Dead or Alive finding Paradise on PSP

It's nearly bikini season for the girls of Tecmo's Dead or Alive series of fighting games. The assortment of scantily clad femme fatales are returning for another installment in the Dead or Alive Xtreme series, as Tecmo today confirmed it would make its North American return this spring with the launch of Dead or Alive Paradise for the PSP.

As with previous installments of the game on the Xbox and Xbox 360, Dead or Alive Paradise will see gamers spending a two-week vacation on New Zach Island, socializing with the female fighters of Dead or Alive.

Players will be able to choose from nine characters and spend their time playing volleyball and casino minigames, buying the girls' friendship with gifts and taking their pictures for a personal photo album.

This will be the first game in the franchise to arrive in North America since Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 for the Xbox 360 in November of 2006. Released to tepid critical reaction, Xtreme 2's debut was overshadowed by a sexual harassment lawsuit brought against Dead or Alive creator Tomonobu Itagaki by a former coworker. Itagaki subsequently left Tecmo in June 2008 in a dispute over incentive payments.