Dead or Alive 6 - What Happened?

[@MattMcMuscles]

Check out DNF Duel Here! Steam: ggcont.me/3yqz4RH Homepage: ggcont.me/3NqmVAs DNFD KZbin: ggcont.me/3Nk4Aoi

[@cactuss33ds]

>all content that you would expect from any fighting game available day 1 at launch that's a selling point now?

[@mekman4]

At the end of the day, Life _is all about boobs._ Great Stuff, as always.

[@sativaburns6705]

Duke Nukem Forever: Dual huh? Interesting and terrifying.

[@ZaxFSO8083]

@nemo pouncey if you are talking about DOA then that’s funny you should say since DOA 5 Final Round had about 4 Virtua Fighter characters in the (and all included for free).

[@ZaxFSO8083]

@nemo pouncey well that’s a very big what if for Koei Tecmo since they have Gust (which is successful for the Atelier franchise) and Omega Force (which is successful for the Warriors/Musou genre, of which despite what people say bad about the genre it still earns the big enough bucks to stay cushiony in their ways, haters be dismissive).

[@KreuzDrache]

If gaming has taught me anything, it is probably better to be niche, than try to appeal to everyone. ESPECIALLY with an already established franchise where your fans have expectations of what should or should not be in the game.

[@CrystalMang0]

Thing is they didn't try to appeal to everyone. All they did was say "we gonna tone done the outfits" yet lied about that as well along with other bs this game tried to do.

[@ferferu2]

@@CrystalMang0 they didn’t lie about that, for example Rachel’s fiend outfit is censored and you can censor all outfits if you want to (there’s an option for that), they tried to appeal to the more conservative players, and that means losing most of what hardcore fans wanted

[@KreuzDrache]

@@CrystalMang0 Reading through some comments about 6, I was under the impression that it was not just the designs being toned down, but also the gameplay itself too. It also seems like there's less environmental stuff too? I dunno, 6's stage transitions seems decent enough?

[@dandruff3414]

This is true. But not too niche that your market is microscopic small

[@luminosity01]

@@dandruff3414 More like focusing on your main audiences lol, basically what re7 do

[@eccentric-j]

I really liked the fighting system of the DOA series. I liked that it wasn’t magical powers and projectiles. I loved the counter system. It was so satisfying having a good read to totally change up the momentum without having to know the frame count of a block vs the particular attack in SF. It was a fun series to play as an intermediate player

[@Conv1cti0n]

ikr!!! every other fighting game had the same simple formula and this game you could play and see a variety of animations because of the counters and because u have to time them for high and low attacks gave more variety.

[@astridparungao4971]

*looks at Ryu Hayabusa* But the thing is, Tekken and Virtua Fighters have already got the realistic fighting premise for those guys, it's content enough for them

[@eccentric-j]

​@@astridparungao4971 Sure there's some ninja magic but it's still significantly less than the more popular fighting game series today. Virtua Fighter and especially Tekken are not as fun to play as a beginner, it was great playing DOA with friends who never played it before and having a good time.

[@PtkGaming]

Thats my favorite part of DOA too I thought I was getting good against cpus, but when I tried online I got absolutely bodied and readed like a book

[@Lerkero]

It really is sad that no other popular fighting game embraces the counter system like DOA. The closest game is Soul Calibur and that series isn't getting supported right now

[@VCV95]

The fact that your sponsor is a full ass game, not a mobile game, is great. keep up the gold man

[@cloudchaser8650]

Shame the game was made by the devs of a super p2w mmorpg thats was like that long before loot boxes were common place using a gatcha system.

[@oreox1000]

@@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley I’m hoping that the new Hoyoverse game will be like this.

[@VCV95]

@@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley Maybe Arc just really wanted to make another game lmao

[@valentds]

@@VCV95 arc? it's neople, arcsys did only the graphics

[@VCV95]

@@valentds no I know. I saw it as a group of artists looking to flex. Like how Gainax makes/used to make "wind down" projects for their artists.

[@solidsnake434]

Slight correction, Itagaki San is the responsible for the creation of the series and the majority of the DoA entries. He left the company after DoA4

[@Teh69thSpartan]

He didn't left, he got fired.

[@upeo12]

Well, at least that means Tecmo can make a good game without him cuz DoA5 was fine, DoA7 could be a remake and it would work perfectly

[@solidsnake434]

@@Teh69thSpartan true

[@deafbyhiphop]

@@upeo12That just means that there’s no one at team ninja that can oppose tecmo on their bad creative decisions anymore, which is how we got DOA 6.

[@horacevu]

@@upeo12 WTF are you smoking? Tecmo is pure garbage without Itagaki. He's the reason DOA and Ninja Gaiden got so popular. You're a fake fan of the series, stfu and GTFO!

[@elfsongtavern]

As a DOA player: Unfortunately, there is a lot more to talk about. Koei Tecmo forced Team Ninja to completely remodel DOA’s gameplay and competitive players were/ARE pissed. This caused most players to abandon 6 and just play 5. The DOA community is developing a mod titled “DOA6++” which takes 6 and makes it more like the older games; if players aren’t playing 5, they’re playing 6++. I am playing 5.

[@nightwolf9375]

Also worth noting that progress on the new engine was going at a less than desirable pace than what Koei Tecmo wanted, and kept getting delays internally at the company. So they were supposedly aggressively clobbering the studio, and constantly putting shorter deadlines than what both parties agreed on. And it came to a point where KT was flat out refusing to fund development on the new engine, and forced TN to rush out whatever they had done. So TN had to port the majority of 5’s assets and sounds into an unfinished engine, and pray that it worked fluidly. It sucks too because supposedly there were going to be more returning modes and new ones, and the plan was to have more base content like characters and stages. And they were already planning to support it longer than the last 3 iterations of 5 combined. All of this comes from ex-TN devs that did an interview with a DOA community member (can’t remember his name rn but he’s on yt). Also sorry if this was mentioned in this video but I just wanted to add onto your statement asap.

[@dusthymn8187]

i am a fan of the series, what makes 5 better than 6? Should i switch from 6 to 5?

[@ImpressionQuick]

​@@dusthymn8187 it is a more complete game. But if you are just a casual player, and don't care about costume and fanservice, it is basically the same game with modern take. Probably better in some way. The aspect that got toned down is the story mode and online play. And way too grindy to get free costumes. It's fine, but hate for the game is basically the developer is trying to sell the same costume people paid for in DOA5. Which is shitty for returning players. The video explains it better than me when it comes to fanservice but yes, it really doesn't help that the series also has a spin-off gacha game about going on a vacation to the beach with female casts of the series and admiring them in their sexy outfits. It's good, I played it but it can cost real money to buy costumes. It's called Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation. The game should stay with its niche as a fighting game with fanservice. Other games are worse, but the reason this game is targeted for its fanservice is because the series glorifies it.

