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is a 2012
fighting Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...
video game developed by
Team Ninja is a Japanese video game developer, and a division of Koei Tecmo, founded in 1995 as a part of Tecmo. It is founded and formerly led by Tomonobu Itagaki, later by Yosuke Hayashi, and is best known for the ''Ninja Gaiden'' action-adventure game ...
and published by
Tecmo Koei is a Japanese video game, amusement and anime holding company created in 2009 by the merger of Koei and Tecmo. Koei Tecmo Holdings owns several companies, the biggest one of those being its flagship game developer and publisher Koei Tecmo Games ...
for the PlayStation 3 and
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
. It is the fifth main entry in the '' Dead or Alive'' fighting series and the first to have a multi-platform release since '' Dead or Alive 2'' as well as the series' first installment that was released for the PlayStation 3. ''Dead or Alive 5'' features guest characters from
Sega is a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, respectively. Its divisio ...
's ''
Virtua Fighter is a series of fighting games created by Sega-AM2 and designer Yu Suzuki. The original '' Virtua Fighter'' was released in October 1993 and has received four main sequels and several spin-offs. The highly influential first ''Virtua Fighter'' gam ...
'' fighting game series and several new gameplay mechanics, as well as improved graphics and a more realistic visual style than its predecessors. Its plot is set two years after the events of ''
Dead or Alive 4 is a 2005 fighting video game developed by Team Ninja and published by Tecmo for the Xbox 360. It is the fourth main entry in the '' Dead or Alive'' fighting series. The story of the game focuses on the continuing war between the Mugen Tenshin ...
'', telling the interrelating stories of various characters in connection to the new DOA tournament and the continuing hunt for Kasumi's evil clone. A portable and expanded version for the
PlayStation Vita The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita, or Vita) is a handheld video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, and in North America, Europe, and other international territ ...
, entitled '' Dead or Alive 5 Plus'' (stylized as ''Dead or Alive 5+''), was released in 2013. The next version, '' Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate'', was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 later in 2013, with an arcade version to follow. A final iteration titled '' Dead or Alive 5 Last Round'' was released for the PlayStation 3,
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
, Xbox 360,
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
, and for the PC via
Steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. ...
in 2015. A
mobile game A mobile game, or smartphone game, is a video game that is typically played on a mobile phone. The term also refers to all games that are played on any portable device, including from mobile phone (feature phone or smartphone), tablet, PDA to ...
spin-off '' Dead or Alive 5 Infinite'' was also released for Chinese market in 2017. ''Dead or Alive 5'' received generally favorable reviews. By mid-2015, all versions of the game combined together have sold over 1.5 million physical copies worldwide, in addition to over 3.5 million downloads of the
free-to-play Free-to-play (F2P or FtP) video games are games that give players access to a significant portion of their content without paying or do not require paying to continue playing. Free-to-play is distinct from traditional commercial software, which ...
versions.


Gameplay

The game has four main modes: Story (the main Story Mode and its bonus Missions), Fighting (offline modes, including Versus, Arcade, Time Attack and Survival), Online (Simple Match, Ranked Match and Lobby Match) and Extras. Training Mode has more features than the previous ''Dead or Alive'' games, including allowing for players to adjust the AI opponent's behavior. Online modes include an ability to organize and host tournaments for up to 16 players, Spectator Mode enabling users to chat with other players while watching fights, and Online Dojo, a training mode where one can practice with other players. Extras include Spectator, where players can watch replay of their matches, or watch fights between two AI players, and also take photographs from a position and angle of their choosing with a fully controllable camera.


Fighting system

Like in the other games in the series, fights in ''Dead or Alive 5'' are based on an interruption triangle system in which strikes (normal attacks) beat throws, throws beat holds (strike interception attacks), and holds beat strikes, all of such counterattacks causing extra damage.
Tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establis ...
battles from the previous ''DOA'' games have been retained. The fights take place in interactive and now more highly-destructive arenas. The game's characters are rendered in much more realistic visual style than in the previous titles in the series, including new details such as the fighters getting sweaty and their clothes getting dirty during the fights, costume-specific breast physics and semi-transparent clothing. A new feature called Power Blow (a triggered powerful attack that can be executed when a character's health is below 50%) enables the players to knock the opponent character away in a selected direction. Characters can be thrown into the series' signature Danger Zones or over a cliff in the multi-level stages; this initiates another new feature, which is a cinematic
quick time event In video games, a quick time event (QTE) is a method of context-sensitive gameplay in which the player performs actions on the control device shortly after the appearance of an on-screen instruction/prompt. It allows for limited control of the ...
called Cliffhanger. With Cliffhanger, if a character can grab onto the stage at the last moment before falling into a lower level, an action sequence is activated where the opponent character can make an effort to inflict even more damage if the attack succeeds. The game's Critical System features Critical Stuns (after having been hit with specific moves, opponent characters get stunned and are unable to block, but can still perform holds), Critical Combos (striking a character in a Critical Stun state can prolong the amount of time they remain stunned, but the damage that can be inflicted this way is limited) and Critical Bursts (specific strikes over the damage limit of successful Critical Combos that leave the target character completely defenseless for a short while).


