Dead or Alive 5 Message Board older than one year ago

#deadoralive They've got Virtua Fighter in my Dead or Alive 5! Virtua Sega fighting game poster Akira Yuki is crossing over into the Dead or Alive. I wonder if his pecs will jiggle? More »

Fighting crossovers are all the rage these days, it seems. In a very unexpected announcement, Sega and Tecmo have revealed that one of Virtua Fighter's most iconic characters, Akira Yuki, will be playable in Dead or Alive 5.

The crossing of Dead or Alive and Virtua Fighter would once have been considered anathema, laughable even. The good people at Sega and Tecmo seem to be aware of this, and have thus released a trailer along with the announcement (replete with many stun palms of doom). Behold it above and believe.

Now, if someone could just whip up another Fighters Megamix, we'd be all set.

#deadoralive Like this! The game is featured in the latest OXM report on Inside Xbox. You can either watch the above clip or access it yourself via Xbox Live. More »

Team Ninja boss Yosuke Hayashi says the studio's perspective has changed since Tomonobu Itagaki left in a huff in 2008, and even though most of its 200 staff are original team members, Hayashi is calling them his "new team." The most obvious shift is the new team's focus on creating an emotional experience, rather than eye candy, Hayashi tells Gamasutra.

"The old team was known for making games that just had two primary elements: Sex and violence," Hayashi says. "It was very obvious. The new team, we want to take it to a new level -- to a direction that contains emotional experiences that can move players."

That's right -- Team Ninja wasn't emotionally invested in all the sexy gameplay you had together, and now it's looking for something more meaningful. Hayashi may find his new, more mature gaming experience in a Dead or Alive crossover with Virtua Fighter, a la Street Fighter X Tekken, Edge reports.

"In terms of collaboration titles, there are staff on our team who just love fighting games and if there was any chance to do that we'd actively, possibly do that," Hayashi says.

"The first 3D game I played was Virtua Fighter; that's the IP I respect most. Virtua Fighter was the father of 3D gaming, so it's very well respected."

For now, one thing's certain: The women in Dead or Alive 5 will be more respectable, well-rounded (emotionally) than in previous titles. "We've always had the sex factor in the game; in the past, the female characters had to have big breasts, they had to have scanty dress," Hayashi says. "In DoA 5 especially, we're trying to focus on the real women that surround us: the voice of a female, the mannerisms. We are being realistic about it."

I've always been a fan of the Dead or Alive series. To this day, the story of my colleague Ludwig's visit to The States back in 2007 and how we played DOA 4 for hours straight at our boss' house (much to his chagrin) is one of the fondest memories of my life. It's been too long since I've had my fix, so you can be sure I'm looking forward to Dead or Alive 5.

At a recent event in San Francisco, Team Ninja brought out the first playable build of DOA 5. For fans concerned after Tomonobu Itagaki's departure from Tecmo, and based on the time I've spent with the game, it's a non-issue. Well, mostly.

Earlier this week, Team Ninja set up a temporary dojo in San Francisco to share news and game time with Ninja Gaiden 3 and Dead or Alive 5 on the PlayStation 3. Of particular note was the first hands-on demo of Ninja Gaiden 3’s multiplayer offering in the form of 4v4 Team Deathmatch and Battle Royale modes. It’s a bold move to add a competitive multiplayer mode to a melee-based action game, and I struggled to think of a comparable product out there; it definitely stands on its own in the action genre. My favorite touch: when struck by a deathblow, you can fight off your attacker by mashing the buttons, and then choose to “die with honor” via seppuku.

After a lengthy playtest, we were granted some face-to-face time with the team’s Head Ninja, Yosuke Hayashi. Here we chat PlayStation Move support in NG3, working on the Vita, and how many actual ninja are on Team Ninja:

PlayStation.Blog: A focus at today’s event is multiplayer. The format for successful multiplayer shooters is well established, but there are strikingly few melee-based action games which incorporate 4v4 online multiplayer. What do you think is the core recipe for success?

