Opinion: Restraint is Better than Demand

Dead or Alive 7 & NINJA Gaiden 4 are constantly being discussed within the community, and for some players, they just can't see a future, or they demand one that doesn't work right away for Koei Tecmo. Something we all have in common is that we have all been there with our requests for the company. Even with the popular Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation players are stifled that there hasn't been an original Dead or Alive fighter since Tina joined several years ago and the trend continued once more today with the announcement of Meg who has been met so far with a mixed reception.

Team NINJA has been on the verge of not saying anything within 2024 at all outside of Rise of the Ronin accolades and release. Yasuda started the new year by sharing his future goals (which included him saying he wants to return to their classic franchises), there have even been rumors of a new Koei Tecmo division with Hayashi leading that subsidiary. We've also learned that Team NINJA has been hard at work with not only Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation, but Atelier Resleriana: Forgotten Alchemy and the Polar Night Liberator Gacha games. As stated before, these games run on a weekly system, and they don't require the same attention and care of a NINJA Gaiden or DOA fighting experience.

Since Team NINJA has existed this is the quietest they have ever been on top of slow game production, and Team NINJA fans have a right to voice their concerns, but this is not the time to start a riot with the company. The reason I state this is because it usually does more harm than good. Several months ago, a valuable community member here stated that it wasn't easy for us to call Koei Tecmo out for the hair rental service of Dead or Alive 6, but we did, and the user believed that we are now being punished for it.

While there could be some truth to the statements the reality of the situation is that the hair service was an issue, but leaker Hiroaki Morita made it very apparent that DOA was being worked on after being correct about many leaks. If this was a Dead or Alive 6 continuation mechanically the players would have rejected it anyway because so many different fighters rejected Dead or Alive 6 not just for DLC problems, but fundamentally the entire experience. Sadly, there wasn't one thing that some professionals could take from DOA6 and enjoy. They hated DOA6 and when this unfortunate event occurs everyone is punished from the developer all the way to the casual player that DOES buy the game for DLC outfits.

There was a minority of players that enjoyed Dead or Alive 6 and to me that says something. The Japanese players continue to support it with weeklies and even the hard work of side tournaments at EVO Japan, but that's not what's getting the clicks; is it? DOAXVV is what's getting the attention, the clicks online, the numbers on Steam all while DOA6 players continue to struggle years after the base game release. Team NINJA still has DOA6 billed as the 'current' DOA title as proven by the sales and social media updates for the game; most players just don't see that it's still alive.

Go take a look at Dragon NINJA Ryu's monthly for Dead or Alive 6. You might actually learn something that you didn't process before. DOA6 is an underrated game with deceptively deep mechanics, but because of player backlash there was no way that the developer could respond with an Ultimate version of the game that would have been accepted.

Just because one game doesn't work out, doesn't mean that there can't be another one. Team NINJA is still thinking about these franchises heavily, but new things would have to be done with them. NINJA Gaiden 3 flopped and so did Dead or Alive 6 for most players, but it does not spell the end - it spells a new vision with perhaps new direction. Team NINJA's silence will eventually break because something HUGE must be cooking that is conducive to the unusual behavior.

If Nioh 3 is announced and you're not happy (I would expect a fan uproar) vocalize it to Koei Tecmo or Team NINJA in a way that shows you want more. Deliver content for Dead or Alive that exceeds your own expectations and could compete with the onslaught of photos DOAXVV provides social media on a daily basis. Also, pay attention to the surveys. Koei Tecmo expects to get some fan backlash privately within the surveys, and they actually listen to them. Criticism in private sounds lovely wouldn't you say? Not many publishers/developers take out time to do something like this anymore, but yet Koei Tecmo does it for every single game they release.

Starting a war with Koei Tecmo will not solve any pertinent issues that could be resolved with peaceful debate and kindness, but with that being said, angerly believing nothing is going on with Team NINJA currently would be a premature mistake. Whether or not it will please us as a community shouldn't be addressed until after the announcement is made. But let's also take some time to thank the FSD community for the continued contributions for each installment of Dead or Alive - it remains astonishing to me that we keep finding new discoveries for DOA titles that came out more than twenty years ago. When a new game does come along, it's always a nice thing, but to me it's almost more interesting to see how each game is taken care of and preserved as we melt the years away playing our favorites.

There is a time and place to pull the trigger,
DOAN

 

If we are gonna see something this year I think it will probably be on presentation before TGS (maybe PlayStation Showcase) or The Game Awards

 

how to restraint and demand when TN never communicate to fans and do their own thing

 

how to restraint and demand when TN never communicate to fans and do their own thing

I revised my story for better clarity. But my answer on this would be they do communicate; but would prefer to do it in a way in which they don't have to respond verbally.