Plot

''Dead or Alive 5'' is set two years after the events of ''Dead or Alive 4'' and the destruction of the DOATEC corporation's TriTower headquarters. Helena Douglas has undertaken the task of rebuilding DOATEC but wants to use its technology for peaceful ends. Helena dissolved DOATEC's Biotechnology Division, stopped the Military Division's biological weapons projects Alpha, Epsilon and Omega, fired all members of
Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter, and record producer. He developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic rock and world mus ...
's faction, and announced that she intends to hold the Dead or Alive Tournament 5 (DOA5), hosted by Zack, "to show the world the principles and philosophies upholding the new DOATEC." The game's Story Mode is told in the form of one long sequence, similar to the Chronicle Mode of '' Dead or Alive: Dimensions'' and presented in "
hyperlink cinema Hyperlink cinema is a style of filmmaking characterised by complex or multilinear narrative structures with multiple characters under one unifying theme. History The term was coined by author Alissa Quart, who used the term in her review of the ...
style" for more character and stage interactions. It is not told in chronological order and is instead divided into a series of interconnected chapters following various characters and showing the events from their respective perspectives. There are two main storylines, one telling the story of the fifth tournament, and the other one centered around the hunt for Alpha-152. Characters from the both storylines often interact with each other in minor ways.


Characters

''Dead or Alive 5'' features 18 recurring characters from the series as playable fighters, each with English and Japanese voice actors:, as well as the unlockable boss character Alpha-152. Dead or Alive 5 adds three new characters to the series, Mila, Mr. Strong, and Rig.


New

* Mila, an ambitious Spanish female
mixed martial art Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...
ist who works as a part-time waitress at a diner in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * ...
. * Mr. Strong, a new character in theory, but in reality it is Bass Armstrong. The name Mr. Strong is an alias of Bass because he wants to go unnoticed to the fifth tournament. He is like Lisa Hamilton an alternative costume character of the actual character. * Rig, a Canadian taekwondo master who is a boss at the same oil platform where Bass works and the two are rough friends.


Returning

* Alpha-152 * Ayane * Bass Armstrong *
Bayman The following is a list of characters from the ''Dead or Alive (franchise), Dead or Alive'' video game series, created by Tecmo and Team Ninja. Characters Main series Spin-off series ''Xtreme ''series Introduced in ''Dead or Alive'' ...
* Brad Wong * Christie * Eliot *
Gen Fu The following is a list of characters from the ''Dead or Alive (franchise), Dead or Alive'' video game series, created by Tecmo and Team Ninja. Characters Main series Spin-off series ''Xtreme ''series Introduced in ''Dead or Alive'' ...
* Hayate *
Helena Douglas Helena Douglas (エレナ・ダグラス ''Erena Dagurasu?'') is a player character in the ''Dead or Alive (franchise), Dead or Alive'' series of fighting games by Team Ninja and Tecmo (Koei Tecmo). She was introduced in 1999's ''Dead or Alive 2'' ...
* Hitomi * Jann Lee * Kasumi * Kokoro * La Mariposa *
Leifang , often written as Lei Fang, is a player character in the '' Dead or Alive'' fighting game series by Team Ninja and Tecmo (Koei Tecmo). She was introduced in the original '' Dead or Alive'' in 1996 and has appeared in the series' subsequent ins ...
* Ryu Hayabusa *
Tina Armstrong is a player character in the '' Dead or Alive'' fighting game franchise by Team Ninja and Tecmo ( Koei Tecmo). She was introduced in the original '' Dead or Alive'' in 1996 as an American professional wrestler who uses the Dead or Alive fighti ...
* Zack In addition, the game features three additional unlockable guest characters from the ''
Virtua Fighter is a series of fighting games created by Sega-AM2 and designer Yu Suzuki. The original '' Virtua Fighter'' was released in October 1993 and has received four main sequels and several spin-offs. The highly influential first ''Virtua Fighter'' gam ...
'' series (they also make cameo appearances in the game's Story Mode).


Guest

*
Akira Yuki Akira Yuki is a fictional character in the ''Virtua Fighter'' fighting game franchise by Sega. As the series' main protagonist and mascot, Akira appears in every ''Virtua Fighter'' game as a playable character, and is usually shown on the games' ...
* Sarah Bryant *
Pai Chan The following is a list of characters from the ''Virtua Fighter'' fighting game series released by Sega. Starting with ''Virtua Fighter'', this series has spanned five games (not including updates) and has been released on arcade systems as well as ...