Yosuke Hayashi, Head, Team Ninja: The Ninja Gaiden series is traditionally for a single player and there’s no multiplayer modes for action games. That is one of the reasons we decided to do so, because there isn’t any such thing in the market.

PSB: There were some cool co-op missions in Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 for PS3. Did that set the stage for this competitive multiplayer mode, and will we see something similar in Ninja Gaiden 3?

YH: NGS2 had a co-op mode, and we’ve always been thinking about adding a multiplayer mode into NG3. Of course, a co-op mode is less difficult to implement than a multiplayer mode. NG3 has a multiplayer competitive mode, as well as a co-op mode, so you can enjoy both.

[It was also revealed at the event that new NGS+ will feature new controls and challenge modes, as well as incorporating some styles and features from Ninja Gaiden 3.]

PSB: At Gamescom this year, you spoke to my colleague James Gallagher about how you were looking to integrate PlayStation Move into Ninja Gaiden 3. How is that coming along?

YH: Ninja Gaiden 3 has a so-called “Hero Mode”, where the system can assist you in protecting your character from attack. Making NG3, we’ve been focusing on the feeling of cutting somebody. By having the Move, that helps the player feel the action of killing someone.

PSB: Sounds like fun. [laughter]

YH: Yes.

PSB: We put out a call about talking to you, and there were a lot of questions about blood and violence in NG3. What’s your take on their importance? Are people too focused on those aspects over the gameplay?

YH: The reason why people focus on the blood on violence is maybe because the ninja has a very cruel aspect. Now we are focusing on the violence, but focusing less on the blood.

PSB: Have new games in this genre, like, say Bayonetta or God of War III, done anything that made you think, “oh, that’d be a great fit for Ryu?”

YH: Games in general have improved and changed a lot since Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, but action games haven’t changed that much. So, we are thinking about making action games, and we are trying to make the genre more updated like other games. That’s why we’re focusing on the story and the online modes.

PSB: Ryu Hayabusa is clearly the focus here in NG3, but will there be other playable characters? In the spirit of the Sigma games, i’m sure many fans would like the option at some point for a different character and the change in gameplay it brings. Personally, I was a fan of Momiji and her halberd weapon in NGS2.

YH: Sigma is kind of a sister game to the Ninja Gaiden series, and after releasing NG3, we may consider releasing a Sigma game for it.

PSB: Will Ninja Gaiden 3 feature 3D support?
YH: We aren’t thinking about supporting 3D, no.

PSB: Please talk about your experience developing Ninja Gaiden Sigma+ for PS Vita.
YH: It’s been a long time since we lauched the first Ninja Gaiden Sigma on the PS3. The new title is called Ninja Gaiden Sigma+, which means we’ll be able to add new things onto the game.

PSB: Finally, how many actual ninjas do you have on Team Ninja?
YH: We have over 200 members on Team Ninja, enough people for the production of Ninja Gaiden 3, Dead or Alive 5, and Ninja Gaiden Sigma+ for Vita — at the same time.

PSB: I think that qualifies you all as ninjas, then.
YH: We have a lot of ninjas. [laughter]

Ninja Gaiden 3 will be out for PS3 in March. Ninja Gaiden Sigma+ will become available for PS Vita in the “launch window,” and before NG3.

There's nothing quite like watching a teenage girl gut punch a hardcore-looking ninja lady. And Team Ninja clearly knows that, showcasing as much in the latest volley of screens from Dead or Alive 5.

#deadoralive Tecmo Koei is working on the latest entry in its fighting game series Dead or Alive, DoA 5. This latest batch of screenshots shows Hitomi and Ayane duking it out. More »

Big boobs. It might sound lewd, but that's where many people's minds go whenever they are asked about the one thing that stands out about the Dead or Alive fighting franchise. The series has long been maligned for casual combat mechanics and stagnant gameplay, opting to focus on the...generous asset...