[@gamesandplanes3984]

"completely remodeled"? No. That's a bold faced lie. The gameplay has been essentially the same for two decades. And nearly identical for one.

[@Sylven306]

I may have only "casually" played the series over the years, but I swear 5 and 6 were near identical gameplay wise. What were the changes?

[@GleeChan]

Here's the thing. DOA was never going to gain new fans by trying to be Tekken. The brand cemented itself into being fanservice fun and it can't escape from that. If the devs wanted to make a more serious fighting game, they should have just introduced a new IP, and have a few DOA fighters as cameo unlockables in that to bridge the gap between new and old customers. This revamp of brand was never going to work and I don't know why they thought it would.

[@batmabel]

The weird thing is that they tried it before with 5, the first trailers and stuff also showed a more "serious" game and they intended to make the jiggle physics more tame, but fans also complained so much that they ended up rolling it back and making it so the less absurd jiggle physics were under option settings. Which was great imo, because I really prefer the game a bit less ridiculously bouncy, but to think that fans would be ok with only having the non-water balloon boobs is insane.

[@CaptainOverkill]

This has been a consistent problem with entertainment IPs in general. It's happened in video games, comics, anime/manga, and movies. What always happens is clueless corporate executives who don't understand (or worse, dislike) their market decide to "broaden the appeal" of an IP in the hopes of catching a "more mainstream" audience, while failing to define what "the mainstream" is, and failing to understanding what might actually appeal to this theoretical "mainstream." They almost always mutilate the IP beyond recognition, call the "old" fans names on social media when they complain, and are baffled, shocked and angry when the sales inevitably tank and "the mainstream" audience that doesn't exist except in their imaginations fails to materialize.

[@crawlingchaos2811]

Probably because the outrage was p childish and they overestimated gamers

[@mindcrome]

Tekken player. I have tried DOA since 1 (it was always looked as a joke) DOA 2 was fun and was know for ALL the UNLOCKS on a one disc. Can you imagine that! it took months to do. All you have to do was play the game. DOA 3 was better, but there where better games (Tekken 4 & 5, Virtual Fighter 4 & 5, ahhhhhhhh I guess street fighter, KOF) after that it has been a joke. Fighting system is fun, but not Tekken.(Remove the fucking slow-mo rage bs)

[@danielwilliams3161]

I blame the woke idiots fucking up shit

[@TheRandomboy47]

For as much as I enjoyed DOA6, I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t disrespectful to its fans. Also the DLC was as greedy as it got for Koei Tecmo; and I also hated the unlock system for costumes.

[@pn33milan11]

Yeah, they ended up making no one happy. Neither old fans or new ones

[@vestruxdynamic8475]

And there still charging a $100 for the season pass.

[@pbonfanti]

@nemo pouncey i played the 1st on saturn.

[@iamantieverything87]

If a fanbase ever deserved disrespect, though...

[@malaki7123]

I don't even mind the DLC costumes, as I only ever bought the characters, but yeah, the unlock system is so dumb.

[@thundergodcid960]

I remember this debacle. The funny thing was that Soul Calibur 6 seemingly took complete advantage of the situation and gave longtime fans what they wanted AND kept their sexy classic female characters intact.

[@malcovich_games]

Well given that they messed up sc5 so bad and no one cared about the time skip plot and especially not Sophitia’s kids… they did a good job righting the ship. Perhaps DOA7 can be a similar comeback like sc6

[@Ulqui_210]

Man as much as it succeeded in those aspects, I wish the game had more than two seasons before its support was halted.

[@Jirujan]

@@Ulqui_210 TBH, i think it make sense for the developer to stop the support after season 2. considering the fact that every character SC6 (excluding guest star) have good story that connected to each other, and not just arcade mode with short cutscene as reward. it's better for them to prepare the next story

[@Luminus2]

@*v.v* I think the art could be better, especially the textures. SC6 character models looks a little too animu.

[@iloveanothermanswives4278]

@@Luminus2 Seethe

[@dragoon001914]

The worse thing about Venus Vacation is that a lot of veteran gals were passed over because world wide polls showed they weren't very popular (Tina, Christie) so they just started making up new characters instead.

[@brettquimby3274]

Actually, Tina eventually was added to Venus Vacation. I think that the KT developers were being pushed around by higher-ups to make quick cash which prevented them from focusing on long-term growth with hardcore DOA fans.

[@Christina_Cage]

Tina was always my main. She had my same name and similar interests, pkus I was into wrestling at the time so Tina was always number 1 to me

[@59master60]

At least we got more p*rn out of it

[@__________Troll__________]

*DOA7 is coming... I saw an ad for it on an **-undisclosed-** website. The ad said "You would last 15 seconds playing this game"* _I was going to watch the rest of the ad but I skipped it because I was busy_

[@notimeforcreativenamesjust3034]

LMAO🤣

[@cristiansalinas4436]

Game canceled, bro

[@Trepie]

In my opinion a lot of this could have been avoided had they just been honest. "Our original plan was to take the game in a different direction, but we've heard fans and we're going to pivot back to the things you expect from our games." Instead of lying and pretending that this was their plan all along meanwhile people could pull up previous interviews and immediately tell that they were lying.

[@planguy9575]

The Sonic movie showed that admitting you fucked up can get you a lot of fan good will.

[@BigK13372]

@@planguy9575 Lie. Tell that to Warner Media with the whole Snyder Cut of Justice League.

[@kidumby7599]

@@BigK13372 I'd think the "admitting" part was an important factor there.

[@TheBlackSage7]

@@planguy9575 Not really a good comparison because the issue with the sonic movie was the design of sonic which was freaky looking but went back to his original design. Nothing was wrong with DoA in the gameplay department so all that was needed was to tone down the sexiness in the game but in DoA 6 both the gameplay and sexiness of the game were less than they were in DoA 5. Even if the sexy costumes were unlocks the gameplay was such a step down that it wouldn't matter.