Story

Bayman's military patrol is ambushed and cut down by a hooded figure of superhuman speed which then dissolves into thin air. Seeking revenge, Bayman meets Helena aboard ''Freedom Survivor'', as he is suspecting DOATEC's involvement, which Helena denies, suggesting it might be rather the work of Donovan's breakaway faction. She is also approached by Kasumi, who is looking for information regarding Alpha-152. Helena promises her help and arranges a meeting between Hayate and Kasumi, who insists that the pursuit of Alpha is only her fight, rejecting Hayate's offer to aid her. Kasumi then sets out to find more clues about Alpha's whereabouts, going round-the-world while being herself pursued by Ayane. She is also hunted by Bayman, who suspects Kasumi of being the attacker and desires to take her down himself. Helena tells Hayate that she will stop Project Alpha. Meanwhile, at DOATEC's oil platform, Rig is paid a visit by Christie who claims to be a woman from his past coming to "test" him and who is still working for Donovan. Soon, the platform mysteriously comes under helicopter attack, but Rig and Bass succeed in putting down the fire. It is then revealed it was Helena who has destroyed the TriTower to get revenge on Donovan for the death of her parents during power struggles within the organization. Donovan, his face hidden behind a white porcelain mask, is seen plotting the final stage of his Project Alpha: Phase Four. Donovan orders Lisa, who is still working with him on her research, to bring Miyako, who too is part of their new organization MIST, to a secret laboratory located under the rig. Various characters are shown entering the fifth DOA tournament, which takes place at the platform. Each does it for their own reasons, often to either see once more or to defeat some other character. Usually they join it after either being approached by Zack, who is shown finding, fighting and recruiting them around the world. After Tina decides to return to fighting, her father Bass enters it as well, adopting a ring name of Mr. Strong; eventually, they reunite as a team. While stalking Jann Lee, Leifang eventually confronts him before the tournament and there is sexual tension between them. Hitomi, who still hopes to see Ein (Hayate), advances to the quarterfinals, defeating Mila and then Eliot. During a break, Hitomi meets Hayate, who wishes her good luck. Jann Lee, who had won constructive matches against Leifang and Mr. Strong, defeats her, emerging as the winner from the tournament but not attending the championship award ceremony out of a personal grudge for Rig, whom he lost to in an earlier fight. In Japan, Ryu Hayabusa is approached by Hayate and joins him and Ayane. Helena informs them that the Phase Four will see a mass production of Kasumi clones to sell them to top militaries in the world. Feeling that something is wrong with Kasumi, Hayate orders Ayane to follow her and discover her real intentions. Frustrated with her failure to track down Alpha, Kasumi returns to Helena, demanding to be told the truth, and Helena directs her to the platform. There, Hayate wins the right to follow her from Bayman. Kasumi discovers the lab, with Alpha-152 in it, and appears to destroy her clone. However, she is then attacked and mortally wounded by Hayate and Ayane, and dies in Ryu's arms. This Kasumi is revealed to be merely a clone herself, but Ryu regrets her death anyway. Ryu destroys attacking helicopters (of the kind that attacked the rig earlier), while Hayate is captured in the lab by Rig, who turns out to be working with Donovan. Ryu sends a falcon with a message for the true Kasumi, who has been sheltering with Murumasa all that time; she immediately joins them up at the platform. In the lab, they defeat Rig, who escapes after saying it was a plan to lure them there. Lisa, dismayed to find out that Project Epsilon has been reactivated, frees Hayate. Alpha-152 then appears, taking forms of not only Kasumi but also of Hayate and Ryu, but Hayate and Ayane, Ryu and ultimately Kasumi succeed in destroying her along with the lab. In the epilogue, Kasumi peacefully parts her ways with Hayate and Ayane, as Ryu and Helena watch by, and promises to herself to bring down Donovan for good. In the post-end credits, a conversation between Rig and Donovan (the former revealed to be Donovan's son) is heard. With Rig's success in gathering samples from the fighters, Project Alpha can now move on to Phase Four.


Development


Rumours and announcement

By January 2010, rumors about the next ''Dead or Alive'' game being developed for the PlayStation 3 had already circulated.
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
has listed the game as being exhibited by
Koei Tecmo is a Japanese video game, amusement and anime holding company created in 2009 by the merger of Koei and Tecmo. Koei Tecmo Holdings owns several companies, the biggest one of those being its flagship game developer and publisher Koei Tecmo Game ...
at their booth during the
E3 2010 The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010 (E3 2010) was the 16th E3 held. The event took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California. It began on June 14, 2010, and ended on June 17, 2010, with 45,600 total attendees. Ther ...
. ''Dead or Alive 5'' was officially announced in September 2011 at the
Tokyo Game Show , commonly known as TGS, is a video game expo / convention held annually in September in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) and Nikkei Business Publications, Inc ...
on September 14, 2011, for a 2012 release. The first trailer was released in December 2011. Producer Yosuke Hayashi said that the teaser image revealed at the event represents the sensuality that the game is now seeking to portray in a more sophisticated tone. At the time, the game was said to be only "15% complete". Hayashi said that his team was committed to making the environment more involved in the fighting experience than ever before and that they took "a lot of inspiration" from
Naughty Dog Naughty Dog, LLC (formerly JAM Software, Inc.) is an American first-party video game developer based in Santa Monica, California. Founded by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin in 1984, the studio was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2001. ...
's action-adventure game series ''
Uncharted ''Uncharted'' is an action-adventure video game franchise published by Sony Interactive Entertainment and developed by Naughty Dog. Created by Amy Hennig, the ''Uncharted'' franchise follows a group of treasure hunters who travel across the wo ...
'' for a creation of the more interactive and destructible stages and the dramatic Cliffhanger events.


