Dead or Alive 5

Unreleased

Dead or Alive 5 (デッド・オア・アライブ・ファイブ, Deddo oa Araibu Faibu) will be the fifth main versus-fighting installment in the Dead or Alive series. It will be the first main title of the series to be released in seven years, following on from Dead or Alive 4 in 2005, and the twelfth game in the overall series.

Dead or Alive 5 is being developed and produced by Team Ninja for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Due to a new partnership formed between Tecmo Koei and the Sega Corporation, Sega will be handling the publication and distribution of the title in Europe while Tecmo Koei will publish it in all other regions.

There is a possibility of a release for the upcoming Nintendo console, the Wii U, but nothing has been confirmed yet.

Announced on September 14, 2011, Dead or Alive 5 is going to have a September 2012 simultaneous release in both NTSC and PAL territories.

Early Release Rumors
For about half a decade, Dead or Alive 5 had an uneasy conception, and the possibility of the game even being released seemed very unlikely at some points.

In 2006, after the release of Dead or Alive 4, series creator Tomonobu Itagaki stated in an interview with 1UP.com that he had the first concepts for Dead or Alive 5 in mind. However, two years later, in an interview with CVG, Itagaki was asked about the Dead or Alive series and he replied: "This is another area that me and my closest colleagues all agree that we were able to achieve the definitive fighting game with "Dead or Alive 4". So we're not looking to extend the series at this point."

Even if he did have Dead or Alive 5 in the planning stages, Itagaki had sued Tecmo and resigned from the company in 2008, along with several other colleagues, and he stated that this would lead to the end of production for Dead or Alive 5 and its series. However, Tecmo replied with the announcement that Team Ninja would not be dissolved upon Itagaki's departure, stating that both the Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive franchises would remain in production, and "some projects were already underway."

Two years after Itagaki's departure from the company, Team Ninja released Dead or Alive Paradise in 2010, and Dead or Alive: Dimensions in May 2011.

In April 2011, the current head of Team Ninja, Yosuke Hayashi told Eurogamer that after Dead or Alive: Dimensions received "positive feedback and responses from consumers" there was definitely a future for the series. When asked "Will Dead or Alive 5 appear on home consoles, including the and ?", Hayashi replied that Team Ninja "will take that into consideration", hinting that Dead or Alive 5 or another Dead or Alive game could be developed in the future. To back up the possibility of a sequel, the story campaign of Dimensions finished on a cliffhanger scene.

Official Announcement
On September 9th, 2011, Team Ninja announced on their official Twitter feed that they would be appearing at the Tokyo Game Show 2011, for the playable debut of Ninja Gaiden 3, as well as to showcase a new game.

On September 14, 2011, Team Ninja revealed Dead or Alive 5 during a pre-TGS press event, and showed media personnel a brief gameplay demonstration, featuring Hayate and Ryu Hayabusa fighting in a new stage, Scramble, and a promotional image showing the lower half of a female fighter's face, with the text "I'm a Fighter" superimposed over the image. Most fans believe that the woman in the image is Kasumi, however others said it could be Hitomi, or even the two girls merged together. The identity of the woman hasn't been officially stated. Team Ninja also announced that this game would have a multi-platform release for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

During the demo, Team Ninja was quoted saying that the stages in Dead or Alive 5 will no longer be "sidekicks" to the action, but critical parts of the competitive experience, with the whole game revolving around the theme "fighting entertainment." At the time of the announcement, the game was only at "pre-alpha" stages of development.

Shortly after its reveal, an official website for Dead or Alive 5 was opened.

September 2011 - November 2011
Due to a misunderstanding, or a mistranslation, false rumors got out that the PlayStation 3 version of Dead or Alive 5 would support the console's motion control system, the PlayStation Move. However, there is no official evidence showing that the game will support Move.

On September 18th, 2011, Famitsu, a Japanese gaming publication, quoted the following Yousuke Hayashi and Team Ninja's views of motion control consoles: "Hayashi said that Move is good for 'giving the players the feeling that they are Ryu Hayabusa.' With Kinect, on the other hand, Team Ninja 'felt that it's difficult to give the feeling of swinging a katana.'"

