Hayashi: "[DOA5 is] trying to push the envelope for fighting games"

Eurogamer.net has given the first interview of Dead or Alive 5 with Team NINJA director Yosuke Hayashi. In it, Hayashi emphasizes that other fighting games have done nothing to advance the genre for the past 10 years, and Team NINJA is looking to make Dead or Alive 5 more about the stage design and take you into dynamic levels.

Head on over to Eurogamer to see the original article, but below is a copy incase Eurogamer ever closes the article:

Dead or Alive 5 to "push the envelope"
by Fred Dutton

16/09/2011 @ 07:25
The fighting genre has lacked innovation in recent years, according to Team Ninja boss Yosuke Hayashi, but its just-announced scrapper Dead or Alive 5 will be the game to push things forward.

Speaking to Eurogamer backstage at Tokyo Game Show today, Hayashi argued that though the likes of Street Fighter 4 and Tekken 6 looked spectacular, they hadn't offered fight fans anything new in terms of gameplay.

"Of course there have been some great fighting games that have come out and the genre has really exploded in the years since Dead or Alive 4," he said.

"But when we were looking at those games we felt that there was something missing. They definitely looked great and they played well, but they were still the same sort of fighting game from 10 years ago.

"When we were looking at what to do with Dead or Alive, we want to make sure it provides something else, something different and moves the genre forward. It's not going backwards, it's trying to push the envelope for fighting games."

Hayashi didn't offer much in the way of concrete details on how the game, which is due out some time next year, intends to reinvent the wheel, but suggested we can expect a greater focus on the series' trademark destructive environmental events.

"We wanted to bring that into the modern gameplay and update that into modern action elements. Now you're able to focus on different ares of where you want to launch your opponent and we have several different sorts of dynamic attractions in the stage so that players can enjoy that sort of aspect even more."

Team Ninja revealed a relatively classy piece of concept art during the announcement event earlier this week, which you can see below. Could this be a hint that it's dialing back the series' notorious boob fixation?

"That image encapsulates the kind of sensuality and the kind of beauty we're looking to incorporate into Dead or Alive 5," he explained.

"So, guys who just look at chick's boobs... c'mon, there's more to women and more to beauty than just boobs, so we want to take a little more adult approach to how to make women beautiful."

 

Sounds like I'm going to like the direction that the art is going.

 

Sounds like when they say "action" and referencing environments we can expect the dynamics of movement may be a focus. That part where Ryu hangs off the ledge in the pre alpha trailer is definitely a hint at some possible vaulting/platforming/something.

Also, its great to know the art style is receiving an update. The attitude and maturity they seem to be bringing to it will really change a lot of peoples perceptions of DOA.

Again that trailer was very smart to only show male characters and focus on the action, with the key art being a tease of the famous female characters. It really looks like we're going to see something fresh. Quite exciting.

 

Speaking to Eurogamer backstage at Tokyo Game Show today, Hayashi argued that though the likes of Street Fighter 4 and Tekken 6 looked spectacular, they hadn't offered fight fans anything new in terms of gameplay.

Those games hadn't offered anything new but DOA4's bad gameplay with new environments does?

 

Stop with the blinkered hating grape! Its affecting your reading comprehension. He's not claiming DOA4 offered something over those games. You can criticize when he makes such a claim. He quite clearly is speaking in reference to his intentions for DOA5 only.

"Of course there have been some great fighting games that have come out and the genre has really exploded in the years since Dead or Alive 4," he said.

Note the word SINCE

"But when we were looking at those games we felt that there was something missing. They definitely looked great and they played well, but they were still the same sort of fighting game from 10 years ago.

"When we were looking at what to do with Dead or Alive

What to DO not what we DID. Lets keep on topic now?

 

LOL, I figured Doa5 was going to incorporate more stage interactivity after I realized that crane was knocking all those pillars over. If doa5 is Doa4 with better stage interactivity...I could swallow that(but wont be genuinely happy) if this new interactivity will put "fear" into players. I will just focus on knocking your ass into the environment.

 

On another note, We need to get info from Shimbori-san, and what is his intentions(mindset) with Doa5. We can all see that this (Doa5) is an incredible leap beyond Doa4 with graphics, but is the gameplay going to do as well? Shit surprise me, make me forget that there ever was a Doa4.

 

Shit, surprise me, make me forget that there ever was a DOA3!

 

Shit, surprise me, make me forget that there ever was a DOA3!

LMAO, I concur.

 

Damn straight - go above and beyond.