Production

The
game engine A game engine is a software framework primarily designed for the development of video games and generally includes relevant libraries and support programs. The "engine" terminology is similar to the term " software engine" used in the software ...
of ''DOA5'' was built from scratch. To better balance the fighting system, Team Ninja decided to re-examine each of the characters, creating new moves from scratch when needed and carefully refining others. According to Hayashi, the entire project's main concept was a decision to change direction and to focus on the characters' presence instead of on their beauty as in the previous games. They aimed to retain the characters' personalities and characteristics but to make them more lifelike and appealing for the players. In October 2011, the series' official
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
page announced a contest inviting fans to create and submit their own fighting moves, some of which would be used in ''DOA5'' and their creators would have their names displayed in the game's credits. Regarding an introduction of playable guest characters from the ''Virtua Fighter'' series, the characters' key animations were provided by
Sega is a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, respectively. Its divisio ...
and Team Ninja created some more while working to implement them into the ''Dead or Alive'' gameplay system, which uses similar controls but features a different kind of matches. Hayashi said Team Ninja stayed in "very close" communication with
Sega AM2 previously known as is a video game development team within the Japanese multinational video game developer Sega. Yu Suzuki, who had previously developed arcade games for Sega including '' Hang-On'' and ''Out Run'', was the first manager of ...
: "We got their guidance and feedback, we got them to check for everything we were doing with the characters." Hasayshi also said that he aimed to develop a crossover game in a manner similar to ''
Street Fighter X Tekken (pronounced "Street Fighter Cross Tekken") is a crossover fighting game developed by Capcom and released in March 2012 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, in May for Microsoft Windows and in October for the PlayStation Vita. The game features c ...
'' and that he chose ''Virtua Fighter'' because it was "the father of 3D gaming", and also the first 3D game that he played and the IP he personally respects most.Nathan Brown
Hayashi keen on Dead Or Alive crossover
Edge Online, February 14, 2012.
Early on, Hayashi said they attempted to move on from relying just on sex and violence: "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. We want to show something that’s more high class, that adult males of our generation could look at a woman haracterand be impressed with her as a woman, not just as a
pin-up A pin-up model (known as a pin-up girl for a female and less commonly male pin-up for a male) is a model (person), model whose mass produced, mass-produced pictures see widespread appeal as part of popular culture. Pin-up models were variously ...
," as opposed to the previous concept of just "make her breasts big and just make them jiggle." ''Dead or Alive 5''s overseas producer Peter Garza said the game's revised aesthetic direction: "''Dead or Alive'' is known for its sexiness and high-kicking characters and certain aspects of the physics engine... Those are definitely going to be in ''Dead or Alive 5'' - it's part of the series, it's part of its history and it's part of why people like it. But we're trying to take a bit more of a mature take on it."Matt Cundy
Dead or Alive 5: Check out the redesigned and more mature Kasumi (in a bikini)
GamesRadar, August 29, 2012.
After the release, the game's director Yohei Shimbori said they were originally "getting feedback from the overseas offices to tone down the sexuality -- to tone down the sexiness of the game, and of the characters." However, the team then changed their decision due to negative feedback from fans who were playing the alpha demo version who demanded bigger breasts. Shimbori said: "That was kind of surprising. There's definitely still room for having sexualized aspects," adding that he "really tries" to take fan feedback into account and to keep an open mind.Christian Nutt
Team Ninja learns to fear its fans
Gamasutra, September 26, 2012.
Hayashi himself made a 180 turn from his previous position. Asked "what would you say to those people who think that the
bikini A bikini is a two-piece swimsuit primarily worn by women that features two triangles of fabric on top that cover the breasts, and two triangles of fabric on the bottom: the front covering the pelvis but exposing the navel, and the back coverin ...
-clad babes in ''DOA5'' are
sexist Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers primar ...
," he said their goal was to create "the cutest chicks in videogames" and so they made a lot of effort to develop an advanced breast physics model that works differently with various types of clothing.PSU Staff
Team Ninja goes hands-on with breasts to create 'the cutest chicks in videogames'
PlayStation Universe, August 15th, 2012.
Their product received the
ESRB The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is a self-regulatory organization that assigns age and content ratings to consumer video games in the United States and Canada. The ESRB was established in 1994 by the Entertainment Software A ...
rating of Mature 17+ (Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Violence).


