DOA4 delay déjà vu

Dead or Alive 4 for the Xbox 360 is coming out later than expected...again. Online retailers are listing the game as releasing on December 28, 2005, almost a week after it was last projected to hit stores.

All is not lost for fans of the franchise's battling buxom beauties. Tecmo's Web site still shows the game as having a "Holiday 2005" release date, giving the company 12 more days to make good on its word.

DOA4 was originally scheduled to be both a North American and Japanese Xbox 360 launch title, but has since been in a holding pattern for nearly a month. Tecmo previously cited online issues as reason for the delay in Japan.

Perhaps to appease its rabid fan base, the company is offering those who preorder the game from its Web site a free Dead or Alive 4 2006 calendar, which will hopefully still be useful by the time the game does come out.