While the quote was obviously about Ninja Gaiden 3 (in which the player-character uses a katana), Andriasang, who are known for publishing English translations of Japanese gaming articles, stated it was about Dead or Alive 5 instead. IGN followed up the story with an article of their own, and N4G soon followed. However, since then, Andriasang and IGN have taken down their articles on the subject.

December 2011 - February 2012
On December 7th, 2011, it was announced in a preview article by Famitsu magazine that Dead or Alive 5 was "15% complete".

On the same day, Team Ninja held a press event in San Francisco to talk about their up-coming games, including Dead or Alive 5, with a playable demo of the game made available for media staff to try out. During the event, gameplay elements including information about Power Blows were given, and Ayane and Hitomi were confirmed as returning playable characters.

In a interview with GamesBeat, published on December 9, 2011, Yosuke Hayashi talked about using additional downloadable content "as a way to add more stuff and increase the longevity of the title, if [Team Ninja are] adding stuff later [they] think that [...] fans will enjoy", hinting at the possibility of DLC from Dead or Alive 5 for after the game is released.

On February 8th, 2012, it was announced that Team Ninja would be hosting a series of press events over two weeks in various locations across the world, in order to showcase the alpha demo of Dead or Alive 5, as well as Ninja Gaiden 3 and Ninja Gaiden Sigma PLUS. It started on February 9th, 2012, in New York City, followed with European visits to London, Hamburg, Paris, Madrid, Milan, and Stockholm.

March 2012 - May 2012
On March 1st, 2012, Team Ninja released a teaser image of Kasumi's arm via their official Twitter feed, confirming her appearance in Dead or Alive 5, while stating that they will follow up with a proper image of her the following week. The same day, they also confirmed that they will be showing a new trailer, and that the Western release of Dead or Alive 5 will feature a English voice cast, making this the fifth game in the series to have English voice acting.

On March 5th, 2012, the official Dead or Alive 5 website was update, with a page for screenshots and a new gameplay trailer. The first half of the trailer showed a fight on a platform in the middle of rapid-moving waters between Ayane and Kasumi, marking the latter's first official appearance for Dead or Alive 5, and confirming her role as a playable character. The second half moved onto a fight in the same location, between Kasumi and Akira Yuki, the mascot of Sega's Virtua Fighter series. This confirmed that Akira will be a guest playable character for Dead or Alive 5.

On March 5th and 6th, 2012, Tecmo Koei and Team Ninja announced a September 2012 simultaneous release date for the NTSC and PAL version of the game for both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

On March 14, 2012, a new trailer was released. While it featured the same stage from the first trailer, this time it featured a fight between Ayane and Hitomi. On March 19, 2012, the official website was updated with a basic gameplay manual and a survey to go along side the demo being released with special editions of Ninja Gaiden 3.

On April 23, 2012, it was revealed via Team Ninja's Twitter feed that two characters would be revealed during this week. Three days later, on April 26, Famitsu magazine released a article about Dead or Alive 5, revealing Christie and Bayman, confirming them for the game. At 3pm GTM the same day, Tecmo Koei released a gameplay trailer of Christie and Bayman fighting in a new stage known as Hot Zone.

On May 10, 2012, an article by Siliconera revealed that Tecmo Koei aim to sell one million copies of Dead or Alive 5, and that they will be releasing paid downloadable content for the title, which they had done for their other core titles, such as Ninja Gaiden 3 and Warriors Orochi 3. Details on the DLC have yet to be revealed.

On May 23, 2012, Lei Fang and Zack were confirmed for Dead or Alive 5 in another Famitsu magazine article. The article showed a render of Lei Fang, and screenshots of the two fighters battling it out in a circus-themed arena called The Show. The following day, at 5pm GMT, Tecmo Koei released a gameplay trailer featuring Lei Fang and Zack.

