Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate (also known as DOA5 Ultimate) is an expanded version of Dead or Alive 5 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It includes the new features from Dead or Alive 5+, as well as new/returning characters and stages.
The game was released in September 2013. An arcade version titled Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate Arcade (デッドオアアライブ5 アルティメット アーケード Deddo oa Araibu Faibu Arutimetto Ākēdo) was released in Japan on December 24, 2013.
It was followed by Dead or Alive 5 Last Round in February 2015.
Pre-Release[]
On April 28, 2013, a new Dead or Alive 5 project for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and was teased. The trailer revealed the addition of Momiji and a Ninja Gaiden themed stage, Sky City Tokyo.
On May 7, the name of the new game was revealed to be Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate. The game will be released in September 2013, and will include the new additions from Dead or Alive 5+, including the tutorial mode, custom soundtracks, and new costumes. On May 9, another new trailer showed a battle between Kasumi and Momiji. At the end, there is a snippet of Leon in the desert. On May 21st, Famitsu revealed the return of Ein, the addition of Virtua Fighter's Jacky Bryant, and the Lost World stage from Dead or Alive 3. New screenshots released May 23rd also showed the return of the Forest stage.
On June 3rd, it was clarified that Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate will not be able to fight against the original Dead or Alive 5 or Plus online, because of new moves such as the Power Launcher and changes to netcode. A new trailer shown June 11th confirmed Leon and the Desert Wasteland stage, Rachel from Ninja Gaiden and the new Aircraft Carrier stage, and many new costumes. After revealing Leon and Rachel, Ultimate's roster has been fully announced.[1] On June 23rd, it was confirmed that the Custom Soundtrack will also include BGM from Dead or Alive 2 and Dead or Alive 3 (in addition to 4 and 5 in Plus), and that online 2v2 Tag Mode will be included.[2]
On July 18th, Famitsu revealed the return of Team Battle Mode with maximum 7v7 matches, a more detailed tutorial mode, and additional content for Survival Mode (item drops and health recovery).[3]
Characters[]
Returning playable characters[]
- Kasumi, a former member of the legendary Mugen Tenshin clan. After a certain incident involving her older brother and uncle, she abandoned her clan and became a nukenin ("missing shinobi"). Since the previous tournament, Kasumi has been on a quest to find and destroy her clone, Alpha-152.
- Ayane, the brilliant master of the Hajinmon sect, the "dark side" of the Mugen Tenshin clan. Following the orders of her clan master and older half-brother, Hayate, Ayane pursues her half-sister, Kasumi, in the shadows.
- Hayate, the older brother of Kasumi and the respected eighteenth leader of the Mugen Tenshin clan, with techniques fit for his ordained position. After the destruction of DOATEC, Hayate now seeks to find Victor Donovan, the man behind his and his family's previous misfortunes.
- Ryu Hayabusa, a super shinobi of the ancient Hayabusa clan with a strength that has been recounted in numerous tales. A longtime friend of Hayate, Hayabusa is now assisting him and Ayane find Donovan.
- Helena Douglas, the youthful leader of the enormous DOATEC conglomerate. Though the company was once involved in the development of terrifying biological weapons, Helena is seeking to start anew by hosting the fifth Dead or Alive Tournament.
- Christie, a woman who is cold-blooded, ruthless, and an expert in the snake fist style. With the perfect qualities for her profession as an assassin, Christie has once again been hired by Donovan, this time as an agent for his new organization, MIST.
- La Mariposa, an acrobatic luchadora and Tina's main rival during her professional wrestling career. In reality, thought, she is a former DOATEC researcher named Lisa Hamilton, and she and Tina are close friends. Though fighting against him in the previous tournament, Lisa is now, for unknown reasons, working as a MIST scientist for Donovan.
- Hitomi, a beautiful world-class fighter born to a Japanese mother and strict German father, who taught his daughter karate from an early age. Two years ago, she fell in love with Ein, the persona Hayate took on when he lost his memory. However, after he recovered his memories and returned to being Hayate, Hitomi's love has seemed to be no more.
- Bayman, a man of few words who used to be an assassin. Being a man who carries out his tasks with the utmost perfection, Bayman now works as a mercenary soldier on the battlefield. During his latest mission, Bayman and his men were attacked by an unknown cloaked figure, and though Bayman was left with just a permanent scar, his men were murdered. Believing his attacker to be connected to either DOATEC or Donovan, Bayman now seeks to find the culprit.
