DOA5 after 6 months - what worked and what didn't?

[SilverKhaos]

I love everything about DoA5.

I've played fighting games competitively since CvS2, 3S, and SF4 times (in which SF4 is most recent) and I gotta say that I love this game, I have no real complaints about it.

I think it's a really fun game that rewards smart thinking and intense risk vs reward opportunities in every match that pumps your adrenaline. I've played Guilty Gear, Blazblue, Soul Calibur IV, Marvel vs Capcom 3, Mortal Kombat 9, Street Fighter x Tekken, and I gotta say that DoA5 is better than them all, at least for me.

I still love CvS2 and SF4, and DoA5 is probably more fun than SF4 IMO.

That's about how I feel as well.

 

[Mailifang]

Well 6 months later DOA 5 has just been reduced to stress reliever status. I just don't take the game seriously anymore. I'm done with playing fighting games at a high level. I had a good run though.It was fun while it lasted.

Here is my 2 cents on DOA5 after 6 months

The Good

*Graphics:: Even though I might need a new HDMI cable. The graphics seem to go between high to shit definition on more than a few occasions.

* Overall game play and Improved sidestepping:: I spent a week just playing the game offline against the computer on the I'm a fighter difficulty. I figured out why I liked playing fighting games and why I got good at playing them . The reason why is fun. For the last 7 yrs I've been so tied up in FGC BS and high level tournament culture that I lost my way as a fighting game fan and player. I will say that since my reactions are not what they used to be my countering skills suck. Now I just block or sidestep.

* The Stat tracking menu :: Team Ninja took a page out of Sega's book by using stat tracking a la VF.

*The VF characters:: I feel Team Ninja showed some class by reaching out to Sega and making this possible.

*Story Mode:: Other than the questionable script,I enjoyed the Story mode.


The Bad

* Critical Burst and Power Blows :: I might catch hell for this but I don't care. I've been playing this series since it began up til now. I can see why many of the OG,s like these new mechanics but to me they seem completely unnecessary. These game play options also make DOA 5 not play like a DOA game. Over the last 3 or 4 years players in the FGC want more punishment options and damage.Players don't want a match.They want fancy looking combos that kill your life bar after one hit. The Critical Burst and Power Blow options allow this type of play. Many of us have been playing DOA for years without these type of options and did just fine.

* Game play is too offensive :: With the two game play options I listed above as well as DOA 5 still having DOA 4's stun heavy game play quirks. Not to mention that counter holds are a bit more strict in terms timing and do less damage. DOA 5 is one of the few games where you are at a severe disadvantage for being just defensive in general. Only reliable defensive options are blocking, side stepping , and turtling...er cough* using good spacing.
The player with the best offensive pressure, set ups and timely defense wins more often than not. DOA 5 is probably the least mind game heavy of all the DOA games. Counter holds do less damage so offensive players and even button mashers just press buttons without fear of getting countered. I will say that you can punish after a lot of attacks though. But that also feeds into the game being more offense based.

*The Online Netcode.

*Game play glitches and random game inconsistencies:: DOA 5 is the glitchiest DOA game of the series. I had matches where characters would break the 4th wall on stages. Characters running into invisible walls. Attacks wouldn't hit or go through characters even though they are not supposed to by the game play rules. And these were during offline matches.

The Ugly

*Costume DLC:: Sigh

After playing DOA 5 for the past 6 months I just came to the conclusion that I don't really enjoy playing it. Half of that comes from not liking some of the game play options. The other half is that I just don't enjoy playing DOA 5 as much as the earlier games. I am also just jaded with fighting games in general these days. If only fighting games played like this 10 to 15 yrs ago.I probably would've enjoyed playing the game a lot more back then.

 

[SilverKhaos]

1) Players don't want a match.They want fancy looking combos that kill your life bar after one hit.

2) DOA 5 is probably the least mind game heavy of all the DOA games. Counter holds do less damage so offensive players and even button mashers just press buttons without fear of getting countered.

1) That right there is half of the reason why I have very little respect for the FGC as a whole. (The other half being the general elitist/snobbish attitude, especially since it is undeserved for most of them, as most are little more than groupies following around tourney winners). That is where my response of "why play fighters if you don't want to fight" comes from.

And on the topic of CB and Power Blows, they are totally unnecessary, yes. I never find myself using them, simply because they aren't needed. Well, mostly. I do use them as regular moves, as in, uncharged power blows, and I just use CB as another punch. And it would only be a waste using that way if I actually needed CB and Power Blows, which I, and most previous DOA players, don't. It's why having the power blows implented in DOA4 felt so awkward and out-of-place: That's not something that's called for in DOA. DoA doesn't need "super moves".