[@TheJadedJames]

I kind of feel like if the controversy is just sexy costumes "Let's make the less revealing costumes the default so that they don't show up in eSports matches, but a fans who play the game for like a weekend or something will still unlock them" is as good an idea as any to split the difference. But they probably should have not given any statements on this issue. They should have just let advertisements speak for themselves because sometimes you can only make things worse when speaking on controversies

[@MerlinCross13]

Dead or Alive 6 is one of those games where it's series got fame and support due to how chessy it was(Not just with the costumes and jiggle, it was chessy all around). But when they wanted to walk it back to a more 'serious and yet family friendly(blood easier than boobs hmm)' they found the fanbase revolted and were surprised by that. Also these days you'd think like DoA3-4 would fit on twitch front page.

[@no_nameyouknow]

I don't know man I played the original well I think it was dead or alive 2, but we played it cuz it was a fun fighting game, that was it. It was a fun game it looked good it had interesting characters I wasn't drawn to the jiggliness or anything thought it was kind of silly but the game was fun.

[@lazarushernandez5827]

@@no_nameyouknow The original game started the 3D jiggle-fest, but plenty of other 3d fighters followed suit. Game play wise Dead or Alive has always been Virtua Fighter with every character having counters instead of just Pai, you can see this just by how well VFs characters worked in Dead or Alive 5.

[@BananaSandwich3000]

Stop comparing sexuality with gore. That's what a sect of MK fans do too, I can't stand the "well the game's gory, therefore the women must fight in bikinis" mind set. It's ridiculous logic when you actually think about it imo.

[@MerlinCross13]

@@BananaSandwich3000 Alright.; what does adding light blood elements actually do for the game? Not that I'd be okay with blood if Kasumi was back in her flashy outfit; it just feels weird and out of place? I mean I'd feel weird if the next SF game suddenly has bone breaking cut ins, or Guilty Gear having MK blood levels instead. Just feels a bit weird to go "We want to clean up our game to look good for Esports" and then toss in blood effects but that's me. So yeah, I'm gonna give them some flack for that. Maybe I worded it badly in the first place(Gore vs Boobs is an argument for another time and place), but it just feels weird to cut one out and put one in for me. Honestly, I'd prefer if the costumes were trimmed back just a bit, and no blood.

[@BananaSandwich3000]

@@MerlinCross13 As far as I remember, the blood only goes as far as a tiny cut or a small drop coming out of the mouth, they're mostly visible during the slo-mo supers. I don't think that could be consider upping the violence to a dramatic level. Maybe since they were going for realism in certain areas that some small battle damage was necessary.

[@jerlbays7412]

they secured their own niche in the market, then just... let it go to intentionally blend into the crowd? wild

[@RicochetForce]

What's funny is that their niche was slowly being attacked larger franchises like SF offering really racy DLC costumes. They had no other means of appealing to people, and this aimless project launched in a barebones state that drove even more people away. Oh, and the greedy, grindy costume bullshit.

[@TheBlackSage7]

@@RicochetForce SF making sexy costumes wouldn't affect DoA sales-wise in the least. Both games play very different from each other so neither game steps on the toes of the other. If VF did something like that then that would be an actual discussion.

[@RicochetForce]

@@TheBlackSage7 This is nonsense. Both are fighting games. Both are competing for your disposable income. Both are competing for your time, and would like to lock you into their DLC offerings once you've purchased their game. DOA could not offer anything sufficiently enticing to customers over much larger franchises that were also offering women's crotch shots, asses, jiggling breasts, and suggestive poses and costumes. Tekken did much the same. THAT is the problem Koei-Tecmo needs to address before DOA can have any type of success. Sexy sells, but not as much as you think. There needs to be more meat on the bone than that.

[@t4d0W]

@@RicochetForce The fan of DOA6's female models wearing the racy outfits is NOT going to be attracted to SFV's uggo models wearing the raciest thing on them. Even if SFVs best racy offerings were on Chun and Juri.

[@Justicejuice179]

The fact Venus vacation is still thriving while doa is dead shows the core audience wasn’t so salty about the milking attempts. They were saltier at the demilking attempts if you get what I mean lol

[@MrGrimjaw]

Yeah the world become PC and sensitive why doa 6, made so many changes

[@afsasdsd1420]

DOA’s fighting is so fluid and fun. It’s so underrated in the fighting scene

[@vt_near]

yeah I actually really like it as fighting game and wish it popped off

[@kford9271]

I agree with this. DOA5 had a great fighting system, and DOA6 was the same with a few tweaks. Had Tecmo focused on that without removing the fan service DOA6 could have been big.

[@shnobby3547]

Is the gameplay good in DOA? I've always been intrigued, but it always looked like the gameplay was secondary to the fanservice.

[@joseph0098]

@@shnobby3547 the gameplay is great IMO. It's my favorite gameplay in a fighting game. The better way to describe it is basically a VF meets Tekken but with simpler, faster and flashier gameplay.

[@mace2gorc872]

I have to agree also, I had the free downloaded version for PS4 and really enjoyed it. Watching this makes me wanna go back to it.

[@lunatic0verlord10]

You forgot the epitome of this game's failure: The game never made it to EVO, while Soul Calibur VI, a game that *DOUBLED DOWN ON THE FANSERVICE* mind you, did.

[@hatchibyebye]

Soul calibur had less fan service than DOA5.

[@lunatic0verlord10]

@@hatchibyebye But still more than DOA6. At least in it's promotion.

[@hatchibyebye]

@@lunatic0verlord10 but the reveal trailer was Sophitia and Mitsirugi, they were dressed normally. The only thing SC did in that vein was keep IVY scantily clad, which is no issue because that’s her character. DOA could have done the same for Christie and Lisa but y’all want busty lolis in lingerie and Soul Calibur has never and will never do that.

[@lunatic0verlord10]

@@hatchibyebye I meant DOA6's promotion.

[@imjustlikedenji5954]

@@hatchibyebye busty lolis are pretty good

[@Darkeclipse2]

I'm a casual DOA fan and I liked 5 and 5LR alot. 6 seemed like a step backwards. No tag mode, annoying costume grind, bad story mode ect... Also 5 featuring VF characters is a dope bonus

[@MetalSonicReject]

13:29 So glad you brought up Jump Force, Matt. Hopefully you’ll do an episode on that game because I really want to know What the hell Happened with that game.

[@morganaensland1105]

I really want to know as well cause I was so hyped for it. But my guess it was the god awful combat system and the story mode.

[@GreatNegus]

@@morganaensland1105 God awful combat is kind of a given for anime games at this point. Doesn't help that 99% of them never try to innovate on any formula and just opt to be another Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm clone.

[@AntonioRodriguezSilver]

My favorite aspect of the DoA series was the tag system, which really blew my mind on the Dreamcast DoA 2. A short loading period when you started to play and no more loading as you played. No loading, tag team, kick-ass graphics. I loved it and became a fan of the series then and there. Soon as I bought DoA 6, I was extremely disappointed that it had no tag-team feature. I have no idea if they ever implemented it again as I lost interest almost immediately. To me, DoA got started with a bang and went out with a wet fart.

