This is somewhat misleading, even under current TN. Shimbori has stated that the essence of DOA has always been to be "cool," and I believe he is technically right in that I believe the dev team's focus has always been to make something cool first and foremost. It's signature brand of gameplay comes from a certain perspective of what's "cool," hence danger zones, the emphasis on moveset variety/identity and the "low-downtime," aggressive attitude that even applies to its defensive game.
What we're experiencing now is a shift between what was considered cool by TN and what is now considered cool by TN. The edgy, punk-rock feel that was present in the earlier games has been replaced by a calmer, brighter atmosphere (that apparently someone thinks is cool, despite the bizarre juxtaposition with the allegedly emphasized injury cosmetics). This also applies to the gameplay. Shimbori thinks that simplification is cool (infamous "one-finger" quote and the like), and I don't actually disagree inherently, as limitations are often a good thing. That said, the way that he's chosen to pursue his new vision of cool is the exact opposite of what I consider cool on nearly every front, including the gameplay.
So is the gameplay fun? Probably.
Is it less fun than DOA5? Probably.
So yeah, it's kind of annoying to me that even if you isolate the gameplay from all the other gripes I may have with DOA6 thus far, it actually becomes more disappointing than ever. I'll reserve final judgment until I get my hands on the full game of course, but to presumptively say "DOA is truly about the fun gameplay, and DOA6 does have that" is to me like saying "A car is truly about getting from one place to another, and a corolla does do that," after you've been driving in a Ferrari for years.