2) Been pointing out and predicting that little fact since I first heard counter damage was reduced. Lo and behold, turned out to be oh so true. On the plus side, that constant mindless aggression means even more countering opportunities, so the loss of damage from an individual counter is easily made up for by the sheer number of countering opportunities as players stop using their heads and constantly attack now. I win by countering now more than I ever did before because its just CONSTANT countering opportunities, as opposed to looking for the opponent to slip up, like it was in previous games.

I do agree that DOA5 is easily the worst of the series, simply because it is no longer DOA. It is less about mindgames and more about the usual rushdown, which goes against what made DOA great/appealing in the first place. DOA's whole appeal had always been that it's more tactical and more mindgame heavy than most other fighters.

That said, I have taken an extreme liking to Mila, which is literally the ONLY reason I bought the game in the first place, and she continues to be the ONLY reason I ever play this game.

 

[Saber]

DOA4 IS THE BEST IN THE SERIES BECAUSE NOTHING IS GUARANTEED!!!

Bullshit. You want to keep guessing and guessing? You don't want to assure yourself that what you throw out is safe?

Can't argue with that logic.

 

[FlamingMuffin]

* Game play is too offensive :: With the two game play options I listed above as well as DOA 5 still having DOA 4's stun heavy game play quirks. Not to mention that counter holds are a bit more strict in terms timing and do less damage. DOA 5 is one of the few games where you are at a severe disadvantage for being just defensive in general. Only reliable defensive options are blocking, side stepping , and turtling...er cough* using good spacing.
The player with the best offensive pressure, set ups and timely defense wins more often than not. DOA 5 is probably the least mind game heavy of all the DOA games. Counter holds do less damage so offensive players and even button mashers just press buttons without fear of getting countered. I will say that you can punish after a lot of attacks though. But that also feeds into the game being more offense based.

2) Been pointing out and predicting that little fact since I first heard counter damage was reduced. Lo and behold, turned out to be oh so true. On the plus side, that constant mindless aggression means even more countering opportunities, so the loss of damage from an individual counter is easily made up for by the sheer number of countering opportunities as players stop using their heads and constantly attack now. I win by countering now more than I ever did before because its just CONSTANT countering opportunities, as opposed to looking for the opponent to slip up, like it was in previous games.

I do agree that DOA5 is easily the worst of the series, simply because it is no longer DOA. It is less about mindgames and more about the usual rushdown, which goes against what made DOA great/appealing in the first place. DOA's whole appeal had always been that it's more tactical and more mindgame heavy than most other fighters.

What other defensive options do you guys want? Like seriously, right now the defending player (at neutral) can 1) Counter 2) Block 3) Sidestep 4) Crush. In stun, countering still can do too much damage relative to the attacker's move.

Couple this with the fact that the majority of moves are - on block (and some moves are - on hit even) I'd say the offensive player is the one taking the risk in attacking.

DOA4 was (and is) the worst DOA in the series. Did I have fun with it? Yes, as I took it for what it was. Which was not a particularly competitive fighter where as in it was just a constant guess-fest. Did I hit you against the wall? Oh, now I have to guess if you will counter (low vs mid/high) or crumple escape. I hit you against the wall, why should I have to guess yet again?

DOA5 isn't perfect by any stretch, but it's not the worst in the series nor is it a rushdown, offensive fest as you guys are making it out to be. Good luck attacking when you are (almost) constantly negative after being blocked.

 

[Akumasama]

DOA4 was (and is) the worst DOA in the series.

I freaking love DoA5 and I probably wouldn't define it inferior to DoA4 from a pure gameplay point of view, but I still wholeheartedly disagree with the quoted statement.
DoA4 was and still is a great and seriously underestimated game with a lot of potential.

Still, to each his own I guess.

 

[FlamingMuffin]

I freaking love DoA5 and I probably wouldn't define him inferior to DoA4 from a pure gameplay point of view, but I still wholeheartedly disagree with the quoted statement.
DoA4 was and still is a great and seriously underestimated game with a lot of potential.

Still, to each his own I guess.

There are some things I wished carried over into 5 (the online lobby system for instance). But in terms of the fighting game system? DOA5 inherited the DOA4 stun system while adding a few guarantees into the mix. So it's basically 4 with with fewer guesses. (But still nothing like 3/3.1; I've only had experience with 3 though).

