I'm probably gonna sound stupid making this suggestion, but I strongly believe it must be said, and I hope you guys can bear with me on where I'm going with this. So here goes.
Personally, I think the whole system regarding Power Blows and Cliffhangers should be optional, and that includes interactive dangerzones. (It'd be like SSBB, but without the moving stages and Final Smash techniques). That way, those who want to play a traditional, old school DOA without the additional bells and whistles DOA5 may offer won't feel left behind. The player should have the option of having fixed arenas with damaging walls... the stage doesn't change, and each tier of the stage is fixed. As far as falling off multi-tiered stages, like Sypher said, they can get away with cinematic falls here, except it'll be a guaranteed fall rather than a 50/50 during a Cliffhanger. By that logic, they'll still get that feeling of flashiness when knocking the opponent off a tier of a stage, and the old-school DOA player won't feel completely left behind in the new "fighting entertainment" experience, as they say.
Personally, I think the whole system regarding Power Blows and Cliffhangers should be optional, and that includes interactive dangerzones. (It'd be like SSBB, but without the moving stages and Final Smash techniques). That way, those who want to play a traditional, old school DOA without the additional bells and whistles DOA5 may offer won't feel left behind. The player should have the option of having fixed arenas with damaging walls... the stage doesn't change, and each tier of the stage is fixed. As far as falling off multi-tiered stages, like Sypher said, they can get away with cinematic falls here, except it'll be a guaranteed fall rather than a 50/50 during a Cliffhanger. By that logic, they'll still get that feeling of flashiness when knocking the opponent off a tier of a stage, and the old-school DOA player won't feel completely left behind in the new "fighting entertainment" experience, as they say.