Dead or Alive Dimensions takes the vivacious characters and locales that have made the DOA franchise a hit with gamers everywhere and presents them in eye-popping 3D display. All of the punches, kicks, counters and grapples that have defined the series as a top-tier console and arcade fighter are present for the first time on a portable gaming system -- the Nintendo 3DS.Dead or Alive Dimensions features some of the best content from the series spanning all of the titles from the original DOA up to DOA 4. Fans will be able to relive some of the classic rivalries, storylines and white-knuckle action from the best points in the DOA history. There's also a ton of new content, so even the most seasoned DOA fan will enjoy fresh material. Players will be able to play through several modes including Chronicle, Versus, Tag Survival Modes and more. They’ll also have a robust roster of more than 20 fighters and 15 stages to choose from, including two fighters who have never been playable until now.
Release Date: May 24, 2011
MSRP: $39.99
Exclusively on: Nintendo 3DS
T for Teen: Blood, Mild Language, Partial Nudity, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence
Genre: Fighting
Publisher: Tecmo KOEI
Developer: Team Ninja
Online Play: 2 Versus
Local Play: 2 Versus
A few weeks ago I had a chance to briefly play Dead or Alive Dimensions, the first Dead or Alive title to be developed for a portable system. DOAD, which will be coming to a 3DS near you on May 24, looked like it was coming along nicely, and I'm especially intrigued by the idea that, for the first time in the series, you're able to play as any character in the DOA universe.
Be sure to keep your eye out for my full review of DOAD on May 20. But in the meantime, I've tracked down Team Ninja's Yosuke Hayashi and asked him some questions abut his experience working on DOAD, what fans can expect, and what surprises are in store.
IGN: Where does Dead or Alive Dimensions take place in the DOA canon? Or is it separate from that?
Hayashi: Dead or Alive Dimensions is a compilation of all the DOA games to date and sums up the story of DOA in one neat package. If we were talking music, I would say that it is something along the lines of a "best hits" album. We are positioning DOAD as not only a must-have game for fans but also as something that will be able to introduce new gamers to the world of Dead or Alive. You will see some classic moments back from the past series as well as many never-before-seen moments as well.
IGN: What brought about this idea of combining all of the DOA characters' stories into this one game?
Hayashi: We thought of this game as the first step in the reboot of DOA so we wanted the fans and players new to the franchise alike to really get into the game. It's been over five years since DOA4 and not to mention the fact that this is the first portable outing for DOA. In order to fill this time gap we purposely wanted to take this opportunity to reintroduce DOA to the world, so we chose this direction.
IGN: Is there anything about DOAD that will surprise fans of the series?
Hayashi: I can tell you there will be a lot of surprises in there. Fans will notice many of the newly added techniques and many of the neat things we have done in the Chronicle Mode. We really wanted players to try and guess how much of these surprises they will be able to notice so we made the game full of these on purpose!
IGN: How did it come about that a level from Metroid: Other M was included in DOAD? Was there ever any discussion of including Samus as a playable character?
Hayashi: Obviously this is the first DOA for a Nintendo platform. We wanted to commemorate this occasion with something so we decided to feature a stage crossover with Other M. The footage we released for this was a bit confusing because it didn't allow us to show our true intentions behind having this stage in there. One thing about Samus as a playable character -- for DOAD our aim was to have a compilation of DOA characters so we purposely left out any new or guest characters in the game. Samus is a lone bounty hunter and protector of the galaxy so we thought it would be better to let her focus on her job rather than kicking everyone's butt in DOAD.
IGN: Is Dimensions being developed with newcomers in mind, or is it more for fans of the series who are familiar with the characters?
Hayashi: Since this is a first step in the reboot of DOA, we are focused in making it approachable to both the fans of the series and newcomers. The concept of this game is, "One more time, One more fight". It projects the fact that we wanted to gather together all our fans for another bout and also reunite fighting game fans who got tired of playing and left fighting games.
Just one morefight.
IGN: What's next for DOA?
Hayashi: We want to know what all of you thought about DOAD first. This is the thing that will play a deciding factor in DOA's future. One thing I mentioned before is that DOAD is a first step in the reboot of DOA… and we don't feel like stopping at this one game.
IGN: What, for you, separates the DOA franchise from other fighters such as Street Fighter and Tekken?
Hayashi: I think the biggest one is sheer beauty. This not only refers to characters but also to the flow and motion of every single technique. To us, getting each technique to flow and feel perfectly is something we are really focused on and you will see that result in the beauty we have expressed through movement. I think that by having conflicting elements of fighting and beauty coexist in one place is something that makes DOA so unique.
IGN: This is the first DOA game released on a Nintendo system. What about the 3DS interested you as a developer
Hayashi: We considered a handheld DOA a while ago but we never found the hardware that could do the job. When we first looked at the 3DS we were pleased at its performance and reliable network features, both of which allowed the hardware its smooth processing. We thought that this hardware could play a good host to DOA so we decided to go ahead and develop DOAD.
We were, of course, surprised by the 3D feature. We didn't want to go ahead and make a game or the sake of 3D and sacrifice it's gameplay for that, just like you see in movies where they focus on making the movie just for the sake of 3D and don't put enough effort into the story. We did not want to go down this path and decided instead to make a proper gaming experience that does not rely on 3D. We developed the game this way from the very start.
IGN: What about this title is enhanced by the 3D effect?
Hayashi: I'll leave it to your imagination. I think that all of us men out there will not be disappointed.
Check out Dead or Alive's dimensions.
IGN: What problems or challenges arose during development of Dimensions, and how did you overcome them?
Hayashi: Since we developed the game for new hardware we experienced difficulties on a daily basis. Getting through these was almost like playing through levels in a game and to be honest we had a lot of fun. All our staff kept their chins up high and did a great job. By the end of development when that challenge was over everyone felt a bit sad at the end.
IGN: Is Dimensions being developed by the same team that usually does DOA? Or is there a lot of new blood?
Hayashi: There was a mix actually. We had the older guys and new guys as well. Ratio-wise it was around 1:1. It was good to have new blood because it let the older members absorb many new ideas. I was really happy with the team.
IGN: While this is DOA's first time on a Nintendo system, it is not Ryu Hayabasa's. So is there any chance of Ninja Gaiden making its way onto the 3DS?
Hayashi: Once we are determined that Ryu should find his way to the 3DS we'll let you guys know. Until that time, please use him in DOAD!
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