[@korosuke1788]

I felt the same about KOF. I just loved how your other characters cheered as you hit the enemy. Absolutely loved it. They removed it from most stages at one point. :(

[@r3drift]

Exactly. Even to this day it still holds up well vs soul caliber on dc. In haven’t had a console in years but sad to see they got rid of the tag element.

[@chuckyluvsu13]

I agree, That Dreamcast game was phenomenal !!

[@Suicidepappi]

🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@DeGoulm]

i completly agree and i am a little dissapointed that that video didn t mentioned at all why did they remove the tag team, that was one of the best party game for me and my friends

[@nepneppers8122]

My fave part of DOA is the wacky stages and the more goofy nature of it I love hitting the opponet down a huge flight of stairs, them hitting every single stair on the way down, and then jumping down the full set of stairs in one jump to continue the fight. Hitting someone off a cliff and the opponet getting up like nothing even happened, it's just so goofy and that's what I like cuz it contrasts mainstream fighting games. Also I just like the hold system, being able to counter someone on their offense and getting back to neutral faster is unique Also female ninjas are cool so I like Kasumi

[@chuiga2935]

Me and my sister loved to explore the stages in earlier games like "How many times you can hit opponent down from this stage?" etc.

[@T4751001]

I'm more disappointed on how they messed-up the storylines for the characters, they even fumbled the already known family dramas and issues, plus double downing on Kasumi and Ayane partial incest attraction on Hayate ( Hayate/Ein and Hitomi were always better)

[@shanicecoleman4525]

Yep Hitomi and Hayate/Ein were cute

[@MrAjking808]

Eww

[@wisemage0]

Dude, it's so weird seeing someone who's legitimately invested in DOA lore. It's like spotting an endangered species in the backyard: I don't even want to make fun of you, I just want to make sure you're safe.

[@giantstickman8650]

You've got to love the mentality of 'blood + brutality = okay' but boobs - nope. It's a little messed up how we justify violence over sex. The last DoA game I played was 2 on the PS2, I was never a fighting game fan but I remember finding it pretty easy to get into for a casual player and the silliness was part of the appeal.

[@4hand561]

Petition to normalise the female figure

[@ADreamingTraveler]

Even then you still have politicians like Ted Cruz trying to say how violent games are bad and cause mass shootings. Just like how they blamed violence in games on anything like that in the 90's. I swear things don't change

[@yuutsu7201]

@@emma6648 ur mad that fiction exists? Why are you mad over "over sexualization" and not over the last book you read, or the gore in MK . Every complains about something but saying this is like saying you dislike sex appeal in humans. So either you're a furry, you're delusional, or you're a hypocrite. What's your deal?

[@GenesHand]

@@emma6648 Just play other games then...

[@4hand561]

@@emma6648 well this was certainly a productive conversation

[@MrJaymay1993]

Honestly, it was the no tag battles for me, that was my favorite aspect of this series. I remember playing as a kid in amazement when hitting my big brother with a awesome tag throw at the last minute to win the match. It was what won me over the Tekken series "which I also love" but it gave the games something different. Idk maybe I'm alone here. But it definitely was a killing point for me. But I will say it looked amazing. Just didn't feel like doa anymore 😔

[@MrDp115]

Completely agree, I the fact that they constantly had a tag mode that could also include human players was great and one of the things that made D.O.A stand out especially because it was rarely if ever seen in other games like Tekken, Mortal Kombat and Dragon Ball Fighterz to name a few.

[@juanxd6411]

100% agree, I only played DOA5 Tag mode. Same goes for MK9.

[@curtisjackson4090]

Facts. Loved the u unique tag moves certain pairs had

[@lilliana1605]

Facts big loss for me as well.

[@Stevez316]

DOA Tag Team was the best part of the game!

[@babydino8173]

Fun fact for DOA update: the man behind DOA 6 - Yohei Shimbori later on go and co-produced Tekken 8... No wonder why we've never heard of DOA 7

[@richardbrown7258]

The drector probably sewed shimbori's mouth shut to keep him from causing PR Damage for Tekken 8

[@jakemitchell3599]

So essentially, they didn’t do enough to draw in new players who were wary of the franchises reputation, but also did too much to the point where their already established players felt the game wasn’t for them anymore since what they liked about was either drastically reduced or put behind a pay wall? Is that right?

[@kingkai3729]

Huge DOA fan here, literally jumped from PS2 to 360 just for DOA4. The changes from 4 to 5 were so great: realism, COSTUMES, game mechanics (critical burst, POWER BLOW--the coolest thing I've ever seen in a fighting game), guest characters... All to be disappointingly REMOVED from 6. Fatal rush was so cringey and break blow was so underwhelming and honestly distasteful. But the real slap in the face for me was the costumes, which I think truly is the spirit of DOA. Was fed up with all of those horrendous changes that I didn't even purchase 6. And I'm glad the overwhelming majority of fans felt the same!

[@diddlenfiddle7311]

6 just seems like a cash grab to me. Most default costumes are just palette swaps, the changes to the mechanics feel like they're change for the sake of it, and they took out the tag system to better optimise the graphics.

[@Emulcool]

I bought All version of DOA 5 , and i didn't buy DOA6 , i did download the DOA6 core fighters to try the mecanics , but nothing of note was found inside. The flow of battle was disturbed , the lightning engine worked great on some stages and was awefull in others. The online was Shit. NO TAG MODE . The progression was a JOKE. The morality here is that you need to please your fans not try to abuse them.

[@ForeverKnightmare]

The worst part for me was they took away tag which was a staple of the series since 2 and I loved that feature and playing with my cousins back in the day and did it all the way up to 5. That is what killed it for me.

[@isaiperez9093]

Overprized costumes in my opinion but not compared to SFV or Tekken7 boring costumes and lack of content.

[@palamecianrider7385]

The costumes along with the pervy ones were central and the core identity to DOA whether the prudes like it or not. Removing it is like willfully hemorrhaging it to oblivion

[@PlasmaTwa2]

DoA 2 Ultimate on the original Xbox was the only fighting game I've ever gotten good at. What a great game.

[@TheKeithvidz]

played a borrowed copy in the day. And its BC!