 

I revised my story for better clarity. But my answer on this would be they do communicate; but would prefer to do it in a way in which they don't have to respond verbally.

I, too, have mastered the art of ESP.

Sadly, everyone I knew at Team Ninja was either fired, quit, or been shuffled on to something irrelevant to my interests. So unless I want to send Nakamura dirty images directly to his brain while his tries to work, I'm better off using said ESP to win at other fighting games.

 

they could delete the meter mechanics, fatal stuns/rush, and juggle bounds with genuinely minimal effort, call it "DOA6 Hardcore" and print money, but that would require admitting a mistake and companies don't like to do that.

 

they could delete the meter mechanics, fatal stuns/rush, and juggle bounds with genuinely minimal effort, call it "DOA6 Hardcore" and print money, but that would require admitting a mistake and companies don't like to do that.

Oh they can admit it, so long as they can make it sound like it was their own idea and somehow an improvement over the last iteration, which was of course also an improvement over the iteration before that.

Which is how FG devs keep pendulum dick swinging back and fourth between unga bunga and technical neutral. Right now were in the former, waiting to swing back into the latter as an industry at large. I think the only modern game that has anything resembling actual neutral is Under Night, which is wild as hell since it's anime and should be the opposite. And no, Samsho doesn't count because it somehow has a smaller population than DOA 6.

 

they could delete the meter mechanics, fatal stuns/rush, and juggle bounds with genuinely minimal effort, call it "DOA6 Hardcore" and print money, but that would require admitting a mistake and companies don't like to do that.

You stole my idea for the name of the next game
Deleting meter is a regression of progress. What company would do that?

---------------

Koei Tecmo hired me last year to work on DOA7. They messaged me on Twitter. Be patient, guys.

 

Dead or Alive 7 & NINJA Gaiden 4 are constantly being discussed within the community, and for some players, they just can't see a future, or they demand one that doesn't work right away for Koei Tecmo. Something we all have in common is that we have all been there with our requests for the company. Even with the popular Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation players are stifled that there hasn't been an original Dead or Alive fighter since Tina joined several years ago and the trend continued once more today with the announcement of Meg who has been met so far with a mixed reception.

Team NINJA has been on the verge of not saying anything within 2024 at all outside of Rise of the Ronin accolades and release. Yasuda started the new year by sharing his future goals (which included him saying he wants to return to their classic franchises), there have even been rumors of a new Koei Tecmo division with Hayashi leading that subsidiary. We've also learned that Team NINJA has been hard at work with not only Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation, but Atelier Resleriana: Forgotten Alchemy and the Polar Night Liberator Gacha games. As stated before, these games run on a weekly system, and they don't require the same attention and care of a NINJA Gaiden or DOA fighting experience.

Since Team NINJA has existed this is the quietest they have ever been on top of slow game production, and Team NINJA fans have a right to voice their concerns, but this is not the time to start a riot with the company. The reason I state this is because it usually does more harm than good. Several months ago, a valuable community member here stated that it wasn't easy for us to call Koei Tecmo out for the hair rental service of Dead or Alive 6, but we did, and the user believed that we are now being punished for it.

While there could be some truth to the statements the reality of the situation is that the hair service was an issue, but leaker Hiroaki Morita made it very apparent that DOA was being worked on after being correct about many leaks. If this was a Dead or Alive 6 continuation mechanically the players would have rejected it anyway because so many different fighters rejected Dead or Alive 6 not just for DLC problems, but fundamentally the entire experience. Sadly, there wasn't one thing that some professionals could take from DOA6 and enjoy. They hated DOA6 and when this unfortunate event occurs everyone is punished from the developer all the way to the casual player that DOES buy the game for DLC outfits.

There was a minority of players that enjoyed Dead or Alive 6 and to me that says something. The Japanese players continue to support it with weeklies and even the hard work of side tournaments at EVO Japan, but that's not what's getting the clicks; is it? DOAXVV is what's getting the attention, the clicks online, the numbers on Steam all while DOA6 players continue to struggle years after the base game release. Team NINJA still has DOA6 billed as the 'current' DOA title as proven by the sales and social media updates for the game; most players just don't see that it's still alive.

Go take a look at Dragon NINJA Ryu's monthly for Dead or Alive 6. You might actually learn something that you didn't process before. DOA6 is an underrated game with deceptively deep mechanics, but because of player backlash there was no way that the developer could respond with an Ultimate version of the game that would have been accepted.

Just because one game doesn't work out, doesn't mean that there can't be another one. Team NINJA is still thinking about these franchises heavily, but new things would have to be done with them. NINJA Gaiden 3 flopped and so did Dead or Alive 6 for most players, but it does not spell the end - it spells a new vision with perhaps new direction. Team NINJA's silence will eventually break because something HUGE must be cooking that is conducive to the unusual behavior.

