure to come back to GameSpot on Sunday, March 10 for live coverage and a review of the show.Info from Gamespot.com

Season 8 of Fortnite is now live across all platforms, and just as Epic teased prior to the start of the season, this one is themed around pirates. Already the developer has added a new pirate area and weapon to the battle royale game, and it appears another pirate item is on the way this week: treasure maps.Fortnite's in-game News feed is teasing the imminent arrival of new Buried Treasure maps. It's unclear just how these items will work, but the News feed says they're "coming soon" to the game, and they'll allow players to "scour the island for hidden loot." You can take a glimpse at the maps below.Epic has yet to confirm when the Buried Treasure maps will go live in Fortnite, but the developer likes to advertise new items shortly before they're added in the game's next update, so the maps will presumably arrive alongside this week's patch. Barring any unexpected delays, Epic typically releases updates for Fortnite on Tuesdays, although the developer hasn't announced the timing of this week's patch yet.Season 8 of Fortnite officially kicked off on February 28 with the release of the big 8.0 update. A lot has already changed this season, particularly regarding the game's map. Epic has added three new areas of the island to explore: Sunny Steps, Lazy Lagoon, and a giant volcano.Of course, a new season has also brought with it a new Battle Pass, which gives players a chance to unlock a slew of new skins and other cosmetics. There are already some new challenges to complete as well. You can find tips for those in our complete Season 8 challenges guide.Info from Gamespot.com

Turn 10 Studios may have outed the existence of an upcoming Forza mobile game. A recent community update erroneously linked to a sentence mentioning an unannounced mobile game called Forza Street, and it even names the developer.GT Planet reports that the mistaken link appeared in the latest Forza Motorsport Week in Review. The link was intended to lead to a story about a recent esports winner, but instead linked to a description of a game. The link has since been corrected on the Forza site. "Developed in partnership with UK-based studio, Electric Square, Forza Street is built from the ground up to support a wide range of Windows 10, iOS, and Android devices," it read.There is no announced game called Forza Street. The developer did develop a game called Miami Street for Windows 10 in 2018, in partnership with Microsoft Studios. It's possible Microsoft is putting that studio on a mobile version of its racing franchise, and borrowing the "Street" surname in the process. Alternately, Miami Street could have started as a Forza mobile game, but was changed at some point in development.Since 2011, Microsoft has produced a new Forza game every year, now alternating between the simulation Motorsport series and the open-world Horizon series. The most recent game was Forza Horizon 4, which takes place in the UK and features track conditions that change with the seasons.Info from Gamespot.com