I still enjoyed 4, despite it's problems.

 

[Akumasama]

Well, from a gameplay point of view I kinda agree DoA5 is better.
Where DoA4 reigns in on the rest. Features, menus, polishment etc.
I was just saying that from my personal point of view I don't really see that huge of a gap as you want to show from your post, by actually getting to the hyperbole of defining it the worst DoA game of all times.
I respect your opinion but, sorry, I don't agree.

As for the rest of your post, I'm generally not a big fan of guaranteed stuff (DoA5 has more than I'd like, for instance) but I'm not a big fan of the excessive stun game/guesses either.

About DoA3.1 now, I loved the game and I think it still has some of the best stages in the series. Haven't played it to high levels though because of the missing online feature. Not sure if I would define it the best.
If anything I'd dare to say that holds were still way too powerful. Single hold for all mid attacks is a killer, especially in a game like DoA3 where over 50% of a character's repertoire are mid attacks.
It destroyed the variety of combos (both natural and custom) which varied among mid kick and mid punch, and that's a big amount of the game.
Also they did a lot of damage, had really fast recovery when you missed and also had very very generous frames to catch your opponent's blow.
That aspect alone imho greatly limited the otherwise underestimated potential the game had.

 

[FlamingMuffin]

I do not disagree with you about the level of polish. DOA4 is miles ahead (loading times were non-existent, no random black screens during online, variety of stages). Just from a pure gameplay/technical standpoint, I'd say 4 is the worst.

As for 3, counters did more because you basically only had two chances to get it right (initial stun then launch) in most cases. That coupled with the fact throws were also more damaging (and faster IIRC, but definitely could be wrong on this) it made countering a bigger risk.

I'm also not saying 3 is the best in the series, just it offered the least amount of guessing in DOA to date.

 

[dawnbringer]

What other defensive options do you guys want? Like seriously, right now the defending player (at neutral) can 1) Counter 2) Block 3) Sidestep 4) Crush. In stun, countering still can do too much damage relative to the attacker's move.

Do not underestimate importance of defensive options for game balance and strong offence. Powerful defence greatly contributes to powerful offence while keeping it in control. Weak defence accompanies limited offence.

Look at defensive options of Guilty Gear XX series. There are jump, block, instant block (less block stun), faultless defence (no chip, increased pushback), just defence (no chip, super pushback), roman cancel, force roman cancel (for some moves), universal anti-air, instant throw (for close range counter throws), throw break (super hard though), selective air tech, dead angle attack (non-free guard cancel), bursts (combo breakers), and maybe something else. That great variety of defensive options is what makes very powerful offence in the game balanced.

 

[Ghosty-J]

What other defensive options do you guys want? Like seriously, right now the defending player (at neutral) can 1) Counter 2) Block 3) Sidestep 4) Crush. In stun, countering still can do too much damage relative to the attacker's move.

Couple this with the fact that the majority of moves are - on block (and some moves are - on hit even) I'd say the offensive player is the one taking the risk in attacking.

DOA4 was (and is) the worst DOA in the series. Did I have fun with it? Yes, as I took it for what it was. Which was not a particularly competitive fighter where as in it was just a constant guess-fest. Did I hit you against the wall? Oh, now I have to guess if you will counter (low vs mid/high) or crumple escape. I hit you against the wall, why should I have to guess yet again?

DOA5 isn't perfect by any stretch, but it's not the worst in the series nor is it a rushdown, offensive fest as you guys are making it out to be. Good luck attacking when you are (almost) constantly negative after being blocked.

*initiating rant mode*

A thousand times this. DoA5 indeed does have its fair share of problems (as its random nature throughout the entire series still holds up), but this is miles better than DoA4 ever was. I thoroughly enjoyed DoA2 and 3 to bits, and I still think they're fantastic games to this day. DoA4 on the other hand was easily one of the most frustrating 3D-fighting experiences of my entire life. A game where guessing out of nowhere to beat everything being the most dominant over proper planning only leads to a total disaster. It looks really pretty, but it was garbage to its core. Nothing is guaranteed, good offense is hardly ever awarded unless you're lucky, damage for counters were nuts leaving a majority of matches to be cut short, the AI is a load of cheap dung, the stun system was among the most unbearable since nearly everything puts you in a deep stun, and counters and spacing being my only reassurances for maintaining a good defense the way they've been implemented still doesn't help make the game any more fair. Heck, the ENTIRE game itself is the definition of unfair because of all these problems combined making it more random than a fighting game should be.