- Kokoro, a positive and cheerful young lady who has mastered the martial art ba ji quan. Her performance of the various forms of the art display a unity of suppleness and strength. When not fighting, she devotes herself to training as a geisha. Unbeknownst to her, Kokoro is the second illegitimate daughter of Fame Douglas, thus making her the half-sister of Helena.
- Jann Lee, a master of Jeet Kune Do who has been nicknamed "the Dragon" due to his excellent strikes. Jann Lee constantly seeks to test himself against the most fearsome opponents and has once again entered the tournament to do such a task.
- Leifang, a master of t'ai chi quan who was raised in a wealthy family. Known for being quite stubborn, Leifang constantly trains herself to defeat Jann Lee, the man who once saved her from harm eight years ago.
- Tina Armstrong, the daughter of legendary professional wrestler, Bass Armstrong. Despite her father's intentions to raise her as a champion wrestler, Tina has pursed her own dreams in life, becoming a model, actress, and rock star. Recently however, after her encounter with MMA fighter Mila, Tina realizes that she misses the thrill of the ring, and enters the tournament to quench this feeling.
- Bass Armstrong, an immensely powerful former professional wrestler who always worries about his only daughter Tina, born to his late wife Alicia. Whilst working as an oil platform engineer at DIG, Bass discovers that discovers is entering the fifth tournament. Possibly worried that Tina is up to her odd tricks again, Bass enters the tournament as well, but this time as the masked wrestler Mr. Strong.
- Zack, a funky DJ with a positive attitude and original sense of style, Zack has incredible fighting instincts and learned Muay Thai just by imitation. After saving Helena from death, Zack is working beside her to rebuild DOATEC and organize the fifth tournament.
- Eliot, Gen Fu's only apprentice and a practitioner of xing yi quan. Aware of his immaturity as a fighter, Eliot has left his mentor and set out on a journey of self-improvement. When the fifth tournament is announced, Eliot's unwanted traveling companion, Brad Wong, convinces him to enter.
- Gen Fu, an old mentor who was once considered to be a fighting legend. After earning enough money to pay for his granddaughter's medical treatment, Gen Fu agreed to take Eliot on as an apprentice. One day however, after noticing his student's self-doubt, Gen Fu sends Eliot off on a journey of self-improvement.
- Brad Wong, a master of the zui quan style who is usually found popping up at a bar somewhere. For some unknown reason, Brad has tagged along on Eliot's journey of self-improvement, much to the latter's annoyance.
- Rig, a natural born fighter who has used his powerful instincts to master his own style of taekwondo. Having no clue about his real name or where he came from, his colleagues simply call him "Rig". Running the DIG oil platform from a young age, Rig happily works side-by-side with his colleagues, especially the newest worker, Bass. Recently, a mysterious woman named Christie has entered Rig's life and seems to know about his past.
- Mila, an up-and-coming mixed martial arts champion who has scored spectacular victories all over the world. Since her youth, Mila has been a big fan of Bass, who she feels an intense admiration towards, and her dream is to take on her idol in the ring. Whilst working as a part-time waitress in New York City, Mila meets Zack, who convinces her to enter the tournament.
- Alpha-152, an artificial life form given the shape of a transparent woman. This hyper clone of Kasumi was created under the orders of Donovan and after fleeing from DOATEC during the fourth tournament, the clone is currently being pursued by Kasumi.
- Ein, a man who was discovered deep within the Black Forest of Germany by Hitomi. Without any memory of his past, Ein was taken by Hitomi's family and trained in karate by her father. During the second tournament, Ein eventually learned his true identity as Hayate, Kasumi's brother, and of his kidnapping by DOATEC for the purpose of human research in what was dubbed "Project Epsilon".
- Leon, a mercenary whose lover, Lauren, died in his arms during a battle in the desert. Her final words to him were, "The man I love is the strongest man in the world...," and it is with these words that Leon lives by and fights for, everyday of his life.
New playable characters[]
- Momiji, a kunoichi of the Hayabusa clan and the last Dragon Shrine Maiden, who is beloved by the children of the village and acts as a big sister figure to them. Hayabusa began training Momiji in ninjutsu and aikijutsu when she was discovered to have a natural talent for fighting, and now enters the tournament in order to try out hand-and-hand combat and put what she has learned to the test.
- Rachel, a young woman from the Holy Vigoor Empire whose purpose in life is to eradicate fiends. As she herself has fiend heritage, Rachel's beauty belies a dangerous strength. Although her cool demeanor may not show it, Rachel is enjoying the DOA fights, as she can put her fighting skills to use other than for fiend hunting.
DLC characters[]
- Note: These characters are DLC in the console versions and fully playable in the arcade version.