[@Xenomoose]

Surprised there was no mention of the "Core Values" controversy (although I guess that's more of an EVO thing than a DOA thing). It should go without saying that for a MULTITUDE of reasons (including said controversy), DOA6 never did get it's shot at the EVO stage, pretty much making KT's efforts to get the franchise to be taken seriously by the FGC at large an "all for nothing" situation.

[@DestinyZX1]

That was an EVO thing but that is irony considering that the guy formerly in charge was a fucking creep

[@darthmisogyny3828]

Iirc Mr.Wizard always hated Doa lmao that core values was enough for him to finally get his way

[@xXSoulGeoXx]

although that was mostly EVO's fault at killing DOA 6 chances honestly they brought attention to the game through an stupud controversy, one that Koei was totally not trying to bring into the general public faces but here we are the recent King Of Fighters titles had some fanservice in them and I don't see them having the same problems aa DOA6

[@zhizn_snake]

The irony is that the guy who said DOA didn't jive with Evo's "core values" ended up losing his job for doing far worse than anything DOA could ever do, lol.

[@abadenoughdude300]

@@xXSoulGeoXx Probably for KoF always being considered a "serious" fighting game while the first thing everyone thought of when DoA was in question was "jiggles!". And people aren't likely to look deeper into the matter when they already have a set opinion.

[@monumentvalley6681]

Toning down the sex appeal in Dead Or Alive is the equivalent of toning down the violence in Mortal Kombat. And DOA fans had every right to be upset and disappointed that they were doubling down on what gave the franchise its charm for the sake of getting a chance at a competitive scene (Which ended up not happening anyway). Imagine if Mortal Kombat did the same with its violence.

[@t4d0W]

But DOA6 never really toned down the sex appeal. In fact its showcase at EVO JP garnered the opposite reaction where the EVO head Mr Wizard had to cut some wack ass statement how the footage was not reflective of the 'core values' of the event. The problem were the devs didn't know how to communicate to the fanbase about their development and everyone ran with that silly ass message. But in the end the product released and there were sexy costumes galore for everyone.

[@sgw5428]

Imagine the outrage if next MK came out with no gore violence when it's their main selling point. Mortal Kombat can reduces all fanservice (skimpy costumes etc) and still be doing great because when people think about MK, it's all about fatalities.

[@joshuapacman]

@@t4d0W they did but also didn't mix that with terrible communication well

[@monumentvalley6681]

@@sgw5428 Exactly. It's why MK Vs DC was trashed so badly by everyone.

[@AntiRiku]

its like toning down insensitive jokes in gta... oh wait a second

[@PaulvonOberstein]

This is a good example of how the infinite growth model of business hampers creativity. DoA had carved out an audience for itself based on its specific tone, etc., but the studio apparently decided that wasn't enough, and chose to compromise what made DoA "DoA" to appeal to a wider audience -- becoming more like other fighting games while taking on the difficult task of competing with other fighting games in their own spaces, while also simultaneously alienating its own DoA audience. A recipe for failure. Now we have another dead franchise

[@Shadowslash1]

And even worse yet, there are other franchises that see something like this and still think its a good idea to 'make their game appeal to everyone' and are poise to jump off the cliff behind DoA here.

[@NoctisMFS]

"to appeal to a wider audience" A ghost audience in truth.

[@boitahaki]

The tragic part is that a bunch of Japanese old men in suits will sit around on a table and come to the conclusion that "DoA doesn't sell."

[@darylcorey4562]

@@Shadowslash1 Thankfully SNK didn't tone crap down for KOFXV it is still a game that rewards legacy skill a lot. The girls are still well just look at Mai, Shermie, and Angel lol. I really hope if they do some guest teams in later years of the DLC that they can do like a DOA team since KT had Mai in DOA5, and Mai and Kula in DOA6. A team of Ryu, Ayane, and Kasumi would be neat particularly if they stick to more classic sexier outfits for Kasumi and Ayane.

[@SIPEROTH]

The thing is that when i buy a Dead or Alive game i expect sexy. Yes i expect good fighting but i expect sexy as well. Otherwise i'll just buy any other fighting game. Just because i expect sexy doesn't mean i don't enjoy good fighting though and i am please with a shit game just because i can see under the skirt. Many companies seem to think that is ether one or the other for some reason. Like, no we can't be an actual good fighting game if we are all about sexy. And i ask why not? I expect them to double down on both actually. Of course in this case it was more about e-sport rules etc which i have no idea why companies are so desperate about it. Most people don't care, if i get a game i love i don't care if the e-sport guys can't use it. Also imagine making the most awesome fighting game with great moves etc and yet those guys having trouble using it because of the sexy. They will have some real trouble with everyone loving the game and yet not being able to use it. Also let's not kid ourselves, lots of the sexy was hidden so they can make money not because of the "we are more serious fighting game now". In the end it was a low effort though. It was basically Dead or Alive 5 with a little more sweat and more predatory microtransactions(which says a lot considering how predatory DOA5 was). If you already threw tons of money on DOA5 why would bother with DOA6 when you got everything you want on DOA5? Why would you pay for the same shit again?

[@williamstout8252]

The games have had full story modes since Dimensions surprisingly enough. 5 had a pretty mediocre story mode, but the one in Dimensions was actually really good and had tons of effort put into it.

[@cococolonel]

I second that. Kinda wished for a 'Dimensions' 2 just to cover 5 and 6 again. Or to retcon.

[@mrmoviemanic1]

I didn't mind 5's story overall. But Dimensions was so dam good.

[@TheAleosha]

Dead or Alive Dimensions is such an underappreciated title.

[@dennisdustin6895]

The one on 3ds?

[@NeoConker626]

@@dennisdustin6895 yep, that's the one

[@mizore217]

The halloween outfit contest was honestly the nail in the coffin for DOA6. Decided to only choose 3 winners instead of a winner for each character (like they did each halloween for the previous game, but turned other designs into their last dlc

[@VideoGameMasters09]

Not to mention they gave some artists a chance to design Mila, Bass and Phase 4 outfits.... but then let the same artist win with their designs for Honoka, Marie and NiCo. You know, instead of giving the shot to 3 separate artists.

[@mizore217]

@@VideoGameMasters09 the thought process for that decision still confuses me to this day, and i personally feel like the ones they did choose weren’t the best

[@VideoGameMasters09]

@@mizore217 It reminds me of SF5's final costume art contest where the winners were 2 costumes for Juri. Like what? No. Choose the best out of the two and give another character a chance.

