"Beating up your friends in a video game has never looked so good – or been so difficult.

“Dead or Alive 4” (Rated M; $59.99) finally arrives for the Xbox 360 with a simple goal: Clobber your opponents before they can return the favor.

You start by choosing from more than a dozen brawlers. Each has strengths, weaknesses and unique fighting styles.

Kokoro, for example, is a young geisha in training who’d rather perfect her Ba Ji Quan combat technique. Bass is an American pro wrestler who looks at home in the ring but can dish out massive damage in any setting.

The game even pays homage to the sci-fi shooter “Halo” with a special character from that game that you can unlock.

But good luck getting to that level. Unless you’re a fighting-game vet, prepare for a grueling training schedule.

In learning how to play this game, I felt like Uma Thurman’s “The Bride” in “Kill Bill: Vol. 2” as she’s beaten down by sadomasochistic master Pai Mei.

I’m not on some lifelong quest to learn the five-point palm exploding-heart technique, but this game left my hands aching and my temper raging.

A trainer system is buried in the menu, but I think a more straightforward beginner’s guide would help newbies." [link]