- Marie Rose, the servant of Helena whose devilish smile hides her secrets and keeps her shrouded in mystery. Despite her sweet and childlike appearance, Marie Rose is a formidable fighter in the Russian martial art of Systema.
- Phase 4, the human weapon who is a prototype of the Kasumi Alpha Phase 4 project's final model, which is slated for mass production. The clone features a functioning human memory and soul; however, exhaustive testing has shown her to be resigned to her fate, never resisting combat orders. Due to this conflict of conscience, Phase 4's existence is filled with sorrow. It is revealed that Phase 4 was the one who attacked Bayman and his fellow soldiers.
- Nyotengu, a mysterious and beautiful tengu whose legends have been passed down from ages old in the depths of Japan's mountains. It is said that Nyotengu has descended into the human realm out of simple boredom, though her true motives are still unknown to anyone.
Story Mode characters[]
- False Kasumi, a clone of Kasumi who was created by Donovan and MIST. Unlike the previous clones made from Kasumi's DNA, this clone truly believes that she is the real Kasumi and just like the original, desires to seek out Alpha-152.
Guest characters[]
- Akira Yuki, a descendant of the founder of the Yuki Budokan, Akira has been taught his own unique style based on ba ji quan. Akira spends his days training to become the greatest martial artist in the world, and has always entered the World Fighting Tournaments as a way to test himself.
- Jacky Bryant, an Indy car racer and the older brother of Sarah Bryant. When Sarah was being targeted by the mysterious organization J6, Jacky resolved to take them down in order to protect his sister. Now he is taking part in a new kind of fight as he collects information to prepare for the inevitable showdown with J6.
- Sarah Bryant, a young woman who whilst attempting to investigate the accident involving her older brother, Jacky, she was captured by J6 (Judgment 6) and brainwashed. Although she was later rescued by Jacky, the effects of J6's brainwashing remain buried deep within the recesses of her mind.
- Pai Chan, a famous actress from Hong Kong who has received special instruction in martial arts from her father, Lau Chan, since early childhood. Though she once hated her father, Pai's attitude towards him has softened after she watched him suffer with illness in his twilight years.
Non-playable characters[]
- Miyako, the leader of DOATEC Japan and the mother of Kokoro. Though having a high position of power at DOATEC, Miyako seems to have mysterious connections with MIST and may be working against Helena and the company. To this day, Miyako still keeps secret from her daughter the truth about her work and the identity of Kokoro's father.
- Muramasa, a legendary weapon smith and shop owner who has aided Hayabusa in the past. Throughout the fifth tournament, Muramasa looks after the real Kasumi in secret until Hayabusa sends for her.
- Victor Donovan, the man behind all of the misgivings of the Mugen Tenshin clan and the previous tournaments. With the creation of his new organization, MIST, Donovan heads the next stage of Project Alpha, codenamed the "Kasumi Alpha Phase 4" project, and plans to create the ultimate human weapon using Kasumi's DNA.
Note: All characters are unlocked from the start. As Story Mode is unchanged, the new characters don't have their own chapters.[4] Marie Rose was added to console versions as DLC in March 2014, Phase 4 was added in June 2014,and Nyotengu was added in September 2014.
Stages[]
Returning from Dead or Alive 5
- Dead or Alive / Arrival
- Depth
- Dojo
- The Ends of the Earth
- Fighting Entertainment
- Flow > Primal
- Fuel
- Home
- Hot Zone
- Lab
- Sanctuary
- Temple of the Dragon > Sakura
- Scramble
- The Show / Coming Soon / The Tiger Show
- Street
- Sweat
- Zack Island
New in Ultimate
- Aircraft Carrier - A tag stage on the deck of a giant aircraft carrier.
- Desert Wasteland - The desert remnants of an abandoned city, similar to the outside area of the Rub' al Khali desert stage of Ninja Gaiden 3 (2012).
- Forest - A Japanese forest in Autumn, returns from Dead or Alive 3.
- Haunted Lorelei - A German castle at night, returns from Dead or Alive 3, updated with a Halloween theme. (Included in Patch 1.03)
- Lorelei - The returning stage from Dead or Alive 3 with normal designs. (Included in Patch 1.05)
- Lost World - An infinite stage with stone pillars and waterfalls, returns from Dead or Alive 3.
- Sky City Tokyo - The first stage of Ninja Gaiden II (2008) and Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, Tokyo in the near-future.