[@yoshiokst-plays9261]

Gameplaywise, DoA5 was the peak balancing of mechanics that the franchise had been trying out for years and by far the more complex and rewarding 3D fighter I've played since PS3. Dead or Alive 5 had sidesteps with attacks that allowed players to maintain pressure off a good read, the stagger system constantly rewarded performing risky combos and punished lacking execution, frame data allowed all characters to build an advantage in close quarters combat, the stages were a decent size and featured only a handful of gimmicks, and supermoves had to be built up to, making them especially risky to use. All of these ideas were well balanced for a purely martial-arts based fighter, and ALL of them were discarded when designing DoA6 in favor of an incredibly neutral-heavy, unrewarding, mechanically unbalanced gimmicky fighter that barely rewards risk-taking and offensive gameplay.

[@blankon8946]

Read your comment makes me even more sad how this series fall. Because its spot on

[@D3M0MAN912]

I like how DOA was shameless, but it had something to back it up with. Like "Hey we don't just have cute girls, we also have a genuinely good fighting game!" I started my journey with Last Round because I heard Ryu Hayabusa from Ninja Gaiden was in it. And worked my way backwards all the way to DOA 1 Ultimate. (Except for 4, but I heard it was good!)

[@ArbitraryOutcome]

TBH that's actually not that far off from a fair amount of gacha games, where people come for the sexy and stay for the additional layers.

[@godofshu]

I remember how awful this game was. At launch, unlocking the unlockable costumes via anything (arcade mode, survival mode, online play, etc.), only netted you one piece to unlock a costume, but the pieces were obtained randomly to a random character and some of these outfits required 1,000 pieces. The only way to get a plentiful amound back then was to do the DOATec mode (which you could only do per character about three times) or whatever it was called or whenever Tecmo held random online events for the game. Another issue with this game at launch was it had no lobbies for friends to play with each other or random for fun. Then they added that weird "tournament mode," which censored about every costume. I also seem to remember seeing an article (not sure who it was from) that the director in January had no plans for any season passes either, then when the game came out, there was a $100 season pass with a "1" behind it. I felt so bad buying this game digitally that I could never return it because of the platform I bought it on. I learned my lesson the hard way. Great video, Matt!

[@knightshade2654]

I only ever played the free version with my boy Diego, but I recall how awful the unlock system was. If I recall correctly, even color alts of a fighter's main costume required five or so pieces to be unlocked. The cheapest alternative costumes required ten pieces.

[@deathscythe9158]

It’s sad that this game pretty much killed the series. I loved the combat system in DOA5 so much better than that special meter gameplay from DOA6. I know that DOA5 was rotten with micro transactions, but the only thing I bought was the extra characters and the Attack On Titan background and outfits because they were too cool. In DOA5 Kasumi is a beast. Her combos are so freaking cool that I fell in love with her. Tecmo should’ve stuck with the hardcore fans. Even the female characters were sexualized the game still had a solid combo and counter system and it’s so much fun to play. I got bored if DOA6 very quickly. Not to mention that DOA5 was basically DOA X VIRTUA FIGHTER. To go to DOA6 without trying to keep the VF characters as guests hurt the game a lot.

[@TheBlackSage7]

@AleDuncan Best Couple Maybe but Mai and Kula were added pretty early and Kula was a new addition to boot. Sega is doing less with VF than SNK is with KoF so it shouldn't have been hard to get licensing for the characters and it's a possibility that if the game was supported longer than it was then we would have got those characters but the game was in such a state where that wasn't possible I guess.

[@JadedWarlock]

This is how a franchise dies. Betraying it's fanbase and trying to monetize like a damn mobile game.

[@ApexGale]

Shimbori: I blame it on DOA Extreme *My brother in christ you made those games*

[@Mana7Origin]

He turns his back on what makes DOA "DOA" and then blames it all on what makes DOA "DOA."

[@Jirujan]

the funny thing is that the first DOA is already focus too much on jiggle physic, and that game released before DOA Extreme

[@CrisMW98]

I love the DOA fighting system. Easy to grasp, flashy, but still deep enough to be enjoyed over a long period of time (well the DOA5 one anyway). Very sad to see the series basically dead.

[@BerserkerGuts_]

It's really unfortunate DOA 6 never had any traction. It really is such an amazing fighting game that has almost everything you'd ever want in a fighting game. The ability to be optimal with your combos, the fluidity of animations and transitions are by far some of the best in the scene. I truly enjoy just playing the game casually but never felt the need to take the game seriously as a competitor. I hope one day it will become a competitive series.

[@faboo2001]

Given the success of DOA5's DLC costumes and how they planned to tone things down for DOA6, it was pretty obvious how they would monetize the crap out of thing. But that whole charging for hair colour nonsense was just utterly ridiculous and greedy of them, and that's saying something when you have to spend like $500 for all the costumes in DOA5.

[@konversion]

I don't care for a lot of games covered on this show but I love hearing about some good ol gaming industry drama and turmoil. Keep up the great work, Matt.

[@apoplexiamusic]

Same! I know nothing about most of the games he talks about but i eagerly anticipate each episode to witness a good trainwreck

[@konversion]

@@apoplexiamusic exactly. When I hear about some nightmarish shit, I'm all 👀🍿

[@adammartin5809]

It's a fascinating look to be honest.

[@shytendeakatamanoir9740]

And thankfully(?), this industry will never be short of these stories.

[@desenhista12]

Dead or Alive 1 was the first FG I owned. I remember spending days unlocking costumes playing my psone. For that reason, I feel a lot of nostalgia for this game. I hope this series makes a comeback one day. With a good and fun game

[@octapusxft]

I am not even playing this series yet I know that its selling point is sexy things. How can the DoA team miss that

[@greeninja5991]

It's like if mortal kombat didn't have blood or if kof wasn't sold in Mexico

[@Love-Sensibility]

​@@greeninja5991Kof's thing is selling the games in mexico? Wow

[@rickyrosay33977]

​@slavetopleasure kof is really popular over there even more than Mortal kombat and Street fighter

[@ApolloCalrissian]

*The competitive community is a minority. This applies to EVERY GAME*

[@rflowers360]

Either way it makes the developers more money by influence.

[@emilysong2000]

What Happened = the best thing to ever happen on Saturday Mornings since Saturday Morning cartoons!

[@talhajaved4526]

I don't know if you'll see this Matt but your show has been helping me a lot nowadays I can't really explain it but I'm a heart patient plus I also have colostomy AND I live in Pakistan where things let's just say are'nt the best for someone with colostomy so life kinda sucks sometimes for me but whenever that happens I just play what happen? On my phone and that gets me distracted and that make things a lot easier

[@BknMoonStudios]

Stay strong, brother/sister! Given enough time, things will get better. 💪

[@talhajaved4526]

@@BknMoonStudios thanks, my life isn't complete crap and iam grateful for a lot of things in my life especially my loving family who have supported me all this time like, I have this baby brother who I used to look after as a kid whenever my mother had to go somewhere now he's all grown up and now he actually looks after me whenever I get sick or need anything there are many times where he actually might have saved my life

[@hemangchauhan2864]

Wish you recover soon, bhai!