Promotion

In February 2012, Team Ninja hosted a series of press events in various locations across the world, showcasing the alpha demo of the game. Further screenshots have confirmed Hitomi and Ayane to be playable, while Kasumi was featured in a promotional poster. A trailer unveiled at the
Game Developers Conference The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is an annual conference for video game developers. The event includes an expo, networking events, and awards shows like the Game Developers Choice Awards and Independent Games Festival, and a variety of tutori ...
in March 2012 revealed that the game would include ''Virtua Fighter''s Akira Yuki. In May 2012, Koei Tecmo attended London MCM Expo, showcasing a playable demo version of the game. ''Dead or Alive 5'' tournament was also held on the GameSpot stage. In June, KT attended the
E3 2012 The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2012 (E3 2012) was the 18th E3 held. The event took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California. It began on June 5, 2012, and ended on June 7, 2012, with 45,700 total attendees. It was ...
, where the live-streamed IPN ( IGN Pro League) ''Dead or Alive 5'' championship was held with a new beta demo version of the game. A trailer for the event revealed another ''Virtua Fighter'' guest character, Sarah Bryant. June saw the emergence of a new trailer confirming the addition of a brand new character to the series, Rig. In July, KT's official
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...
channel MyKOEITV released a trailer showcasing tag team gameplay and showing a female fighter wearing a luchadora mask, later revealed to be La Mariposa. The "Official Declaration" trailer released in August confirmed the return of Alpha-152. In September, two weeks before the game's release, KT announced another brand new character to join the roster, a female
vale tudo Vale Tudo (; en, Everything Goes/Everything Allowed), also known No Holds Barred (NHB) in the United States, is an unarmed, full-contact combat sport with relatively few rules. It became popular in Brazil during the 20th century and would even ...
and
kickboxing Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, genera ...
artist named Mila, while ''Virtua Fighter''s Pai Chan was also revealed to make an appearance. The game's launch trailer was released on September 19.


Release

''Dead or Alive 5'' was first released in North America on September 25, 2012, followed by other parts of the world within a week. A day 1
patch Patch or Patches may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Patch Johnson, a fictional character from ''Days of Our Lives'' * Patch (''My Little Pony''), a toy * "Patches" (Dickey Lee song), 1962 * "Patches" (Chairmen of the Board song) ...
addressed numerous issues with the game, including balance tweaks to most characters and some minor improvements to the online mode. On December 1, it was announced that an "expanding patch" is planned to be released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions in early 2013David Scammell
Dead or Alive 5 Plus announced for PlayStation Vita
VideoGamer.com, 03/12/2012.
and also that IPL is going to hold the official ''Dead or Alive 5'' competition in 2013.Colin Moriarty
Dead or Alive 5 Coming to PlayStation Vita
IGN, December 1, 2012.
Team Ninja said the patch will aim to carefully rebalance the game: "Rather than kill personality to make everyone the same, we’ll strengthen the weak characters to make a fair fight." The team also invited customers to send constructive criticism and suggestions about balancing to them via
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
.


Marketing and merchandise

A
game demo A game demo is a trial version of a video game that is limited to a certain time limit or a point in progress, which leads to the player buying the game if they liked it. A game demo comes in forms such as shareware, demo disc, downloadable s ...
of ''Dead or Alive 5'' was released with ''
Ninja Gaiden 3 is a 2012 action adventure hack and slash game developed by Team Ninja and published by Tecmo Koei. It is the sequel to '' Ninja Gaiden II'' and was released worldwide for the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 in March. An updated version titl ...
'' in March 2012, featuring four playable characters. The Xbox 360 version of the demo allows the use of Hayabusa and Hitomi, while the PlayStation 3 version makes Hayate and Ayane playable. The collector's edition of ''Ninja Gaiden 3'' makes all four characters playable. Tecmo Koei collaborated with several retail outlets on pre-order bonuses available through several store chains throughout the world. Bonuses included in-game bunny-style swimsuits for Kasumi, Leifang and Hitomi from
GameStop GameStop Corp. is an American video game, consumer electronics, and gaming merchandise retailer. The company is headquartered in Grapevine, Texas (a suburb of Dallas), and is the largest video game retailer worldwide. , the company operates 4,5 ...
, the in-game "DOA Devils" black swimsuits for Christie, Tina and Ayane from
Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...
, and a Kasumi-themed
iPhone 4 The iPhone 4 is a smartphone that was designed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is the fourth generation of the iPhone lineup, succeeding the iPhone 3GS and preceding the 4S. Following a number of notable leaks, the iPhone 4 was first unvei ...
case from ShopTo. The ''Dead or Alive 5 Collectors Edition'', available from various retailers in North America and Europe, includes a metal case, a hardcover
art book Artists' books (or book arts or book objects) are works of art that utilize the form of the book. They are often published in small editions, though they are sometimes produced as one-of-a-kind objects. Overview Artists' books have employed a ...
, a
soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...
CD, a poster of the game's characters, and a "Premium Sexy Costume" for each of 12 female characters that gives one swimsuit per character. Stand-alone merchandise for the game include official guides by
Koei Koei Co., Ltd. was a Japanese video game publisher, developer, and distributor founded in 1978. The company is known for its ''Dynasty Warriors'' games based on the novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', as well as simulation games based on ...
and
Prima Games Prima Games is a publishing company of video game strategy guides in the United States. Formerly, Prima was an imprint of Dorling Kindersley, a division of Penguin Random House, and produced print ''strategy guides'', featuring ''in-depth walkt ...
, an arcade stick by Hori decorated with a graphic of Ayane and Kasumi (bundled with limited versions for both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360), and a clothing line by Tecmo Koei and Insert Coin (including a hoodie based on one of Hitomi's costumes in the game). Other, later released merchandise included 3D mousepads featuring Ayane, Hitomi or Kasumi, and
dakimakura A ''dakimakura'' (; from ''daki'' "embrace" and ''makura'' "pillow") is a type of large pillow from Japan. The word is often translated to English as body pillow or waifu pillow. In Japan, ''dakimakura'' are similar to Western orthopedic body ...
pillow cases featuring Ayane, Kasumi, Hitomi, Kokoro or Leifang.