All stages are available from the start, except in the Core Fighters release where some must be unlocked:
Stage | Obtained |
---|---|
Forest | Fight with friends in 50 Lobby Matches |
Lost World | Fight with friends in 100 Lobby Matches |
Desert Wasteland | Fight in 150 Ranked Matches |
Aircraft Carrier | Fight in 100 Ranked Matches (tag) |
Sky City Tokyo | Fight in 250 Ranked Matches |
Costumes[]
- Main article: Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate/Costumes
Most characters received one new costume, with Ayane, Hitomi, Kasumi, Kokoro, Leifang and Tina receiving two. The "training dummy" outfits from Dead or Alive 5+ are included, and several more costumes are available as DLC.
- Akira: VF5 costume D.
- Alpha-152: Dark purple.
- Ayane:
- NG3RE "Infiltrator" costume.
- NGS2 "Blossom of Miyama" costume.
- Bass: (Mr. Strong) Silver and blue spiked wrestling outfit.
- Bayman: DOA1 outfit with green beret, brown t-shirt.
- Brad: Cowboy outfit in green and brown.
- Christie: Policewoman's uniform in black.
- Eliot: Black hoodie with cat ears, red-and-black striped top.
- Gen Fu: DOA1 yellow Hawaiian shirt, beige shorts, sandals, straw hat and sunglasses.
- Hayate: Masked black ninja outfit with white scarf.
- Helena: Beige "DOATEC" uniform.
- Hitomi:
- Signature denim jacket and jeans, shown with a ponytail.
- Sleeveless white blouse with beige skirt, thigh-high argyle socks.
- Jann Lee: DOA1 white suit with red tie.
- Kasumi:
- Blue argyle sweater and beige skirt.
- DOA1 red and white ninja outfit.
- Kokoro:
- White tank top with black skirt, gloves and boots. Shown with side ponytail.
- DOA4 white tank top, brown skirt and boots, yellow scarf.
- Leifang:
- Orange-and-white striped dress with pigtails.
- Blue-and-white striped blouse, beige skirt.
- Lisa: Nurse's uniform in white.
- Mila: Red jacket with white t-shirt, white "Victoria" visor, and denim shorts.
- Pai: VF5 costume D, shown with short hair.
- Rig: Shirtless, black bandanna, black-and-grey striped pants.
- Ryu Hayabusa: NG3RE "Spirit of the Fighter" costume.
- Sarah: VF5 costume D.
- Tina:
- Signature DOA2 silver and black wrestling outfit.
- White top, black shorts and boots, black "DOA" cap.
- Zack: Light blue hoodie, black cap and sunglasses, jeans.
Downloadable Content[]
- Main article: Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate/Downloadable Content
Downloadable content purchased for Dead or Alive 5 will work in Ultimate. Some costumes that were previously DLC are included as unlockables:[5]
- Costume Pack Round 1
- Costume Pack Round 2: Kitty Pack, What a Character, Special Set
- Costume Pack Round 4: Angels, Devils, DOATEC Divas
- Costume Pack Round 5: China Pack, Special Set 3, Formal Wear
- Costume Pack Round 9: Fighter Pack
Preorders of the Japanese version included a new set of pop idol costumes, chosen by popular vote.[6] All preorders included Team D (Kasumi and Ayane), and depending on the retailer, either Team O (Hitomi, Kokoro, Leifang and Mila) or Team A (Christie, Helena, Lisa, Momiji, Rachel and Tina). In North America, preorders from GameStop included Teams D and A, while Amazon included Team O.
The Japanese Collector's Edition includes fourteen new swimsuits for characters.
Musou Orochi 2 Ultimate Collaboration Costumes[]
Those who purchase first-print versions of the game Musou Orochi 2 Ultimate will receive a downloadable serial code for Warriors Orochi-inspired costumes for the following characters:
- Kasumi dressed as Gracia.
- Ayane dressed as Wang Yuanji.
- Momiji dressed as Sanzang.
As there is no Xbox 360 version of Musou Orochi 2 Ultimate, these costumes were made available later on the Japanese Xbox Marketplace, followed by an international release.
Production credits[]
- See: /Production credits
Development[]
Previously in 2012, the series' producer Yosuke Hayashi has stated they will not be releasing additional characters or stages as DLC for the original version of DOA5, as Team Ninja views it as unfair to players who cannot afford to pay for the DLC and because it will make it harder to balance the game.[7] A teaser trailer showing Momiji in a new version of DOA5 was shown on April 28, 2013 at a Playse event in Tokyo.[8] On May 8, Famitsu revealed it as Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate, set to be released sometime in fall 2013, and to include all of new content from Dead or Alive 5 Plus and to feature more characters and stages. Later that same month, the launch date was announced as September 3, 2013.