[@DarkReturns1]

Stay strong brother!

[@Ace_Gryffyth]

Allah aap ko shifa daay brother

[@sataruyamate4438]

as a DoA enjoyer, i was confident that 6 wouild still have the goofiness even during the initial announcement. i bought and played the game for a bit in the form of ranked matches online. Once i saw how god awful it was to unlock the more fun outfits without spending real money, thats when i left and stopped playing. i already spent that kind of money of Last Round DLC, i wasnt going to do that again

[@amirhmirzaee]

I got into the series with DOA 5 and played it for hundreds of hours. The fighting mechanics are superbly done. It's simple to learn, but deep and engaging at the same time. Even after hundreds of hours, you're still learning and having fun. I should also say that the best thing about the game is how it represents many different martial arts masterfully. I love its grounded approach to the fight styles and the fights themselves. There aren't many fighting games out there with this approach maybe other than Tekken and DOA. Here's how I belive DOA 6 could've been saved: - In terms of character design and the sexualization: They should've kept the original DOA designs and iterated on them. You can have hot, sexy or cute characters, without them being overtly sexualized and objectified. The character designs need to be unique, cool and sexy; for both men and women. I can accept the gothic lolita (maybe make her a European vampire too for a little more flair and personality which she completely lacks), but what the fuck is even Honoka?? A pair of bouncing tits with arms and legs?? The designs for everyone are bland. Rig, Diego as the new character, Bass, and most other characters not only look boring, but are even boring personality-wise. Fighting game characters need to look cool and also be cool. They need to have engaging backstories that compliments their designs. Look to Guilty Gear as the best example; the coolest and the sexiest characters without anyone raising an eyebrow. And the jiggle effects: turn them off by default, and give an slider in the options menu to turn it back on. Give the players options to even make it more outrageous. Let the players choose, while having it turned off as default for the tournaments and the like. - The business model: I bought DOA 5 three times: the base game and the Ultimate version (both on PS3) and the Last Round version (on PS4). Never bought a piece of DLC. Instead of billions of swimsuit pieces sold individually, they could've acted like normal game companies and released typical content packs or season passes. A pack or pass comes with a few characters, and tens of costumes, and goes for like 20 dollars. In the long run, they would've made more money by supporting and selling a better game for years with good content, instead of relying on the handful of people who spend a hundred dollars on a DLC pack of pirate bikini costumes. - The game itself: simply needed more content, different modes, a better story mode (a child could've written a better story and dialogue than what DOA 6 offered), and unlockables or rewards for playing the said content. If their game is about putting sexy costumes on characters, how about having a good amount of it as unlockables for people who buy the damn game as a full price product. It's unbelievable the things they tried to pull of with DOA 6, while expecting it not to fail.

[@upeo12]

This guy should be the new director of Koei Tecmo lol

[@Love-Sensibility]

My guy, I absolutely love the vibe of the first game. Its so thrilling, dark, grim and intense. Just what a tournament named "Dead or Alive" should be. They seriously need to bring that back. It just doesn't feel the same anymore

[@stuffums]

Matt should start doing What Happen on dying game studios as a whole too. I'd like to see episodes on things like Westwood, Acclaim and Blizzard's downfalls

[@MattMcMuscles]

I started that years ago, check out "Gone Too Soon."

[@xKarenWalkerx]

@@MattMcMusclesplease do one on Rocksteady!! RIP Arkhamverse

[@SapphireDragonDX]

It's funny how back in the day, practically everyone I knew thought DOA was going to remain up there with the likes of Streetfighter, Mortal Kombat, Tekken, even Smash Bros. as one of those series of fighters that's always guaranteed to be featured in practically every major fighting game tournament under the sun. Nowadays, it feels like everyone is channeling the Guardians of the Galaxy "Who?" meme whenever DOA is brought up, despite the series' previous accomplishments. I may not be a huge fan of the series myself, but even I feel pretty sorry for what it has become. Oh well, at least we got plenty of thirsty fans out there still pumping out SFM/Blender animations of rule 34 smut for this series. lol

[@CarDaMax1770]

Those fantastic rule 34 animations will be the only lasting legacy of this series, really.

[@darthmisogyny3828]

DOA was always seen as a boob fighter sadly

[@BeeLy1011]

I remember finding an old thread where someone said something like "DOA is gonna be incredible in the future! " That genuinely hurt when I saw it

[@RicochetForce]

Unfortunately, DOA never really offered more beyond sexy outfits and giggling, jiggling ladies. It was novel back on the PS1, not so much on the PS5.

[@e-money9251]

@@CarDaMax1770 pdeadbeat demonic mirror came to mind

[@ronaldvexdian2182]

Matt: *Mentions Jump Force in the video* Me: “Oh boy, can’t wait to see if that mess ends up here.”

[@LoganKeatts]

DOA has been my favorite fighting series since I was a child! I get the impression that development was being tugged in all directions regarding typical DOA camp, mainstream appeal, relenting to critique in both directions, etc. and actively changed the game according to whatever the discourse was up to the release date. My biggest pet peeve that doesn't regard the series direction is the baldification of Kasumi because there's no reason for the long haired kunoichi to have the thinnest looking hair graphics among the entire cast

[@Dekaku]

I think there is nothing wrong with having a cast of characters star in different games, which is what I liked about the DoA crowd. You had at least 3 different game series sharing characters (DoA, Ninja Gaiden, Xtreme Beach Volleyball) which meant there was a chance of further fleshing out the different characters background stories. Tbh I would've loved to see the characters in more diverse situations based on their persona, like golfing with Helena, Zumba with Diego or MGS style covert ops with Bayman. Have Nyotengu host a Shogi / Go tournament or have some rhythm ddr type game with the idol type character whose name I've forgotten.

[@kchalu]

You cultivated an audience over the last twenty years and suddenly, you want to change the recipe?

[@DemonDinoLandYT]

No offense to the director, but DOA was always the fighting game remembered as the 'sexy melons' one.

