Dead or Alive 6
 

 
PREVIEW:  On June 8th, 2018, Koei Tecmo revealed today that Dead or Alive 6 is in development and is planned for a 2019 release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam! The reveal trailer begins with some cinematics and transitions into gameplay. Surprisingly, DOA6 will have a more "mature" vibe, with less of an emphasis on skimpy costumes and over-sexualized females, and more focus on stage interactions, dynamic camera angles, facial expressions, and battle damage on characters.
 

 
New gameplay mechanics in DOA6 include: Side Attack, Break Gauge, Fatal Lash/Stun, Break Blow and Break Hold. Director Yohei Shimbori had this to say about the new mechanics: "Pressing that 4th button continuously is an activity all characters can trigger.... the first hit will initiate Fatal Stun, which puts the opponent in an unprotected state, and the normal hold can not be performed. If your gauge bar is filled you can use 'Break Blow' on the last hit. This will be an easy move to pull off for beginners, but the timing of it will be complex for high level play."
 

 
Here are some other bullet points from the E3 '18 interview and recent reports.
 

   
IGN had this to say about DOA6's visuals and gameplay:

While the visuals seem to be changing, Dead or Alive 6's core gameplay stays familiar to what the series always has excelled at: over-the-top martial-arts action with interactive stages. However, DOA6 does try to welcome beginner players by introducing a new combo and special attack system: Fatal Rush and Break Gauge. These powerful attacks use simple commands to allow new players to experience the thrill of fighting games without too much practice. For seasoned players, the timing required to execute them perfectly should add an additional layer of strategy.

Kasumi, Hayate, Hayabusa, Helena, Jann Lee, and Zack are confirmed as returning characters. According to Director/Producer Yohei Shimbori, the final character roster will include other familiar fighters as well as some brand new characters.
 

   
Believe it or not, the developers also told IGN that DOA6 will tone down the over-sexualization of female characters.

We wanted to make a more cool and more mature Dead or Alive this time, and to that end we made a conscious decision to make characters less sexualized," Shimbori told IGN.

It goes without saying that this decision is heavily influenced by the fact that the industry is moving away from overly sexualized female characters in general, but Team Ninja seems to have a concrete vision behind this shift in style. If you look at the game's concept art, you can see that Kasumi is no longer just a fantasy figure for young boys; she's a warrior.

"The female characters are still attractive, as are the men, but first and foremost they are fighters," Saito Said.

In DOA6, female characters' breasts no longer jiggle and bounce in the exaggerated fashion the series became increasingly known for, and the costumes we have seen so far are less revealing. Females are depicted in a more natural way, which makes them feel more human and believable than before.

Stay tuned on FightersGeneration.com for DOA6 news, character reveals & updates!


 

Page Updated: June 16th, 2018 Developer(s): Team Ninja Publisher(s): Tecmo Koei Designer(s): Yohei Shimbori   (Director) Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, PC (Steam) Release Date(s): Early 2019  Characters:  Kasumi, Hayabusa, Hayate, Zack, Jann Lee, Helena Featured Video: Related Games: DOA5: Last Round, Dead or Alive 5: Ultimate, Dead or Alive 5, Dead or Alive, Dead or Alive 2, Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore, Dead or Alive 3, Dead or Alive 4, Dead or Alive: Dimensions, Tekken 7,  Soul Calibur 6    Gameplay Engine    Story / Theme    Overall Graphics    Animation    Music / Sound Effects    Innovation    Art Direction    Customization     Options / Extras     Intro / Presentation     Replayability / Fun     "Ouch" Factor     Characters     BOTTOM LINE          First Impression: It's times like these when I wonder if certain fighting game developers do read TFG reviews... as I've pointed out for many many years that DOA's over-sexualization of its females is one of the things holding the series back from being great, and being taken seriously in the competitive fighting game community - you know, making a game last in the tournament scene more than a few months. These days, success with the community is a big part of a fighting game's longevity and overall success.  The other issue Team Ninja needs to fix, this time around, is NOT charging over $1,000 USD for in-game DLC costumes. Micro-transactions of this magnitude are no friend to gamers or serious fighting game players. So far... DOA6 seems like a step in the right direction. I'm excited to see what Team Ninja does with this opportunity. Hopefully they do DOA "right" this time. A return to its roots - with some solid gameplay enhancements, perhaps? I will say I like the epic close-up camera angles (see Jann Lee screenshot)... it looks interesting, as far as camera angles are concerned. After getting more details from E3 2018, one may assume that DOA6 will be catered heavily to casual players. No, that's not always a bad thing. A strong single-player experience with some accessible mechanics can definitely be a good thing for a fighting game. But it has to be done with balance and with high-level players in mind. I definitely have my healthy skepticism and doubts about DOA6's gameplay after learning more (just like MVC: Infinite), but I hope Team Ninja can make a fun and rewarding game without sacrificing depth. Of course, some (many?) DOA fans won't care at all about gameplay, because they actually play it for other reasons. (_)_)   And by the way, Tecmo... can we get new DOA character designs that are actually interesting? You know, something outside the realm of "blonde or Asian chick with big boobs"? Some interesting characters (in respectable clothing) might make me interested in DOA again. Furthermore, if they improve (or remove) the triangle system and the heavy reliance on spammy-strings in gameplay... I might actually play DOA again. ~TFG Webmaster