Speaking to the developers from Gloam Collective about their upcoming PC and Mac game, Bravery Network Online, they raised a point that I hadn't considered before: despite its popularity, Pokemon's team-based combat system is rarely imitated, leaving a gap in the market. "It’s super specific," Gloam says, "but we found ourselves craving more games like these, and not finding any. We want to fill that void!"Bravery Network Online won't set you off as a plucky youth on a spirited adventure--it will instead present short stories in visual novel form to clue you into the world's backstory, and the various human characters that you'll take into battle--rough-and-tumble cuties that love nothing more than a good fight. Judging by a recent demo, combat and creativity are put front and center. I've never seen a cast of characters quite like these, which run the gamut from imposing fashionable warriors to equally stylish yet seemingly frail fighters.Gloam made a point to mention that all of the characters in Bravery Network Online are essentially immortal, a detail that explains the range of physicality among the cast, and the game's standout combat mechanic: the use of feelings and emotions as status effects. "When we made the decision to have emotional attacks, it immediately clicked that feelings could be the status effects of the game," Gloam explained. "Feeling is a vague word that can refer to a more physical feeling, like 'Dizzy' or 'Hungry' but can also just straight up be an emotion like 'Guilty' or 'Excited.' This theming gave us a ton of room to play in, and we loved it."Though you will get to build your own teams of offbeat characters, the recent demo we played had two pre-built teams, and two distinct headcanons. "Trust Punks are kind of this ragtag team being led by their elder mentor, Ferran," says Gloam. "They are a kind of well-rounded team, with a bunch of different avenues for winning, and good for exploring a bunch of BNO’s mechanics. The Cold & The Beautiful on the other hand is a team filled with fast, gorgeous fighters. They focus on chipping their opponents away, tagging out with Escape Whip to build up charge, and then getting in the heavy hitters, Zael and Annora, to blast their foes apart."Gloam currently plans to ready 25 fighters for launch. The ten characters available in the demo share a few moves here and there, but they are otherwise distinct, with strong visual identities that convey their individuality."Seyla’s one of our favourite characters at Gloam," says the team, "just because of how emotive she is. She has a super short fuse, and a constant drive to be the best Bravery fighter, so you can imagine how she is when it’s pretty clear she’s losing. Mechanically though, Seyla’s a ridiculously strong Physical attacker, and has a few ways of buffing herself up. A well-played Seyla can plow through an unprepared team."As focused as Gloam is on delivering an interesting array of fighters, it's really all in service of making Bravery Network Online a hotbed of competition. Even though Pokemon was a direct inspiration, Gloam made some fundamental changes for Bravery Network Online's combat system. "One of the most obvious is that we removed randomness from the game, replacing them with fighting game-style meter mechanics. Flourishing is meant to represent those times you’d get a critical hit out of nowhere, or randomly have a move give a status effect. Parrying is essentially a reskin of your opponent’s moves missing, but you control when it happens instead of it being a percent-based chance."While playing the recent demo, even against computer-controlled opponents, I had to pay very close attention to the aforementioned meters and the specific fighter matchups in order to win. Bravery Network Online is built to reward careful, considered play, and while there's no doubt benefits to the element of surprise that random blocks or heavy hits bring to the table, it's refreshing to see a team-based battler that's closer to game of chess than a roll of dice. In Gloam's own words: "If you appreciate a rich strategy game with lots of room for customization and mind games, there’s plenty to explore."Bravery Network Online will be published by Alliance, and is currently in active development for PC and Mac, targeting a late-2019 release date. Info from Gamespot.com

The Outer Worlds is the next RPG from Obsidian, and gives one of the most experienced studios in the industry an opportunity to play in a new space-faring setting. If you have some nagging questions about the game, chances are co-directors Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky addressed them in a lengthy new Q&A session.The Game Informer podcast hosted the Q&A with questions from fans. It delves into details from the esoteric to the mundane, with an occasional diversion regarding their history establishing the Fallout franchise. A few choice tidbits include the level cap of 30, and the fact that weapons and armor will have modding but no crafting system.Some of the most detail comes from implications surrounding the story. The duo say that they saw at least one fan speculate pretty accurately on what's changed in the alternate timeline the game takes place in, and it may not be what you'd expect. They suggest that one of the key turning points in history was the assassination of President William McKinley in 1901. Without that event, the alternate history speculates, Teddy Roosevelt wouldn't have taken office and implemented a trust busting agenda. This suggests that Roosevelt failing to break up large corporations is largely responsible for the alternate history presented in The Outer Worlds.That said, they also note that there is no authoritative codex in the game that outlines exactly what happened. You'll find documents that give different perspectives, and you can piece together some key parts of the world lore, but there's no definitive voice to tell you what's true and what isn't.The full show is more than an hour long, and it's filled with lots of interesting answers and sometimes even more interesting non-answers. The Fallout-like game is one of our most anticipated games of the year.Info from Gamespot.com