Downloadable content

The first downloadable content, Costume Packs Round 1, was released on October 2, providing new outfits for several of the characters and available for free. The first purchasable DLC, Costume Packs Round 2 (featuring costume sets "Kitty Pack", "What a Character" and "Special Set"), was released two weeks later, available either sold separately or through "Full Set" containing all three at a reduced price. It was followed by Costume Packs Round 3 (with costume sets "Gym Class", "Uniform" and "Special Set 2"), released at the end of October, and Costume Packs Round 4 (with costume sets "Angels", "Devils" and "DOATEC Divas", some of them previously made available as preorder bonuses for the disc version) and Player's Swimwear Pack (also with three sub-packs and previously included in the ''Collector's Edition''), released in mid-November, all of them also with a price discount for choosing a "Full Set" version. Two more costume packs were announced to follow up later in 2012 (in late November and December). More downloadable content, including "Hotties Swimwear" and "Zack Island stage" was released in February 2013, along with a major patch for the game.


Reception


Pre-release

Prior to release, professional gamer Kayane declared ''Dead or Alive 5'' the most beautiful fighting game she had ever seen. In a positive preview, ''
Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The ...
'' stated, "the resurgence and appreciation for ighting gameshas only happened recently with
reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is phys ...
s or re-imaginings of cherished titles, and ''DOA5'' is one of these reboots. More accurately, ''DOA5'' is a rebirth." '' X360'' ranked ''Dead or Alive 5'' as the third most sexy game coming over in 2012.