Tecmo Koei attended London MCM Expo, which ran for a three-day weekend from May 25, 2012, to the 27th. The company were there to showcase their latest releases, including Dead or Alive 5, with a number of consoles set up so the public may play the demo version of the game. On the 26th, a Dead or Alive 5 tournament was held on the Gamespot stage, with 32 entries. The tournament winner was a player known as Messy, who was also the Dead or Alive 4 TGS champion.

"Make Your Move!" Contest
On October 28, 2011, Team Ninja announced a contest via their official Dead or Alive Facebook page. The contest invited anyone to create and submit examples of their own fighting moves, and from those entered, one or possibly more would be picked and be worked into the final version of Dead or Alive 5. The creators of the moves will also have their name in the credits.

The contest ended November 18, 2011, although the application form for entry was still active for a few days afterwards. It's unknown when Team Ninja will publish the names of the winners.

It's been reported that over 500 entries had been submitted for the competition, and as of the San Fransisco press event, two entries have been picked to be placed into the game.

Partnership Between Tecmo Koei and Sega
Tecmo Koei Europe have announced a new partnership with the Sega Corporation for Dead or Alive 5, in which the latter will handle the publication and distribution of the game in Europe. This is due to the costs required for marketing and localization in Europe.

As part of the agreement, Dead or Alive 5 will include Akira Yuki, the mascot of Sega's Virtua Fighter series, as an exclusive addition to its roster. There is a possibility of other Virtua Fighter characters joining the roster too.

Playable Demo Release
On December 15, 2011, it was announced that codes for a alpha demo version of Dead or Alive 5 would be included in special editions of Ninja Gaiden 3, which was released March 2012.

The demo is different depending on which edition you buy: the Limited Editions only featured two playable characters - Ayane and Hayate on the PlayStation 3 version, and Hitomi and Ryu on the Xbox 360 version. The Collector's Edition has all four characters on both consoles.

Apart from character choices, all versions of the demos are the same. The demo includes a controls guide via the title screen, and limited changeable options, including choosing between English and Japanese voices in Western versions. Only one-on-one Versus Mode is playable, with all other gameplay mode being locked out.

Since the day of release, to April 29, 2012, there was a online survey active on the official Dead or Alive 5 website, in which Team Ninja asked for feedback from players who had tried out the demo, in order to improve the game for its final release. Questions on the survay included impressions of the fighting system, as well as the demo's graphics and aesthetics.

It's unknown if a free demo will be released for Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network, as it was the case with previous Dead or Alive titles.

Controls Overview
It has been said that the controls for Dead or Alive 5 feel and play very similarly to previous Dead or Alive titles, so if you’ve played the series in the past, Dead or Alive 5 shouldn’t be very difficult to pick up. The overall fighting system is based on the Triangle System, and Mid-kicks and Mid-punches can be advanced held, which is being called "Expert Hold". The Expert Hold looks to be standard for all characters. The alpha demo featured 3-point holds (high, mid, and low), but following feedback, it has been changed to 4-point holds (high, mid-punch, mid-kick, and low). The sidestepping system in the game is apparently similar to that in Dead or Alive 3.1.

Like in Dead or Alive: Dimensions, the player will have the option to view Move Data on screen during fights, and hit effects will be included so the player can tell if a strike hits high, mid or low by the direction of the effect, however this can be turned off.

Power Blows
One new gameplay feature in Dead or Alive 5 is the Power Blow, or Power Move. By holding the right trigger or bumper on the controller, a unique attack can be charged up that will unleash a slow-motion cinematic combo that ends by allowing the player to “aim” where they would like to launch their opponent, including into Danger Zones. Players are able to hold the control for a while to charge the attack.

At the San Fransisco press event, it was revealed that during this cinematic event, while the attacking player could influence where the move would hit, the defending player could react in a way to lessen damage. It was later revealed in Team Ninja's twitter that Power blows would be un-holdable, except by Expert Holds.

Selection Screen Stats
As seen in Alpha demo gameplay footage, while waiting for highlighted characters to load up in the character selection screen, a silhouette of the characters will be shown, with stats over the top - Attack, Throw, Hold, Power, Speed, and Technic - which shows what the fighters are capable of in battle. It's believed that Attack, Throw and Hold relates to the power of strikes, throws and holds respectively, Power could relate to their overall strength or their Power Blows, Speed for how fast they move, and Technic could relate to how difficult it is to learn how to play the character.

