Dead or Alive 5 Will be Simple But Entertaining

The fighting game genre has seen a revival in terms of popularity but, according to Dead or Alive developer Team Ninja, not a lot of progress has been made in terms of gameplay, so it’s up to the future Dead or Alive 5 title to deliver more evolved mechanics.

After people almost forgot about classic fighting games, the genre came back in a big way, thanks to Capcom’s Street Fighter IV and, since then, lots of other companies and franchises saw highly successful releases, from Mortal Kombat to Tekken, while others, including SoulCalibur or Dead or Alive, are getting ready to see new installments soon.

This revival of the genre isn’t complete, however, as Team Ninja director Yosuke Hayashi believes that not a lot of progress has been made in terms of actual gameplay, as many titles decided just to replicate the age old recipe seen in classic games.

According to Hayashi, his team didn’t really know where to go after 2005’s Dead or Alive 4, largely because the developers weren’t coming up with any groundbreaking ideas.

"Then we saw Street Fighter IV and the fighting genre come back because in a large part of Capcom and what they were doing,” Hayashi told Siliconera. “For all of the fighting games that came out we looked at them, but there was something wrong. They looked great with updated graphics and had online gameplay, but the gameplay itself hasn't changed. It's still the gameplay we've had for years."

Dead or Alive 5 is going to deliver ‘fighting entertainment’, with players being able to trigger all sorts of cinematic moments and combinations during their actual matches.

"We started to think how can we change the genre. What could we add new and put that into the fighting game? And that's how that idea came out," he added.

This new type of gameplay will be accessible not just by regular gamers but also hardcore players who want to pull off all sorts of crazy move combinations.

"Dead or Alive is different from both of those. We're looking for simple, but deep fighting entertainment. We're not looking to be a technical hardcore fighter. We want a game that a lot of people can have fun with, but people who want that depth can find it. When people watch the second part of the demo that will give players a sense of what we're thinking of when we mean 'fighting entertainment'," concluded Hayashi.

Dead or Alive 5 is scheduled to appear next year for platforms like the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360.