If Nioh 3 is announced and you're not happy (I would expect a fan uproar) vocalize it to Koei Tecmo or Team NINJA in a way that shows you want more. Deliver content for Dead or Alive that exceeds your own expectations and could compete with the onslaught of photos DOAXVV provides social media on a daily basis. Also, pay attention to the surveys. Koei Tecmo expects to get some fan backlash privately within the surveys, and they actually listen to them. Criticism in private sounds lovely wouldn't you say? Not many publishers/developers take out time to do something like this anymore, but yet Koei Tecmo does it for every single game they release.

Starting a war with Koei Tecmo will not solve any pertinent issues that could be resolved with peaceful debate and kindness, but with that being said, angerly believing nothing is going on with Team NINJA currently would be a premature mistake. Whether or not it will please us as a community shouldn't be addressed until after the announcement is made. But let's also take some time to thank the FSD community for the continued contributions for each installment of Dead or Alive - it remains astonishing to me that we keep finding new discoveries for DOA titles that came out more than twenty years ago. When a new game does come along, it's always a nice thing, but to me it's almost more interesting to see how each game is taken care of and preserved as we melt the years away playing our favorites.

There is a time and place to pull the trigger,
DOAN

I find it endlessly frustrating that TN doesn't see the connection between the money printer that is Venus Vacation and thr failure that was DOA6. Make DOA7 competitively solid in the vein of DOA5 along with a modern controls scheme that makes the game as easy to pick up and understand as smash bros(perhaps with a 10% damage reduction).

Then fully embrace the fanservice aspect that has shown Venus Vacation to print cash. The men should be paragon of male physical perfection and the women be as sjw rage inducing as IVY was in the last soul caliber, cammy in classic costume SF6, and Nikke/action taimanin. Genuinely embrace the fan service and sell costumes and accessories for those that want them. There are no mainstream fighters that are just plain over the top sexy and cool anymore. DoA6 was very toned down vs doa5 where the devs even admitted making the waists of the girls largerto not piss off people who would never even buy a doa game. My wife used to have a crush on doa2 Jan lee and snes ryu as a young girl but when she plays doa5 or 6 or SF6 she always asks why they had to "make Jan look like a meth addict and Ryu look like a deformed hobo?". Vvs sales and DOA6s death shows sexy sells.

If they make the doa characters as gorgeous as possible and the gameplay easy to pickup but difficult to master, the 1 or 2 USD micro transactions will pour in funding the game and giving everyone more updates, content, and free stuff.

 

I hear what you are saying, but I don't have problems with a medium sized or even a little bit of a belly on a woman. Not every girl has to be slim or muscular and I think all body types should be admired unless you are so big or thin that you require hospitalization.

To me the bodies looked a bit more well-rounded with DOA5, but that's probably just my opinion. Regardless do you have a source on that information? I'd very much like to read it. Thank you for your contributions to the site.

 

I hear what you are saying, but I don't have problems with a medium sized or even a little bit of a belly on a woman. Not every girl has to be slim or muscular and I think all body types should be admired unless you are so big or thin that you require hospitalization.

To me the bodies looked a bit more well-rounded with DOA5, but that's probably just my opinion. Regardless do you have a source on that information? I'd very much like to read it. Thank you for your contributions to the site.

I agree... DOA Characters can and Should be pretty without making them look like Dolls

 

Do I want a buggy and barebones game day one?

Do I really want another cash grab where Nyotengu, Rachel, Momiji, Mai, Akula Sub, Tamaki, and Phase4 are not part of the main roster and are locked behind a paywall AGAIN?

Do I really want meter without a super move?

Do I really want another game in the doa series that has a trash story?

Do I want a game that will charge me $80 CAD as a standard edition and $100 CAD for a complete edition?

Do I want another doa entry that will charge for dlc, season, blyattle pass and a GOTY at the fraction of the day one price?

Do I want a repeat of Tecmo being Kowy with their business decision while they dangle Nioh 3 and Ninja Gaiden 4 as bait?

Do I want Kowy Tecmo host another huge prize pot tournament at launch only to discontinue support a year later?

Do I want to see no characters where there should be in the character select?

Do I want another doa game which police cosmetic mods while not policing rage quitters, cheaters, lag switchers, macros, bots, trainers, and AI in an online match?

Do I want to witness the head game dev embarass himself/herself with a weak PR on another game conference in social media?

HELL NAW! WHATS NEXT?! KASUMI, RYU, HAYATE, AND AYANE ARE BEHIND A PAYWALL?! YOU MUST BE OUT OF YOUR MIND! WE DESERVE BETTER!

 

Do I want a buggy and barebones game day one?

