Dead or Alive 3

We’ve always thought of ourselves as lovers, not fighters, but sometimes you’ve gotta hit something, and Tecmo’s free-for-all brawler Dead or Alive 3 is by far the most constructive—and stunning—outlet for baser impulses. Abandoning the cartoonish look that’s bogged down Capcom’s Street Fighter franchise, DOA3 lets you choose from 16 photorealistic brawlers for some virtual dustups. The game earns its black belt for a logical control scheme as well as its interactive environments: Why merely break an opponent’s kneecaps when you can throw him off a rooftop or introduce him—headfirst—to a tree? Though the one-player mode can get a bit stale, it’s saner than picking fights at the local Teamsters hall.