Teen (13+)

Nearly a decade later and dozens of other entries into the genre, things have changed quite a bit. In Tecmo's newest Dreamcast fighting game, Dead Or Alive 2, the gender of playable characters has shifted dramatically to a near equal five to seven ratio; still in favor of males.

Game Description: Dead or Alive 2 brings more phenomenal fighting action to the Dreamcast with the gorgeous graphics and incredibly fast gameplay that Sega fans expect. Dead or Alive 2's character-against-character action takes place in gorgeously rendered locations ranging from a cathedral to a moving elevator cage. In a special twist, characters can battle in multiple locations in many of the areas and interact with the environment. This means that the cathedral window is more than just a pretty background—it's just waiting for an opponent to be hurled through it and onto the fighting platform below. Perhaps the coolest feature of all is the Tag Battle mode—available to one-, two-, and four-player games—that enables fighters to summon a teammate into the action. A total of 12 male and female fighters are available, each boasting a slew of basic and special attacks, tag-team combos, reversals, and throws.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Animated Violence, Suggestive Themes 

When I first learned about the Dead Or Alive series, it was while perusing the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly Magazine; the editors were openly salivating at the overtly 'jiggly' nature of the female fighters in the game. This was a few years back when the first game hit the arcades and was then ported to the Sony PlayStation.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Animated Violence, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes

In the end, the graphics and sound may be lacking, but Smackdown! shows up where it counts the most, in the amount of features and the rock-solid gameplay. It's not without a bit of irony that at a time when wrestling game developers are trying to complicate a player's actions in a misguided attempt to create some sort of wrestling simulation, Smackdown! manages to do just that with a far simpler style.

Game Description: Lay the SmackDown! on your enemies with your own created jabroni or as one of the World Wrestling Federation's top superstars. Make friends and then break them as you roam backstage from the boiler room to the kitchen. Call upon your allies for help and then climb over them as you kick, grapple, and People's Elbow your way to the top. Just remember that backstage politics can work against you—don't let The Rock run-ins, well-placed metal chairs, and McMahon-appointed guest referees get you in the end.

So in Smackdown!, the ability to grow my character and further adjust his arsenal of moves with choices that only become available after I've reached certain levels of ability really caught my attention—hook, line and sinker. I simply couldn't stop playing there after, and Smackdown! became just plain smack for me.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Animated Blood, Animated Violence

The thing most noteworthy to me about Soul Fighter is that it serves as a reminder of how far the industry has gone. Years ago, no one would have cared if a game was released without a two-player mode because that was the norm then. But nowadays, if an action game doesn't have a two-player mode, a red flag goes up and the game will be judged harshly.