Interactive Stages
So far, Team Ninja has spoken about two new assists that will appear in the game. Firstly, the stages will not only act as visual backdrops to accompany the fight but also play to a fighter’s strengths. As a fight progresses, the backdrop will change and interact with players, giving them a different challenge. Changes to the stages will happen as scripted events, and be triggered by player actions, such as one of the fighters being thrown against a Danger Zone.

There will be a new type of Danger Zone called a Cliffhanger. As opposed to simply falling when you get knocked down near empty footing, (e.g. over the edge of a cliff) the opponent has minimal time to recover, while their foe can chose to attack, sending them falling anyway, but with additional damage. These cliffhangers will only appear in certain stages while feature multiple levels.

Downloadable Content
On May 10, 2012, an article by Siliconera revealed that Tecmo Koei will be releasing paid downloadable content for Dead or Alive 5. Details on the DLC have yet to be revealed.

Improved Graphical Detail
Character models have been greatly improved in comparison to previous Dead or Alive titles. The overall designs seen so far have shown to be moving away from the previous anime-like style, with unrealistic proportions such as very large eyes, and now character designs in Dead or Alive 5 look very similar to those in current Ninja Gaiden titles, with a more realistic look.

Toning Down the Sexuality?
GamesRadar pointed out a notable change on new character models; that the female characters are bearing more modest bust sizes and the "breast physics", which make the girls' breasts move and bounce, have been toned down. Formerly, most of the women in the series were sexualized to the point of ridiculousness - specially in the Dead or Alive Xtreme sub-series - however, it appears that the girls seen so far pre-release may have smaller breasts (although this is debatable), and they are wearing new clothing that are less revealing compared to their old costumes, although it's still unknown how they are going to be treated on the final version of the game.

Director Yohei Niibori had stated in a interview with Famitsu magazine on April 29, 2012, that the movement of the female's breasts will differ depending on which costume they happen to be wearing at the time; e.g. a tighter costume or a costume fitted with a bra will result in less movement.

Sweat and Dirt Physics
All character models will also visibly "sweat" as they fight. The more energy they put into a fight, the more sweat will appear. This could result in costumes becoming transparent, but levels of transparency will differ by costume. This cosmetic design is meant to make players feel more involved in the action, and give the fighters on screen a grittier, more realistic design that adds a new layer of depth to the series.

During the San Francisco press event, it also showed fighters becoming dirty during the course of the fight, with mud and dust covering their clothing and skin.

Characters
Also See: List of Dead or Alive 5 Characters

In a interview with the gaming blog Siliconera, published on November 25, 2011, Yosuke Hayashi has confirmed that new characters will be added to the fighter roster for Dead or Alive 5. One guest character has been confirmed.

Returning Characters

 * Ayane
 * Bayman
 * Christie
 * Hayate
 * Hitomi
 * Kasumi
 * Lei Fang
 * Ryu Hayabusa
 * Zack

Guest Characters

 * Akira Yuki

Rumored Characters
On March 23, 2012, user Sectus on the NeoGAF gaming forum published a list of character names found on a executable on the alpha demo of Dead or Alive 5, and stated that there will be at least six costumes per character.

Please note: These names are just rumored and were only found in the demo. Any, if not all of the names could be temporary and none of this has been confirmed as the final roster.

Returning Dead or Alive character names include Alpha-152, Bass, Brad, Eliot, Gen Fu, Helena, Jann Lee, Kokoro, Leon, Lisa and Tina. Two names, Pai and Sarah, could be guest characters from Virtua Fighter. There are also two brand new names: Rig and Mila.

Also See

 * DOA5/Alternate Outfit Datasheets
 * DOA5/Promotional Artwork and Wallpapers

Trivia

 * Dead or Alive 5 will be the first Dead or Alive game for the PlayStation 3, and the third title in the series for a Sony home console. It will also be the fourth game in the series for any type of Sony platform.