Reviews

The full version of ''Dead or Alive 5'' was met with a generally positive critical response. Reviewers typically praised the game's graphics and animation, as well as the spectacularity of the fights and their deeper gameplay mechanics. However, several reviews criticized the story mode and aspects of its online features. Some of the reviewers also expressed disappointment with what they thought was Team Ninja's failure to innovate enough as compared to previous titles in the series and the other new games in the genre. ''
Famitsu formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the f ...
'' was the first publication to review the game, giving it a very high score of 36/40 (rated 9/10 by all four reviewers). IGN's Vincent Ingenito described ''Dead or Alive 5'' as a "formidable, enormously entertaining fighter" and the deepest game in the ''Dead or Alive'' series, praising the new gameplay mechanics, "gorgeous" and "stunning" visuals, "memorable and lovingly crafted" interactive stages, "insanely deep" practice mode as well as online features, and calling it "without any question, the best entry in the series." According to
GamesRadar ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', '' Edge'' and ''Computer ...
's Giancarlo Saldana, ''Dead or Alive 5'' features "better than ever" graphics and its improved fighting system "is another step in the right direction," and while "the game’s story mode leaves much to be desired," ''Dead or Alive 5''s "new fighting mechanics and flashy stage effects turn battles into an entertaining, over-the-top experience."
Joystiq ''Joystiq'' was a video gaming blog founded in June 2004 as part of the Weblogs, Inc. family of weblogs, now owned by AOL. It was AOL's primary video game blog, with sister blogs dealing with MMORPG gaming in general and the popular MMORPG ''Worl ...
's Ludwig Kietzmann called ''Dead or Alive 5'' a "success as an energetic revitalization of the series."Ludwig Kietzmann
Dead or Alive 5 review: Begrudge match
Joystiq, Sep 27th 2012.
Kotaku ''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier. History ...
's Mike Fahey wrote that "while ''Dead or Alive 5'' is far from a complete overhaul of the series, it charges into the fighting game scene with all the spirit of a completely new game." Ernest Lin of PlayStation Universe stated that the "stages are the most awe-inducing spectacles ever seen in a fighting game" and "despite its shortcomings, ''DOA5'' is the best ''Dead or Alive'' period."
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
's Maxwell McGee applauded ''Dead or Alive 5'' for its gameplay system, "impressive" graphics and "outstanding reality" in regards to characters and environments, and did not mind the plot — stating it to be "entertaining in its ridiculousness" — but criticized the game's practice mode and some online features, overall calling it "a dynamic fighter that can be enjoyed by players of all skill types." Andy Hartup of ''
Computer and Video Games ''Computer and Video Games'' (also known as ''CVG'', ''Computer & Video Games'', ''C&VG'', ''Computer + Video Games'', or ''C+VG'') was a UK-based video game magazine, published in its original form between 1981 and 2004. Its offshoot website w ...
'' called the training modes "absolutely superb", but criticized the game for its "bizarre" story mode and because it " ackedthe complexity of ''
Street Fighter , commonly abbreviated as ''SF'' or スト (''Suto''), is a Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may ...
''," summarizing that although ''DOA5'' "isn't perfect", it is "cracking fun, a fighter that's great to watch and feels even better to play."
Destructoid ''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017, and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022. History ' ...
's Ian Bonds called it "a delicious surprise" that is "fun without being frustrating, the all-around fighter for everyone. Even the ones who won't admit to enjoying the T&A." However, Dan Ryckert of ''
Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly Video game journalism, video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated video game cons ...
'' was much more critical of the elements like the game's story and online play system, and especially the series' perceived lack of substantial progress in some areas such as character customization, stating that this "decent fighter" is years behind the competition and Team Ninja is "showing its age." ''
Edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed ...
'' described it as "mostly business as usual" with "tweaks to the formula and aesthetic, but nothing too sacrilegious or enticing."
G4TV G4 (also known as G4TV) was an American pay television and digital network owned by Comcast Spectacor that primarily focused on video games. The network was originally owned by G4 Media, a joint venture between the NBCUniversal Cable divis ...
's Sophie Prell called it merely a "refinement and re-balancing of ''Dead or Alive 4''," adding that the game is "the most welcoming to newcomers" while "hardcore fans" of fighting games might need to keep their "expectations in check". According to Matt Edwards of
Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson. Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair E ...
, "''DOA5'' doesn't tarnish the series' solid and sassy reputation — far from it — but it falls short of an evolutionary leap in terms of combat mechanics and a substantial expansion in terms of single-player." Like previous installments of the ''Dead or Alive'' franchise, the game was criticized for objectifying women's bodies. A review in ''
Metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban ...
'' pointed to the series as mostly known for its focus on the breasts of the female characters, alleging that "the majority of its characters are all impossibly well-endowed women, whose breasts wobble about their chest like a pair of blancmanges ..portrayed as simpering, personality-free automatons." An attempt during development of ''Dead or Alive 5'' to "tone down the sexuality" due to outside criticism was reversed due to criticism from long-term fans and testers. In response to criticism of sexualization of female characters, creative director of the games development team pointed to the fact that the game's "actions, aesthetics and overall visual presentation is more than obviously set in a light-hearted, over-the-top, candy coated universe" and stated that "we also don't feel that we are demeaning women."


Sales and awards

In May, Tecmo Koei announced that it aims to sell one million copies of the game. First week sales in Japan were strong where the game sold more than 80,000 copies, mostly for the PS3. On October 29, 2012, it was reported that the game sold 580,000 units worldwide during the first month after its release. According to Tecmo Koei, downloadable content sales and retail pre-orders have also been favorable. Joystiq commented that the figure "compares reasonably to the 700,000 copies ''Dead or Alive 4'' shipped worldwide in its first two months." Its main rival game, ''
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 ''Tekken Tag Tournament 2'' is a sequel to the ''Tekken'' fighting game series. It was released for the arcades in September 2011. It received an update, subtitled ''Unlimited'', on March 2012. A console version based on the update was release ...
'', also released in September, has sold 840,000 units by November 2, 2012. By June 2015, all versions of the game combined together sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide, along with 3.5 million downloads of the
free-to-play Free-to-play (F2P or FtP) video games are games that give players access to a significant portion of their content without paying or do not require paying to continue playing. Free-to-play is distinct from traditional commercial software, which ...
versions of '' Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate'' and '' Dead or Alive 5 Last Round''. ''Dead or Alive 5'' was given the title of "Best of Fighters" of
Gamescom Gamescom (stylized as gamescom) is a trade fair for video games held annually at the Koelnmesse in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Since 2018, it has been organised by ''game – Verband der deutschen Games-Branche'' (English: Associa ...
2012 by Destructoid and was nominated for "People's Choice Award" by IGN. At E3 2012 it was nominated for the "Best Fighting Game" by
Game Critics Awards The Game Critics Awards are a set of annual awards held after the E3 video game conference since 1998. The awards are given to products displayed at E3 with the title Best of E3 of their category. Format The nominees and winners of the awards a ...
(losing to '' Injustice: Gods Among Us'') and G4TV. It was also nominated at the 2012
Spike Video Game Awards The Spike Video Game Awards (in short VGAs, known as the VGX for the final show) was an annual award show hosted by American television network Spike from 2003 to 2013 that recognized the best computer and video games of the year. Produced by ' ...
in the category "Best Fighting Game" of the year (losing to ''
Persona 4 Arena ''Persona 4 Arena'' is a fighting video game co-developed by Atlus and Arc System Works for arcades, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360; the game is a spin-off from the ''Persona'' series, itself part of the larger ''Megami Tensei'' franchise. The game ...
''), and for Destructoid's title of best fighting game of 2012 (losing also to ''Persona 4 Arena'') as well as for GameSpot's "Fighting Game of the Year" (losing to ''Tekken Tag Tournament 2''). ''Dead or Alive 5'' has been nominated for "Best Console" game in the IGN Australia's Black Beta Select Awards 2012 and
Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes ...
chose it as one of the 20 nominees for an overall "Game of the Year" of 2012. Russian magazine '' Igromania'' gave it a title of the fighting game of the year. Polish web portal Interia.pl included the game's Ayane, Christie and Kasumi among the "sexiest game heroines" of 2012.


