Free Step Dodge

I miss Itagaki, oof.

He was problematic but I do respect him since without him DOA and Kasumi wouldn't exist :'-(

Itagaki shined Ninja Gaiden. He's not a fighting game developer. He made DOA but it magically turned out good. It's best to say that people should thank "his team" that made DOA.

Itagaki was also the same guy that doesn't want Rachel and Momiji in DOA back on FB. I always found it pretty hilarious that anyone with a Momiji/Rachel avatar mentions "I wish Itagaki was back" so it's like a ball of contradiction lol.

Meh. While he's the creator, we're probably won't see anything beyond DOA4 if he was still in charge.

If qualities you mean Ninja Gaiden, then yeah poor Hayashi.

DOA however -tries to find but couldn't find-.

Tell that to the poor suckers that bought Devil's Third. I think he's overrated and I'm glad he's gone. I love DOA5, so Hayashi is ace in my book.

If there's anything I miss Itagaki for, it's definitely Ninja Gaiden. I'd definitely like to see him back for the NG series even if he doesn't work for the company anymore.

I agree that the gameplay of DOA has been enhanced. Hayashi is good at his job, but there are things I miss about DOA. There are production values that were work on the team, but elements that were missing a bit in 5.

There was more heart to Itagaki's story, more value and beauty to a lot of the stages. They are not the most important things to a fighting game, but his vision meant more to me than Hayashi's.

And Ninja Gaiden is a no-brainer. The third game is a rental, and Ninja Gaiden was a life-changing experience. Ninja Gaiden 2 could have been better, but it was godsend compared to Hayashi's 3. Definitely not an "ace" in that aspect. Though I'm glad Team NINJA countered with Nioh; great comeback.

And when is the last time I've enjoyed listening to game developer interviews? Definitely not one of Hayashi's. Itagaki gave you an enjoyable and honest hands-on with his games and is a highly interesting man. Hayashi is a suit, and that's fine but I sometimes wish he would have picked up the entertainment value of his master.

Speaking of Hayashi, what is he up to these days? I have only heard about Shimbori for a while but not Hayashi.

Only because the information we've received reflects on his side of development... at least that's my guess. We will see Hayashi in all of his glory eventually with an interview.

As much as I think DOA4 is balls as a mechanically, balanced, competitive fighter, the game was pretty ace in almost all the non-competitive aspects of a fighting game. Visually gorgeous for it's era, great music & sound design, solid story and great ending vids for Helena & Ayane. Stage designs were spectacular too (balance is another story haha).

I've always maintained the notion that I'd want Itagaki to handle DOA's story, character roster, visual & stage design, music and production values, but wouldn't want him to get anywhere near the gameplay or balance with a 10-foot pole.

@TricK x DigitaL If it was on PS3 back in the day, that and the system would've been instant day 1 purchase for me but then I had to worry about that almost $600 price tag.

Itagaki believe it or not, does talk and respond to his fanbase on FB. If he was still in the company and people yelled "Please bring back Ninja Gaiden!", we'd probably have a new one already.