This will probably be my longest post yet, but here I go.
I personally think the idea of super moves/power blows in DOA5 is unnecessary. I can't really give a reason why I think so, it's more of a feeling. I'm not saying that it wouldn't work, if TN can find a way to properly implement it into the game then cool. But based on the Alpha demo I'm not so sure about it. It certainly looks pretty cool and it does add to the "flashiness" that DOA is known for, but can it really be viable? Before you answer that let's look at a few other games.
Take Street Fighter for example. Super moves were not introduced until SSF2 Turbo, and since then they have been implemented in just about every SF game that has followed (e.g. Alpha, SF3, and SF4 series). Super moves did 2 things for the game (or that i can think of):
1. It added a new layer of strategy to the game while maintaining the game's integrity and a level of balance. How did they do this? By creating certain conditions that you had to follow in order to use this new function. You were only allowed to use a super move after building up your meter, and the way to do that was to take some hits and/or attack your opponent. Another condition was the strict inputs, you had to execute certain commands in order to use them. And lastly, it added a new motivation to the fight. Rather than, "i'm gonna kick, punch, throw, and shoot fireballs at this guy all day until my fingers go numb" it became "i'm gonna try to fill up my meter and land a super move at the right moment", while at the same time watching your opponent's meter. Although it wasn't the most important thing to watch out for, it was something extra to work with.
2. It added a new level of hype to the game. I mean it's pretty self-explanatory. Super moves are just fucking COOL and fun to pull off.
If these two things blend together well then the game is safe, let's just put it that way. And these same two principles go for MANY other fighting games as well. Just to name a few:
KOF
MvC
CvS
BR
GG
BB
MK9 (including fatalities)
All of these games have their own unique system of super moves via meter buildup without drastically interrupting the flow of battle or affecting the balance too much. Scratch that, they all have the same concept more or less, with few differences. And in today's era of fighting games, MOST of them out there, in one way or another, are now using it. Now does that mean that these games would not be enjoyable or viable competitive games without supers? Certainly not, but they would definitely be different. Try to imagine what they would be like, you might find yourself wanting more substance. A lot of people like flashy new ways to make a game even more fun. Back in the day you didn't really have stuff like this, it was just straight up, raw, hand-to-hand combat. There are very few games that I can name off-hand that remain "traditional." Maybe you can think of more but I sure as hell can't lol.
Now back to DOA. While it has never used this concept before it had it's own fair share of QTE's, beginning with DOA2. This game introduced interactive and multi-leveled environments that gave a new level of strategy and excitement that no game has ever seen before. You could now knock your opponent down a flight of stairs, off a ledge, a cliff, a building, and even through a window. And in the event of these things happening, there is a mini-cinematic sequence, or QTE, of your fighter following the opponent wherever he/she is falling. The same goes for special throws that are executed in a certain part of the stage such as slopes, stairs, or cliffs. Take the Izuna Otoshi for example. Whether it's on an open level ground or down another level of the stage, it is clearly a QTE.
So with that being said, how do you feel about DOA5's power blows? We all know that it's too early to tell but give me your honest opinion. I personally think the DOA series is already pretty dynamic in it's own right and does not need to bother with something so widely overused nowadays. I mean come on, we have holds lol. And look at VF, that game is the most technical fighter ever and is just too dam good to lower itself to that level. I say if Hayashi loves the idea of QTE's, and if he thinks that it will help drive the concept of "fighting entertainment", then he should try this:
Take out the power blows and add a little more to little QTE's we already have. Like let's say you are Hayabusa and you knock someone off a huge building. Rather than just watching your opponent fall, maybe you can add a little sequence of Hayabusa teleporting behind him and bringing him down to the ground in a Izuna Otoshi from say 10 fucking stories high. But at the same time keep the damage output the same as if he just simply fell. I personally think that would be pretty cool to see. Or maybe something really crazy like Jan Lee running down the same building and hitting the opponent with a midair Dragon Kick before the hit the ground. And if you want humor, you can have Gen Fu waiting at the bottom to catch you like, "Hey, had a nice fall?" and WHAM into the ground they go, like his low kick counter lol. I'm just saying, DOA has some pretty crazy shit already, why not add more to it? I just don't want people to think, "Oh, there goes one of those games again. Why are they trying to copy this or that? Can't they be more original?" Yeaaah, I'm sure you understand.
Well I've rambled on enough. What do you think?