Legacy


''Dead or Alive 5 Plus''

''Dead or Alive 5 Plus'' is an enhanced port of ''DOA5'' for the
PlayStation Vita The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita, or Vita) is a handheld video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, and in North America, Europe, and other international territ ...
released in March 2013. The game adds more options for Training mode and a Touch Play mode. It was actually better received than the original ''DOA5'', holding the averaged review scores of 83.40% at
GameRankings GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...
and 80/100 at
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
.


''Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate''

''Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate'' is an updated version of ''DOA5'' released in September 2013 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, available at retail and digitally. ''Ultimate'' includes new modes and some features from ''Dead or Alive 5 Plus'', as well as several new stages and fighters (including ''Ninja Gaiden''s
Rachel Rachel () was a Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Laban. Her older sister was Leah, Jacob's first wife. Her ...
and
Momiji ''Acer palmatum'', commonly known as Japanese maple, palmate maple, or smooth Japanese maple (Japanese: ''irohamomiji'', , or ''momiji'', (栴), is a species of woody plant native to Japan, Korea, China, eastern Mongolia, and southeast Russia ...
, and ''Virtua Fighters Jacky Bryant, as well as the return of '' Dead or Alive 2'' characters Leon and Hayate's amnesiac karateka identity, Ein), and all-new features such as two-on-two online multiplayer tag team battles, among many other changes. Three new female characters: Marie Rose, Phase-4 and Nyotengu, joined the game's roster in 2014. A free digital version, titled ''Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate: Core Fighters'', which features four playable characters and the online mode, with additional characters and story mode content available as purchasable downloadable content, was released for the PlayStation 3 via the
PlayStation Store The PlayStation Store (PS Store) is a digital media store available to users of Sony's PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 game consoles via the PlayStation Network. The store offers a range of downloadable conten ...
alongside the retail version. An arcade version titled ''Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate: Arcade'' was developed in a co-operation with Sega (Ringedge 2 Hardware) for a release only in Japan later in 2013, which is also including the three new characters who was introduced in this version as DLC for console version.


''Dead or Alive 5 Last Round''

''Dead or Alive 5 Last Round'' for the PlayStation 3,
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
, Xbox 360,
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
and
Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, W ...
(through
Steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. ...
) was released in February 2015 for the consoles and the next month on Steam. It has a digital-only release for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and a physical release for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, including a free-to-play version for the latter consoles. Among other changes, the original '' Dead or Alive'' boss Raidou returns as a cyborg, along with a new female character named Honoka. Including this version, the game had 12 million downloads.


''Slot Dead or Alive 5''

A ''DOA5''-based
pachinko is a mechanical game originating in Japan that is used as an arcade game, and much more frequently for gambling. Pachinko fills a niche in Japanese gambling comparable to that of the slot machine in the West as a form of low-stakes, low-s ...
slot machine released by Universal Entertainment in 2016.


''Dead or Alive 5 Infinite''

''Dead or Alive 5 Infinite'' (生死格斗5无限) is a ''DOA5''-based mobile video game made exclusively for Chinese market. It was released for the Android and
iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
devices in 2017. Unlike the other versions of ''DOA5'', ''Infinite'' is not a fighting game but is rather using action role-playing game mechanics.


References


External links

* {{Virtua Fighter series 2012 video games 3D fighting games Dead or Alive (franchise) video games Multiplayer and single-player video games Multiplayer online games Video games about ninja Martial arts video games PlayStation 3 games Science fiction video games Fighting games Tag team videogames Video games with AI-versus-AI modes Video game sequels Video games developed in Japan Video games featuring female protagonists Video games set in the 21st century Video games set in Antarctica Video games set in China Video games set in Japan Video games set in New York City Video games set in South America Video games with alternative versions Virtua Fighter Xbox 360 games Koei Tecmo games