I'm not going to lie and say I didn't have fun with DoA4, but I did at a certain point given how I've played it non-stop and unlocked everything twice over. But then came its sequel 7 years later. DoA5 IMO has to be the best version of DoA I've ever played next to 3. Not only did the game award good offense and more guaranteed set ups, it also presented a great plethora of defensive options to keep me on edge. Sidestepping being my most favored next to the enhanced spacing options and ability to punish on block. I'm not sure how anyone else could see otherwise, but countering actually feels BALANCED this time around while still encouraging counters to be utilized in your overall playstyle. I don't know what everyone else is looking at, but Hi-Counter Holds can still do a craaaaaapton of damage, and the damage for CH and NH are perfectly fine. The only things I can complain about are the odd nerfing decisions made in the v1.03 patch, its stun mechanics randomizing the gameplay, the stages being mostly brown and dirty instead of vibrant and colorful in the previous games, and the horribly overpriced ugly DLC not worth spending on. But this game is more fun, more fair, and more playable than DoA4 ever was. This was a great step up for DoA as it leads to the series heading into the right direction of building a fair and balanced fighting game. It's not perfect by any means, but I'm going to keep defending this game for as long as I'm playing.

TL;DR: DoA2, 3, and 5 are fantastic games and DoA4's mechanics are only good for using as toilet paper for the pigs


*rant mode ended*

 

[Mailifang]

What other defensive options do you guys want? Like seriously, right now the defending player (at neutral) can 1) Counter 2) Block 3) Sidestep 4) Crush. In stun, countering still can do too much damage relative to the attacker's move.

Couple this with the fact that the majority of moves are - on block (and some moves are - on hit even) I'd say the offensive player is the one taking the risk in attacking.

DOA4 was (and is) the worst DOA in the series. Did I have fun with it? Yes, as I took it for what it was. Which was not a particularly competitive fighter where as in it was just a constant guess-fest. Did I hit you against the wall? Oh, now I have to guess if you will counter (low vs mid/high) or crumple escape. I hit you against the wall, why should I have to guess yet again?

DOA5 isn't perfect by any stretch, but it's not the worst in the series nor is it a rush down, offensive fest as you guys are making it out to be. Good luck attacking when you are (almost) constantly negative after being blocked.

The only reliable forms of defense in DOA 5 (the ones I listed in my previous post) are blocking,sidestepping, and spacing.Even still every move on offense and even defense is a risk. Blocking just a little too much gets you thrown. Quite a few moves track so so you can get hit out of sidestep. Countering in DOA 5 is a bit more strict and doesn't do as much damage.

The only constant I noticed in this game is that a great offense over powers a great defense most of the time. How you play offensively early in the match determines whether you win or lose. In DOA 5 the need for "guessing" or playing mind games has been minimized because now every move or decision you make now has consequences. Sadly DOA 5's defensive options are not robust enough to handle how offensive the game is in general.But that's always been DOA.Its just now you have a bit more options(Critical burst and power blows) to get more guaranteed damage. The aggressive offensive player has more options of getting through the defense, than the defensive player has of stopping the offensive player . You have to have a solid offensive set up to keep your opponent on defense. As long as you stop your opponent from applying any offensive pressure you will have the advantage and most likely when the fight.

DOA as a series has always been a guess-fest.It was a part of the game play structure that is basically rock paper scissors. So far the only way to win or get damage is by attacking even if your constantly negative after being blocked. After about 6 months most of the good to decent players know enough of our characters we main to know which moves gets you punished and which moves don't. Speed with offensive pressure kills in this game. Your execution and game plan always has to be on point. In previous DOA games you could rely on mind games or guess work to win.In DOA 5 the mind games or guess work have been minimized.The game should change its name to P.O.D. (Punish or Die). DOA 5 has many of the offensive standards that many in the FGC love in fighting games these days.

DOA 5 is a good game.Its just not the type of DOA game I prefer to play.

 

[Mailifang]

1) That right there is half of the reason why I have very little respect for the FGC as a whole. (The other half being the general elitist/snobbish attitude, especially since it is undeserved for most of them, as most are little more than groupies following around tourney winners). That is where my response of "why play fighters if you don't want to fight" comes from.