Luke Perry, who first shot to fame on Beverly Hills 90210 and was most recently starring on The CW's Riverdale as Fred Andrew, dad to Archie (KJ Apa) has died at 52 years old. His passing comes after the actor suffered what CNN calls "a massive stroke.""He was surrounded by his children Jack and Sophie, fiancé Wendy Madison Bauer, ex-wife Minnie Sharp, mother Ann Bennett, step-father Steve Bennett, brother Tom Perry, sister Amy Coder, and other close family and friends," according to a statement. "The family appreciates the outpouring of support and prayers that have been extended to Luke from around the world, and respectfully request privacy in this time of great mourning. No further details will be released at this time."News of Perry suffering a stroke was first announced Wednesday, February 27. At that time, it was reported that he would remain hospitalized and "under observations," according to People.Following news of his death, it was announced that production on Riverdale would shut down, allowing the cast and crew to mourn. A statement from Warner Bros. TV and The CW read, "We are deeply saddened to learn today about the passing of Luke Perry. A beloved member of the Riverdale, Warner Bros. and CW family, Luke was everything you would hope he would be: an incredibly caring, consummate professional with a giant heart, and a true friend to all. A father figure and mentor to the show's young cast, Luke was incredibly generous, and he infused the set with love and kindness. Our thoughts are with Luke's family during this most difficult time."Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, the showrunner on the adaptation of Archie Comics, followed with his message on Twitter. "So heartbroken about Luke," he wrote. "He was a father, brother, friend, and mentor. Each night before he had to shoot a scene, he'd call me and we'd talk about... everything. I will miss those calls. And my heart goes out to all his family and friends."In addition to 90210 and Riverdale, Perry had a very full career on the big and small screens. From his co-starring role in 1992's Buffy the Vampire Slayer film to his parts on shows like HBO's Oz and as Sub-Zero on the animated Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, he didn't stray too far from acting.He also never strayed far from his love of professional wrestling, whether it was appearing on WWE programming or supporting his son "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry, who is signed to All Elite Wrestling. With that in mind, we'll leave you with Perry's appearance on The Edge & Christian Show That Totally Reeks Of Awesomeness. Info from Gamespot.com

Beat Games has announced that the first music pack for Beat Saber will be coming out this month. The music pack will also be accompanied by an update that changes the game's UI.For now, the Beat Saber Music Pack 1 is scheduled to release on March 14. This update includes OST Vol. 1, OST Vol. 2, and Extras, and will go live across both PS4 and PC, so the latter will finally be getting the songs that have previously been exclusive to the former. Beat Games hasn't yet announced what songs are included in Music Pack 1. However, the developer did reveal what the new UI for the game would look like, and the redesign should help you easily browse through songs in each OST released for this Music Pack and any future ones. The new UI can be seen in the tweet linked below.🚨 WE HAVE THE DATE! 🚨 Our first Music Pack lands in Beat Saber on March 14th!See a little sneak peek to our updated UI so you can easily browse OSTs and upcoming Music Packs. pic.twitter.com/GiTLvAdBKG — Beat Saber (@BeatSaber) March 4, 2019If you haven't tried Beat Saber yet, you absolutely should. The game has you swing lightsabers and dodge obstacles to the rhythm of different songs, all while immersed in virtual reality. It's a pulse-pounding experience that we picked to be one of our top VR games in 2018. Beat Saber is officially out on PSVR, but still in early access on HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Windows Mixed Reality. That said, the PC versions of the game support a huge modding community, which has already added dozens--if not hundreds--of additional tracks for you to play.In our Beat Sabers PSVR review, Alessandro Barbosa gave the game an 8/10, writing, "Beat Saber is an exhilarating rush and an exhausting game to play in the best way. It has great music that is more varied than you might expect, complemented by smartly designed levels that marry their complex patterns perfectly to the beat. It's difficult to get bored of Beat Saber, especially thanks to its extensive campaign that pushes you to get better with each step up in difficulty. But that same campaign is also uneven at times with confusingly counterintuitive challenges, which might frustrate you to the point of taking a break. And when you do, you'll realize that Beat Saber is also currently thin on content, with only a handful of songs and no means to upload customs ones. Yet despite those flaws it remains consistently satisfying to play, and is certainly one of the best PSVR games you can buy right now."Info from Gamespot.com