The game's director Yohei Shimbori said: "Since we launched Dead or Alive 5, we received a lot of feedback from fans around the world. DoA5 Ultimate is a reflection of that feedback we received." He added: "We received a lot of feedback on stages, and we've really heard our fans loud and clear on what they wanted." The most requested stages to make a comeback included the Forest and Lost World stages from Dead or Alive 3; another popular request was for a stage with an uneven grounding, resulting in the creation of the Desert Wasteland stage. Team Ninja has held contests to design DLC costumes.[9][10]
Releases[]
Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate is available as both a retail title and digital download.
Core Fighters[]
A free-to-play version titled Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate: Core Fighters is available on the PlayStation Store.[11] Players are limited to four characters; Kasumi, Ayane, Ryu Hayabusa, and Hayate. The rest can be purchased for $3.99 each, or as a bundle for $34.99. Marie Rose was the first to be sold alone for $5.99.
All modes are available, except for Story Mode, which can be purchased for $14.99. Players of Core Fighters are able to fight against those with the full version in online matches. There are no plans to make this available on Xbox 360.
Japanese Collector's Edition[]
The standard Japanese Collector's Edition retails for ¥11,340, and includes "Ultimate Sexy Costumes" download code for fourteen characters, the DEAD OR ALIVE 5 Original Soundtrack vol.3 CD, and a "Kasumi-chan Blue" mousepad.[12] It also includes a Momiji mousepad, as well as two bathroom posters depicting Momiji and Kasumi in their Marlin and Violet bikinis, respectively.[13]
Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate Arcade[]
It has recently been announced that in Japan, Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate will be made available in arcades.[14] It will run on Sega's RingEdge 2 hardware, and be distributed digitally through the ALL.NET+ Multi Ver. 2 network. This will be the first arcade release for the series since Dead or Alive 2 Millennium in January 2000. This version will also include a new character, Marie Rose. Phase 4, another new character, was added in Spring 2014, with Nyotengu to follow in June.
Reception[]
Before the game's release, Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate was given "Best Fighting Game" by PSU's Gamescom 2013 Awards.[15]
Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate received "generally favorable" reviews on Metacritic getting a metascore of 77/100 on PS3[16] and 75/100 on Xbox 360.[17]
Promotional Trailers[]
Announcement Trailers |
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DLC Trailers |
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Promotional Images[]
Teaser Pictures from Twitter |
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Packaging artwork[]
Trivia[]
- In the Dead or Alive 5 alpha demo, the lifebars were silver. The final release changed them to blue. In Ultimate they are changed again, to gold. Also in Last Round they are changed another time, to blue and green mixed together.
- One of the new additions is a random select for costumes.
- With a grand total 29, and 32 after the Ver. 1.08 console update in September 2014, Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate has the most playable characters in the entire series. The game also has the largest number of stages in a single Dead or Alive game.
- The game has the most guest characters and, ultimately, the most new characters to be present in a single game.
- Some of the female fighters like Hitomi and Kokoro have their hair animations fixed in this installment. Their hair is able to move while laying on their stomachs and shaking their heads when KO'd, whereas previously it would stay still. This fix is also in the follow up, Dead or Alive 5 Last Round.
See Also[]
External Links[]
References[]
- ↑ Siliconera - "Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate Momiji Has A Double Jump, Rachel Is A Heavy Hitter"
- ↑ sgcafe - "Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate will support up to 4 simultaneous players in its 2v2 online Tag mode"
- ↑ FreeStepDodge - "New Famitsu Screenshot and info (July 18)"
- ↑ YouTube - "Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate - E3 2013 Stage Demo"
- ↑ Official website - "DEAD OR ALIVE 5 ULTIMATE|FEATURES"
- ↑ Gamecity - "DEAD OR ALIVE 5 選抜総選挙"
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ [2]
- ↑ [3]
- ↑ [4]
- ↑ Official website - "DEAD OR ALIVE 5 ULTIMATE|FTP"
- ↑ Amazon.co.jp - "Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate Collector's Edition
- ↑ http://www.dualshockers.com/2013/07/16/dead-or-alive-5-ultimates-collectors-edition-puts-two-sexy-posters-in-your-bathroom/
- ↑ Siliconera - "Dead or Alive Returns To Japanese Arcades After A 13-Year Absence"
- ↑ PlayStation Universe - "Gamescom 2013 Awards: Best Fighting Game"
- ↑ Metascore for Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate on PS3Metacritic, Retrieved April 6, 2020
- ↑ Metascore for Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate on Xbox 360Metacritic, Retrieved April 6, 2020