And on the topic of CB and Power Blows, they are totally unnecessary, yes. I never find myself using them, simply because they aren't needed. Well, mostly. I do use them as regular moves, as in, uncharged power blows, and I just use CB as another punch. And it would only be a waste using that way if I actually needed CB and Power Blows, which I, and most previous DOA players, don't. It's why having the power blows implented in DOA4 felt so awkward and out-of-place: That's not something that's called for in DOA. DoA doesn't need "super moves".

2) Been pointing out and predicting that little fact since I first heard counter damage was reduced. Lo and behold, turned out to be oh so true. On the plus side, that constant mindless aggression means even more countering opportunities, so the loss of damage from an individual counter is easily made up for by the sheer number of countering opportunities as players stop using their heads and constantly attack now. I win by countering now more than I ever did before because its just CONSTANT countering opportunities, as opposed to looking for the opponent to slip up, like it was in previous games.

I do agree that DOA5 is easily the worst of the series, simply because it is no longer DOA. It is less about mindgames and more about the usual rushdown, which goes against what made DOA great/appealing in the first place. DOA's whole appeal had always been that it's more tactical and more mindgame heavy than most other fighters.

That said, I have taken an extreme liking to Mila, which is literally the ONLY reason I bought the game in the first place, and she continues to be the ONLY reason I ever play this game.

You make a good point about countering opportunities. Its just the crew I play with has been playing the game enough not to mash. Even still calculated mashing can still get you out of trouble and a few wins.

 

[SilverKhaos]

What other defensive options do you guys want? Like seriously, right now the defending player (at neutral) can 1) Counter 2) Block 3) Sidestep 4) Crush. In stun, countering still can do too much damage relative to the attacker's move.

Couple this with the fact that the majority of moves are - on block (and some moves are - on hit even) I'd say the offensive player is the one taking the risk in attacking.

DOA4 was (and is) the worst DOA in the series. Did I have fun with it? Yes, as I took it for what it was. Which was not a particularly competitive fighter where as in it was just a constant guess-fest. Did I hit you against the wall? Oh, now I have to guess if you will counter (low vs mid/high) or crumple escape. I hit you against the wall, why should I have to guess yet again?

DOA5 isn't perfect by any stretch, but it's not the worst in the series nor is it a rushdown, offensive fest as you guys are making it out to be. Good luck attacking when you are (almost) constantly negative after being blocked.

Like I said, people constantly doing rushdown actually works to a counterers advantage, because its just more opportunities to counter them.

The issue, like Mailifang said, is mostly psychological: Everyone just mindlessly rushes in trying to do guaranteed damage, no longer afraid of being countered due to the small damage taken from counters (as compared to past games, anyway).

In DOAU and DOA4 (didn't get to play DOA3 with that many people, living in the mountains.), fights were more tense and strategic because nobody wanted to get caught by those high damaging counters.

Now though..it's more just more of a routine than any kind of a fight. "They picked this character, so they'll spend the entire match rushing in trying to do this guaranteed damage combo, and i'll either repeatedly counter the beginning of that counter over and over, or i'll slip up and eat it." It's not tense or exciting anymore because of people just rushing in without fear of being countered.

A lot of the variety is killed, as well, due to there being more guaranteed stuff. Before, people mostly needed to just take the damage opportunities when they came up, otherwise spending the fight...yaknow, fighting. Now though, everyone just tries to beeline straight for all the guaranteed stuff. Again, a combination of both there being more guaranteed damage situations, as well as the lack of fear due to counters being reduced in effectiveness.

As for your wall question, here's the answer: Because there's no reason they should lose control of their character just for being put against a wall. They should be at a disadvantage, but not lose (almost) complete control. But that comes back to the original point of "People don't want a match, they just want guaranteed damage and easy wins."


Long story short, DOA didn't have as much rushdown as other fighters did, which is exactly why I loved it. I played DOA to get away from the monotonous routines of other fighters. But now DOA5 has made it so most matches ARE those monotonous routines I used to play DOA to get away from.

 

[SilverKhaos]

DOA4 IS THE BEST IN THE SERIES BECAUSE NOTHING IS GUARANTEED!!!

Bullshit. You want to keep guessing and guessing? You don't want to assure yourself that what you throw out is safe?

Can't argue with that logic.

For me, guaranteed is boring. Precisely because it's guaranteed. There's no risk or challenge. It's just....guaranteed.

And why do I want "safe"? I wouldn't be in a combat scenario if I wanted to be "safe". I want the close calls, and the risk. It's why I'm playing a fighting game. It's why I prefer direct control (battlefield, battlefront) instead of safely managing things from afar (RTS games like C&C).