Released in October 2018, Assassin's Creed Odyssey brought players to Ancient Greece and gave them an engaging story with compelling characters and choices, two unique protagonists to choose from, and a massive open-world to explore. Odyssey is a worthy follow-up to 2017's Assassin's Creed Origins, and fortunately for anyone who doesn't already own it, the game is drastically cheaper now than it was in October.You can buy Assassin's Creed Odyssey's standard edition at its lowest price at GameStop, where it's listed for $20. That's a full $40 price drop from its $60 launch price. On GameStop, both PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game are only $20 as part of the retailer's "Tax Refun" sale, which has huge discounts on games, consoles, and accessories right now. GameStop's "Tax Refun" sale runs through March 5, so you only have a couple of days to snag this incredible deal.With its expansive map and a strong narrative that's heavily impacted by player choice, Assassin's Creed Odyssey was one of the biggest game releases of last year, and GameSpot's Alessandro Fillari gave it an 8 in his Assassin's Creed Odyssey review."Assassin's Creed Odyssey's ambition is admirable, which is reflected in its rich attention to detail for the era and its approach to handling the multi-faceted narrative with strong protagonists at the lead," he wrote. "While its large-scale campaign--clocking in at over 50 hours--can occasionally be tiresome, and some features don't quite make the impact they should, Odyssey makes great strides in its massive and dynamic world, and it's a joy to venture out and leave your mark on its ever-changing setting."Buy Assassin's Creed Odyssey at GameStop -- $20 (PS4, Xbox One) through March 5Info from Gamespot.com

The new Sherlock Holmes movie starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law won't be out on time. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the third chapter was previously expected to hit theatres on Christmas Day 2020, but now it's coming to cinemas on December 22, 2021. No reasoning for the delay was provided. In the film, Downey Jr. returns to play the famous fictional British detective Sherlock Holmes, with Law reprising his role as the sidekick Dr. Watson. Chris Brancato (Narcos, Hannibal) wrote the script, while Guy Ritchie--who directed the first two Sherlock Holmes films--is rumoured to return for the third. The first one, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, premiered in 2011 and made more than $545 million at the global box office. The second one, simply titled Sherlock Holmes, came out in 2009 and made $524 million worldwide. Another movie based on the detective and his sidekick, Holmes and Watson, was released in 2018 starring Will Ferrel and John C. Reilly. It was bashed by critics, and it made only $40 million against a reported production budget of $42 million. Info from Gamespot.com

Microsoft has released some unique-looking Xbox One designs over the years, but this new one takes the cake errr cookie. Microsoft has partnered with the makers of Oreo to create an Xbox One X that looks like the splashed white-and-black look of a tasty Oreo cookie.You can win one of these new Xbox One X consoles through Oreo's "The Stuf Inside" sweepstakes. The contest is open only to people in the US, Puerto Rico, and Canada. You can scan a participating Oreo package for a chance to win the custom Xbox One X. The full terms and conditions are available here on the Stuf Inside sweepstakes website.Milk goes well with cookies. So does winning. Scan your OREO cookie for a chance to win a custom @Oreo #Xbox One X. Play here: https://t.co/flTpNvFuQc pic.twitter.com/mh2yPv7WA5 — Xbox (@Xbox) March 4, 2019Back in September, Microsoft announced lots of custom Xbox One consoles that it was auctioning off for charity. The designs were designed and signed by people like Post Malone, Ludacris, Jack Black, Usain Bolt, and many other famous people. You can see them all here.Microsoft is rumoured to announce its next wave of Xbox consoles at E3 2019 in June, where the company also plans to show off Halo Infinite. Info from Gamespot.com

