In a recent interview with Gamasutra.com, Yosuke Hayashi discussed the team's direction for both Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive.
Specifically, in regard to Dead or Alive he discussed how they want to make the series "high class". It's certainly a departure from the traditional Team NINJA, but only time will tell if it was worth the change:
Source: Gamasutra.com
Specifically, in regard to Dead or Alive he discussed how they want to make the series "high class". It's certainly a departure from the traditional Team NINJA, but only time will tell if it was worth the change:
Gamasutra said:"We've always had the sex factor in the game; in the past, the female characters had to have big breasts, they had to have scanty dress," says Hayashi. "In DoA 5 especially, we're trying to focus on the real women that surround us; the voice of a female, the mannerisms. We are being realistic about it."
If Team Ninja's goal truly is to dignify the Dead or Alive franchise a bit, then it seems the team risks alienating some fans who may have just tuned in for the flesh parade. But Hayashi feels confident that longtime DoA players might have grown up some over the years.
"In the series up to now we focused on some kind of... Sports Illustrated [aesthetic]. like a magazine for high school kids, with women portrayed in that sense. But that's not what we want," he asserts.
"We want to show something that's more high class, that adult males of our generation could look at a woman [character] and be impressed with her as a woman, not just as a pin-up," he continues. "That's what we wanted to tell our fans."
In Hayashi's view, one of the best opportunities for the new Team Ninja is to take both female bodies and narratives a bit more seriously this way. "The team has always wanted to do it," he says. "The world has changed. People want something that's more substantial."
Source: Gamasutra.com