Do I really want another cash grab where Nyotengu, Rachel, Momiji, Mai, Akula Sub, Tamaki, and Phase4 are not part of the main roster and are locked behind a paywall AGAIN?

Do I really want meter without a super move?

Do I really want another game in the doa series that has a trash story?

Do I want a game that will charge me $80 CAD as a standard edition and $100 CAD for a complete edition?

Do I want another doa entry that will charge for dlc, season, blyattle pass and a GOTY at the fraction of the day one price?

Do I want a repeat of Tecmo being Kowy with their business decision while they dangle Nioh 3 and Ninja Gaiden 4 as bait?

Do I want Kowy Tecmo host another huge prize pot tournament at launch only to discontinue support a year later?

Do I want to see no characters where there should be in the character select?

Do I want another doa game which police cosmetic mods while not policing rage quitters, cheaters, lag switchers, macros, bots, trainers, and AI in an online match?

Do I want to witness the head game dev embarass himself/herself with a weak PR on another game conference in social media?

HELL NAW! WHATS NEXT?! KASUMI, RYU, HAYATE, AND AYANE ARE BEHIND A PAYWALL?! YOU MUST BE OUT OF YOUR MIND! WE DESERVE BETTER!

The do I want thing was hilarious. But DOA6 had a decent story. Y’all hating hard.

As far as cosmetics go. Every other game does the same damn thing. The hair service was nonsense but everything else was being done by everyone else.

So the same speech is something you could write for just about any game these days.

 

The do I want thing was hilarious. But DOA6 had a decent story. Y’all hating hard.

As far as cosmetics go. Every other game does the same damn thing. The hair service was nonsense but everything else was being done by everyone else.

So the same speech is something you could write for just about any game these days.

Its really hard to get invested when Marie Rose of all people is a bodyguard to HELENA EFFING DOUGLAS!
One Bayman gut punch to Marie later and I did the impossible. I was slapping my knees while rolling on the ground at the same time. XD
After I finished the main story, I never touched it again. Its like a terrible saved by the bell episode.

 

Its really hard to get invested when Marie Rose of all people is a bodyguard to HELENA EFFING DOUGLAS!
One Bayman gut punch to Marie later and I did the impossible. I was slapping my knees while rolling on the ground at the same time. XD
After I finished the main story, I never touched it again. Its like a terrible saved by the bell episode.

I thought it was great. I liked that Bayman sequence. I’m also a fan of how hard NiCO trolled Helena.

 

To be honest I actually do understand some of the criticism of the story in DOA6. It feels like there's a lot of build-up, but not very much payoff for every character. For as much attention as was given to Marie and Honoka, for example, we still don't really know much about either character beyond what's written in their DOA Encyclopedia entry. I mostly just wish the story was longer.

 

Its really hard to get invested when Marie Rose of all people is a bodyguard to HELENA EFFING DOUGLAS!
One Bayman gut punch to Marie later and I did the impossible. I was slapping my knees while rolling on the ground at the same time. XD
After I finished the main story, I never touched it again. Its like a terrible saved by the bell episode.

Ironically, I edited the story mode to emulate a sitcom many years ago... I think I should redo it again.

But seriously, my opinion on the story mode has changed as time went on. I thought it was bad, but now I think it's just average and vastly overhated. To its credit, DOA6's story was a decent segue for introducing the new characters introduced in DOA5U and LR. The thing is, I wish this was utilized as a story expansion for DOA5LR instead, while giving the actual new DOA6 characters more time in the oven to be compelling characters in their own right, especially Diego.

 

To be honest I actually do understand some of the criticism of the story in DOA6. It feels like there's a lot of build-up, but not very much payoff for every character. For as much attention as was given to Marie and Honoka, for example, we still don't really know much about either character beyond what's written in their DOA Encyclopedia entry. I mostly just wish the story was longer.

For me the DOA6 story is just one big circle. All the characters are in the same spot they were in at the end of DOA5. It served no purpose or value besides there being a sixth tournament.

 

Hmm, even for anyone who did like DOA6's story, would any of you say it was better than anything seen in DOA2 to DOA5? Maybe even compared to DOA1, taking all out-of-game material into consideration? (I mean, if anyone does that's fine, not trying to be suggestive with my question, just interested to know if so and why)

 

For me the DOA6 story is just one big circle. All the characters are in the same spot they were in at the end of DOA5. It served no purpose or value besides there being a sixth tournament.

Can you really look me in the eyes and say that doa 5 and 6 has the best there is and best there was story ever told? To me its like a colossal mess. Its like its written by someone in an alternate dimension of Japan where the sky is red void of anything good story, anime, and game related! I mean c'mon meng! We deserve better as fans of the series.

@Awesmic you have me at story. I m interested in the summary of the sitcom.