We've known for a while now that Game of Thrones Season 8 will have an epic battle scene, and now the producers have shared more details about it. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, episode director Miguel Sapochnik, who previously directed the Battle of the Bastards episode, confirmed this new episode will feature a battle between familiar living characters and the Night King and his army. The showdown has been teased since the show's beginning, and now it's finally coming.In the episode, which chronicles the Battle of Winterfell, familiar characters like Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Sansa Stark, Arya Stark, and Brienne of Tarth are outnumbered as they fight against the supernatural foes. According to EW, it's the "longest consecutive battle sequence ever committed to film." At 40 minutes, the Helm's Deep battle from The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers was the longest battle sequence that Sapochnik said he could find in cinema history.Co-executive producer Bryan Cogman spoke about the epic battle scene, calling it unprecedented for TV or film."What we have asked the production team and crew to do this year truly has never been done in television or in a movie," he explained. "This final face-off between the Army of the Dead and the army of the living is completely unprecedented and relentless and a mixture of genres even within the battle. There are sequences built within sequences built within sequences. [Showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss wrote] an amazing puzzle and Miguel came in and took it apart and put it together again. It's been exhausting but I think it will blow everybody away."Filming the episode took 11 weeks of night shoots. According to the report, up to 750 people worked all night for almost three months in sub-freezing temperatures and enduring cold rain, mud, and heavy wind.Maisie Williams, who plays Arya Stark, told EW that "nothing can prepare you for how physically draining" it was filming the battle scene. "It's night after night, and again and again, and it just doesn't stop," she said. "You can't get sick, and you have to look out for yourself because there's so much to do that nobody else can do… there are moments you're just broken as a human and just want to cry."The actor who plays Ser Jorah Mormont, Iain Glen, said filming the battle was the "most unpleasant experience I've had on Thrones.""A real test, really miserable. You get to sleep at seven in the morning and when you wake in the midday you're still so spent you can't really do anything, and then you're back," he added. "You have no life outside it. You have an absolute f**ked bunch of actors. But without getting too method [acting] about it, on screen it bleeds through to the reality of the Thrones world."The entire interview at EW is incredibly in depth and fascinating--check it out here.Game of Thrones Season 8 premieres on April 14 on HBO--you can see the latest footage here. While the main show is ending, a prequel series is in development.Info from Gamespot.com