 

Shit, surprise me, make me forget that there ever was a DOA3!

Most people already have, that's the problem.

 

Stop with the blinkered hating grape! Its affecting your reading comprehension.

I'm not hating and you're the one with poor reading comprehension.

He's not claiming DOA4 offered something over those games. You can criticize when he makes such a claim. He quite clearly is speaking in reference to his intentions for DOA5 only.

I'm also referring to DOA5! If only you had this talent of "reading comprehension" that you claim I don't.

I said: "Those games hadn't offered anything new but DOA4's bad gameplay with new environments does?"

I'm referring to DOA5. DOA5, right now, looks just like DOA4 but with new environments. I'm criticizing the fact that he's claiming those others games play the same but his idea of innovation is the same game with new levels and graphics.

What to DO not what we DID. Lets keep on topic now?

Again, I was referring to what they are doing, which is DOA4 with new levels and graphics.

 

Even when you guys are trying to be intelligible you can't help but jump down each others throats.

Chill the fuck out and stay cool. This is how drama in our community starts -- for no reason whatsoever.

A troll shouldn't have to be telling you guys this.

 

^ + 1

After watching that first video, i wondered if the crane would act as a ceiling and if ryu could or slow escape after grabbing that ledge to reduce damage while going to the next plane.

 

Grape: you're still pushing the barrow of "I hate doa4 So Hard" that you're ignoring the understood notion that pre alpha gameplay is in no way indicative of final movesets or mechanics. I realize your comments come from a genuine place of frustration and feeling "I could do a better job than these idiots" - but can you cool it when it's just not relevant? It's far too early.
I'm as much a critic of Hayashi as the next guy (coined "rehashi") but he's hinting at things we do not know about and are not shown in the trailer, or merely teased at.the correct assumption is that pre alpha the movesets are placeholders and hayashi's comments are more indicative of a new direction

 

To be fair though berzerk, it's probably just him being japanese and saying things that really DONT have anything to do with the game.

Itagaki did that all the time. Google: Itagaki, Godhand.

To this date nobody knows what the hell he was talking about, the closest thing you could possibly come up with is a metaphor for whacking off.

 

I believe I had heard that he talked about it in a Famitsu magazine a year or two later where it was just knowing the mood of the girl based on her profile image.

 

Translation is always an issue, so who knows what they actually mean.

 

Grape: you're still pushing the barrow of "I hate doa4 So Hard" that you're ignoring the understood notion that pre alpha gameplay is in no way indicative of final movesets or mechanics.

I guess I am a DOA4 hater but you're a DOA4 apologist, so it works out. =P

I'm being extremely critical but I do understand that it is pre-alpha game but I would disagree with you that it isn't "indicative of final movesets or mechanics." Why? Because clearly Team Ninja feels that this kind of gameplay is fine, as we saw with the release of Dimensions. That's shows that they feel the gameplay is okay as it is and that scares me. The same goes with Perfect Legend's interviews.

They don't really understand what's wrong with the game, so I believe that criticizing the gameplay this early in the development cycle could have nothing but good effects. Take the Dimensions play-test for example: they invited a few DOA "pros" to Japan to test the game, right? Except it was a month before release and, even if they wanted to, they couldn't push for significant changes. That's why pushing Team Ninja early in development is so important.

Even with the first DOA4 trailer, we saw significant gameplay changes. Granted, they were eventually taken out of the game but, still, they were showing off new gameplay. What we've seen with DOA5 is 4/Dimensions with better graphics, nothing more.

 

I guess I am a DOA4 hater but you're a DOA4 apologist, so it works out. =P

I'm being extremely critical but I do understand that it is pre-alpha game but I would disagree with you that it isn't "indicative of final movesets or mechanics." Why? Because clearly Team Ninja feels that this kind of gameplay is fine, as we saw with the release of Dimensions. That's shows that they feel the gameplay is okay as it is and that scares me. The same goes with Perfect Legend's interviews.

They don't really understand what's wrong with the game, so I believe that criticizing the gameplay this early in the development cycle could have nothing but good effects. Take the Dimensions play-test for example: they invited a few DOA "pros" to Japan to test the game, right? Except it was a month before release and, even if they wanted to, they couldn't push for significant changes. That's why pushing Team Ninja early in development is so important.

Even with the first DOA4 trailer, we saw significant gameplay changes. Granted, they were eventually taken out of the game but, still, they were showing off new gameplay. What we've seen with DOA5 is 4/Dimensions with better graphics, nothing more.

Exploding walls.