Sideways thumb for a lot of reasons. More below.

The good:
- On sale, it's pretty worth the price, first DOA game and I had a lot of fun and like it about as much as Tekken!
- Good variety of modes
- Modding support for plenty of costumes, stages, music, e.t.c. and out of all the games I've messed with modding, it's pretty easy and simple. You get the hang of it super quick. Look up StreetModders and go to the DOA5LR section.
- Gameplay is so great and it has a feature I wish most fighting games would have as a casual fighting game fan, starting combos and seeing what inputs to press for different combos!
- Character designs for the most part, no not like that you gooner trash, plus it has costumes you unlock THROUGH GAMEPLAY. Not often we see that anymore huh? Yes I know about DOA6 don't worry.
- Apparently the last "good DOA game" and I believe it.
- Graphics are fine, but slap an ENB or reshade on this and it really pops and holds up with a good number of modern-ish games.

The mid:
- Music
- Story, dunno what I expected for my first DOA game story, but from the lore I picked up on from a couple videos covering the series it's a bit jarring, and I prefer the stuff that came before. Rig feels like an asspull but honestly what fighting game franchise doesn't have at least a few of those?

The bad:
- Obviously the monetization and DLC, it's pretty scummy, plus you have the outright removal of a couple characters, one of which was part of the reason I even bought this game, Mai. Now, there's a way around this but you'll have to look for that and do it yourself.
- The multiplayer is essentially dead and some mods (like the one hinted at above) don't necessarily help that. I wouldn't touch MP if I were you. This is basically a single player game now, and couch co-op with friends.
- The other obvious part, the gooner-bait of this. I love bad ass women, they gotta be one of my favorite genders, but holy ♥♥♥♥ why is there a breast physics setting you unlock? Yeah maybe don't play this game around people you're worried about being judged by. Plus there's plenty of women in this game that are only 18 and I'm at an age now where that makes me extremely uncomfortable seeing them sexualized.
- The English voice acting. Trust me, play with Japanese voice acting your ears will thank you.
- DOA6 and this are the only DOA games on steam and you basically have to pick your poison or emulate. Personally, I do recommend this one, on sale. Do not buy this if it's not on sale, it's a scam and insane they're charging $40 before the majority of DLC which mind you still costs HUNDREDS of USD. People don't give KOEI TECMO enough ♥♥♥♥ and it shows.

Here's hoping DOA7 does happen and isn't beach volleyball BS and more a return to form and redeems plenty of the sins this game and DOA6 committed. I'm also hoping the new VF is a slap in the face to KT and encourages them to get their ♥♥♥♥ together, but only time will tell. No more beach volleyball or beach gacha gooner-bait. Stop it.

After 15 years of being a Tekken fan, I have to say DOA has become the better game. Its inputs are simple, but the fight overall is faster and more dynamic. The combat isn't about memorization like Tekken is.

Instead DOA focuses heavily on reversals and combo breakers. I'm sad to say that tekken is falling into a street fighter loop where the faster and more responsive characters are the overall winner. Here in DOA, every character can win just through patience alone -- rushing or starting with a low attack can be a player's doom.

DOA is the better game.

nice game