I enjoy fighting because its NOT guaranteed, the tables could turn on a moments notice, then you'd need to be able to adapt and turn the tables back on them again and so and so forth until somebody gives. I LOVE that. It's a fight, a struggle.

 

[Nightpup]

I enjoy fighting because its NOT guaranteed, the tables could turn on a moments notice, then you'd need to be able to adapt and turn the tables back on them again and so and so forth until somebody gives. I LOVE that. It's a fight, a struggle.

It's also bullshit. If you're on the offensive, you should have the clear advantage. Your enemy is under pressure and needs to be limited in what they can do. Being able to go "lolno" at a moment's notice and completely reverse the situation makes absolutely no sense realistically.

 

[Mailifang]

It's also bullshit. If you're on the offensive, you should have the clear advantage. Your enemy is under pressure and needs to be limited in what they can do. Being able to go "lolno" at a moment's notice and completely reverse the situation makes absolutely no sense realistically.

True.But only to a certain extent.Have you ever been in areal fight ?Sometimes in an actual fight you give your opponent the advantage or make it seem like you are to put yourself in a better situation to mount a counter offensive. That's realistic and DOA game play and mind games in a nutshell.

 

[SilverKhaos]

It's also bullshit. If you're on the offensive, you should have the clear advantage. Your enemy is under pressure and needs to be limited in what they can do. Being able to go "lolno" at a moment's notice and completely reverse the situation makes absolutely no sense realistically.

No. Realistically, that makes total sense. You are rushing down on someone who sees you coming and is waiting in a defensive position. There's no reason why the person on the offensive should have a "clear advantage".

realistically, a fight is back and forth, the guy who rushes in is actually at the disadvantage. Because they are now limited at what they can do (continue rushing in, or stop rushing) while the person on the other hand has a wide variety (dodge, block, counter, grab, counterrush). This is why the general rule of a real life fight is "Don't be the one to throw the first punch unless you can take them OUT with that first punch". An extended arm is an extended risk.

It's only "bullshit" for people who can't adapt or react in order to deal with the back and forth, struggle nature of a fight.

Again, coming back to the "people don't want a fight, they want an easy win".
If you want to play rushdown, that's fine, but you should have to learn to adapt and change it up, because there's no real reason why the person you are rushing should have to just sit there and take it.

 

[SilverKhaos]

True.But only to a certain extent.Have you ever been in areal fight ?Sometimes in an actual fight you give your opponent the advantage or make it seem like you are to put yourself in a better situation to mount a counter offensive. That's realistic and DOA game play and mind games in a nutshell.

Exactly. Bait And Punish is how fights actually work, and why I always loved DOA for being the closest to an actual fight.

 

[Jaguar360]

.

About DoA3.1 now, I loved the game and I think it still has some of the best stages in the series. Haven't played it to high levels though because of the missing online feature. Not sure if I would define it the best.
If anything I'd dare to say that holds were still way too powerful. Single hold for all mid attacks is a killer, especially in a game like DoA3 where over 50% of a character's repertoire are mid attacks.
It destroyed the variety of combos (both natural and custom) which varied among mid kick and mid punch, and that's a big amount of the game.
Also they did a lot of damage, had really fast recovery when you missed and also had very very generous frames to catch your opponent's blow.
That aspect alone imho greatly limited the otherwise underestimated potential the game had.

Really? I think DOA3's holds probably did some of the least damage in the series (as well as the attacks in general).
I like all of the DOA's and Ultimate is probably the best for me as a whole.

• Ultimate has great presentation as a whole with probably the best stages in the series along with DOA3, great music/sound, and excellent graphics. Its gameplay was really good IMO. Holds and environmental damage may have been a bit too high, but not too much.
• DOA3 was probably second-best, purely because the gameplay was so solid. Sometimes I felt like attacks did too little damage, though. It had awesome stages (Azuchi!!!).
• DOA4's attacks did way too much damage (especially holds), but it was still a good game.
• DOA Dimensions toned it down a little bit (especially for holds), but it made me too accustomed to mashing mid hold and Tag Mode and Internet Play were horrible. It's still good, but probably the least good of DOA fighters (I spent most of my time with this game, though).
• Finally, I love DOA5 and it's my third favorite. The damage ratio is excellent IMO and CB and Power Blow are nice additions (especially CB). I think it's right up there with DOA3 and DOAU for being one of the best competitive fighters in the series.

Wow, that was a long post.

EDIT: I made the post easier to read.