In the cutthroat world of fighting games, Dead or Alive has consistently proven that it's a solid contender. From its arcade debut in 1996, the series has made a name for itself with striking visuals, fun and memorable characters, and engaging fighting action, carrying the series along through some of the genre's darkest days. Now, Dead or Alive finds itself in one of the most crowded markets the genre has ever seen. Dead or Alive 6 still has the chops to stand out after all this time--though it does slightly stumble along the way.When you first boot up Dead or Alive 6, you're greeted by a close-up of one of the game's many characters, staring you straight in the face as you navigate through the initial set of menus. It's an early glimpse at DoA6's graphical prowess, as you get to see one of the cast members before they step into the ring and turn into a bruised and battered brawler. The way the fighters themselves sustain visual damage during a fight is quite impressive. There's dirt, torn clothing, and flying sweat--even some of the heavier hits leave a little bit of blood, transforming every match into a fierce brawl. Thankfully, if you find these effects distasteful or distracting, there's also the option to turn them off. Combined with the flashy character costumes and colorful, elaborate arenas, DoA6 is a game with a distinct visual flair.But the game's appeal is more than surface-level. DoA6 delivers solid, satisfying combat with its own twists. New to the franchise is a Break Gauge that fills as you deal or receive damage with your blows--a mechanic that's been seen in many other fighting games. There are a few things you can do with this shiny new gauge, thanks to a newly added "special" button that puts it to use: An offensive sidestep into an attack by pressing up or down in tandem with the special button, do a "Break Hold" universal hold counterattack by pressing back and the special button. Finally, you can execute a powerful "Break Blow" by either pressing towards the opponent and the special, or automatically at the end of a four-hit special button auto-combo, assuming the Break Gauge is full. These Break Blows are incredibly flashy, packing a serious punch both in lifebar and visual damage to the opponent. It's hard not to feel a bit demoralized when you're watching your fighter get physically wrecked by a secret ninja skill or a fist to an extremely vulnerable face--but it's super rewarding to push that same humiliation onto your foe.The Break Gauge is a great addition to the game, as it's easy to understand and doesn't require a lot of execution beyond knowing when to use each special technique. All of these techniques are useful; the sidestep attacks can screw up somebody fishing for you to mess up a hold counter, the Break Hold can take some of the guesswork out of hold counters (and counter an opponent's Break Blow), and Break Blows just look cool and satisfying as hell… well, provided you can land them.But the Break Blows aren't the only flashy thing about DoA6's combat. The series is known for having some pretty wild combat arenas, and DoA6's lush battlefields might be some of the craziest yet. They include a dilapidated theme park overrun by dinosaurs, a moss-encrusted battleship being assaulted by an angry kraken, and a multi-car pile-up with some very volatile vehicles that might go kaboom when someone touches them. These stages are littered with specific danger zones that both play an amusing cinematic and deal extra combat damage to an enemy when you send them flying into one with a well-placed blow. In some cases, you can even pull off unique combos with the aid of danger zones; the aforementioned dinosaur stage features an angry pterodactyl mama who will hoist a fighter into the air before dropping them again, setting them up for a big juggle combo. Alas, while the really nutty stages are quite memorable, most are a lot more sedate, and the stage selection as a whole feels somewhat lacking.DoA6 also offers plenty of minor tweaks to the moment-to-moment gameplay, and options to make the game more beginner-friendly (such as simplifying the game's hold counterattack system inputs), but the most important thing is that the fighting just feels good. The rock-paper-scissors element of the holds-throws-attacks balance works nicely into gameplay with smooth animation that feeds into a seamless flow of combat. Every character offers something unique in terms of their fighting style, but once you have the basics down, it's not too hard to learn another character if you're not feeling who you're currently playing with. And while I'm not terribly fond of the designs of the two new characters (street brawler Diego is terribly generic, and blue-haired anime teen scientist NiCO looks like she belongs in a different game entirely), they both bring something new to the table in terms of their combat abilities.Where DoA6 falters, however, is in its single-player content. Story Mode isn't too bad; the cinematics mostly use the in-game graphics engine, further showcasing DoA6's strong visuals, and the game wisely has an optional tutorial feature that teaches you basic strings for each character you'll assume control of so you're not thrust into blind combat. However, the weird multi-timeline presentation is a mess both in terms of interface and storytelling, leading to a confusing series of events that oscillates wildly between serious drama and goofy comedy.Then there's the other big single-player mode, DOA Quest: a series of themed battles that offer in-game rewards, like parts for new character costumes and in-game money used to purchase and view extra story content. By completing sub-objectives in these battles-- like landing a specific attack a certain number of times or beating a quest within a time limit--you earn additional rewards and unlock more quests to attempt.DoA6 also offers plenty of minor tweaks to the moment-to-moment gameplay, and options to make the game more beginner-friendly, but the most important thing is that the fighting just feels good.DOA Quest isn't a bad idea on its own, but the game's grindy, frustrating unlock system turns a fine little challenge mode into an absolute chore. The main thing you'll want to use DOA Quest (and other single-player modes like Arcade Mode) for is unlocking character costumes and customization options, of which there are many. However, you'll soon discover that when you earn points that go towards unlocking new outfits, you have absolutely no say in where they will go. You could earn 300 costume points in a quest featuring Zack, for example, and those points you earn would go towards unlocking a random costume for Hayabusa instead--meaning you invested time and effort to earn partial rewards for a character you potentially don't care about. This happens a lot. To add insult to injury, even when you do get enough points to open up a costume for a character, you still have to pay earned in-game money to actually buy and wear it. It's an extremely ill-thought-out grind that sucks all of the reward out of playing single-player.Provided you're not absolutely attached to using a specific customization in battle, versus play against another human is far more satisfying than the neverending solo grind. Local versus mode works just fine, but most people will probably gravitate towards online play. While there aren't many options for online head-to-head--just Ranked and the promise of a future Lobby mode--what is there works well, and given a good connection, online play feels smooth and enjoyable. One particularly brilliant feature is the ability to see if your potential online match is using a wi-fi or a wired connection. It lets you avoid a lot of potential lag-spike headaches, as wired connections are ideal for head-to-head fighting games like this.Despite some missteps, DoA6 is a fun, engaging fighter with great-feeling, easy-to-pick-up combat, a strong sense of visual style, and a lot of personality. If you're looking for a new fighting game to learn the ins and outs of--or perhaps a nice entry into the 3D side of fighting games--DoA6 is a fighter of choice.Info from Gamespot.com