[@hop-skipthechewtoys1836]

Oh man I remember the videos on KZbin that were outraged about the costume changes. The core DOA fanbase was NOT playing around with that

[@Norrikan]

_"Avoid the silliness."_ - In a DoA game? That's a silly notion. Might as well make a serious Earth Defense Force game. I started with DoA2 on the Dreamcast; it may not be my favorite fighting franchise - Soul Calibur is - but I've always appreciated the reactive and deliberate combat system that was relatively light on bullshit. Same with the great visuals and the exceedingly satisfying sound design. The attractive character selection that has some larger-than-life personality for every taste certainly helps, not gonna lie. But, there has always been one through-line for this whole franchise that towered above everything mentioned before: It is a silly, *silly* game that seemed very aware of how silly it is.

[@darylcorey4562]

It was a combination of things JP listened to their NA branch in California big mistake there, Secondly they wanted to be at EVO and be taken serious. The third and most damning though was they were dumb enough to believe the crap the NA branch told them and that they could ever get accepted at EVO.

[@lxfenix]

I just started playing DOA6 and its my first DOA game. Its a great example of why you don't turn your back on your established fan base and/or nickel and dime them. I'm having fun with it and it's very newcomer friendly. Only reason i didn't try it earlier is because i heard it was really bad. I can only imagine how many others didn't give it a chance because of its poor reception.

[@katsuprince]

DOA6 is great and the graphics are beautiful, better than Tekken 7 actually.. truly overhated game, it deserved better

[@Jirujan]

@@katsuprince "graphics are beautiful, better than Tekken 7 actually" the comparison is so stupid when you realized that Tekken 7 was released 4 years earlier

[@katsuprince]

@@Jirujan Okay? lol how does that change the fact that the graphics are better??? DOA5 was released in 2012 and the graphics are STILL better than T7 lmfao The hair and fabric graphics are TERRIBLE in T7, meanwhile look at DOA5? The hair actually looks real and not like sandpaper pasta or jiggly dog poop like in T7. Tekken 8 was recently announced and the graphics still look mediocre!

[@katsuprince]

@@Jirujan I’m a big Tekken fan i’ve played since I was 8, I had Tekken 5 dark resurrection on the psp. But people act like it’s the best fighting game along street fighter when franchises like DOA are just as good and maybe even better in quality. I barely started playing DOA 2 years ago expecting it to be crap but it really wasn’t and i had more fun than i’ve had on Tekken.

[@gamesandplanes3984]

Yup. The whiny perverted super-fans ruined this franchise. It's a tragedy that it's exquisite gameplay isn't more well-known.

[@Degalon]

Lets keep going! 1) Dead or Alive 6 removes characters from the roster (Gen Fu, Ein, Leon, etc) which 5 also did, but then 5 brought those ones back with later versions, only for 6 to remove them again. 2) Alt colors for costumes USED to be selected by pressing a different face button. In 6 each alt color is its own selectable unlock which you have to grind pieces (at random) for, clogging everything up. 3) Having to button mash through so many popup notifications at the end of every match to the point you literally can't get to rematch because you can't get through the popups before the timer is up. 4) Having to individually grind every single character to unlock their theme song, or you're stuck with only the generic stage music. 5) More super moves which have no place in 3d fighters, so the match basically devolves into who can hit their super first. 6) Recasting various voice actors in english and japanese. 7) Dont even have returning costumes from previous games for the most part. 8) No lobbies! 9) No Tag matches! 10) No new music!

[@LaceCh]

I think my biggest gripe with DOA6's story was how some of the bigger reveals of it just had no impact, or were just thrown out like a snide comment and never expanded upon or barely reacted to. Fatal Rush was a system I feel was catered toward a more casual audience, but in the right hands could be a useful, if not niche mechanic, and the costume thing. . . the DLC costs were ridiculous, yes, but the unlock methods were just not fun at all. More often than not, it's the reason I'd put the game down again after wanting to go back and play it. Overall I like DOA, for many of the same reasons hardcore, casual, and thirsty fans did, but 6 just felt like DOA trying to be, well, not DOA.

[@ThaAngelMary]

Yes. This. And what truly broke me was the removal of Tag Team.

[@AndersonTenecela]

This game falls in the same trap as MANY fighting games during the last generation where SF5, Marvel vs Capcom infinite, Nickelodeon all star brawl, and Dissidia NT tried WAY TOO HARD on appealing to the esports crowd rather than their fanbases and it backfires on them

[@dkthales]

DOA5 is a great fighting game, I've put more hours on that than anything else on my PS3, even my favorite franchises. My guess at the time is that they were already appealing to a broader audience by how good of a fighting game DOA5 was. Shame they took that route, DOA6 was disappointing.

[@thecarlocielo]

DOA 6 is alright. It felt unfinished that's all Also the story is waaaaaay more infantile compared to the previous installments esp. the Itagaki era stuff

[@david-arthur8166]

@@thecarlocielo it is alright indeed

[@Chestersinthecar]

Once I figured out to play, it’s one of the faster, more “edge of your seat” fighting games I’ve played. Love feeling like a bad ass whenever I read an opponent right and don’t get murdered lol

[@ratboygirl]

doa2 was my first introduction to fighting games, the series has such a dear place in my heart. i hope one day it comes back - i truly believe it has one of the most intuitive fighting systems

[@alZiiHardstylez]

Dude unlocking that gallery mode as a 10 year old with no Internet. Holy shit. I still remember that picture of Tina crawling with cat ears and Kasumi in the bikini lying down. Yeah the game was sweet but duuuuuude

[@ratboygirl]

@@alZiiHardstylez LMAOOO HUH?

[@alZiiHardstylez]

@@ratboygirl In DoA 2. Don't you remember the gallery unlocker when you finish a bunch of campaigns with different characters?

[@ratboygirl]

@@alZiiHardstylez that part i don’t really remember - i might’ve been a bit too young. i remember the story campaigns for most characters and the custom + replay mode? also i was “huh?!”-ing (as a joke) at you being down bad for tina LOL

[@pogituna]

they shouldve embraced the fanservice instead of shying away from it

[@MagmaMKII]

TL;DR: they were trying desperately to make the game have a more mainstream appeal, but in doing so ended alienating their audience/hardcore fans.

[@FullmetalNinja25]

I have an idea for a Wha Happun: Vicious Circle, Rooster Teeth's Multiplayer FPS that went F2P only a Month after launch and then shut down completely due to Warner Bros. axing Rooster Teeth Games when AT&T/Time Warner (Now Time Warner/Discovery) finalized its purchase of Rooster Teeth in 2019 resulting in over 50 employees at Rooster Teeth getting the pink slip.

[@shadowboss3]

You forgot to mention the Biggest Sin DOA6 had, and they took out Tag Mode and that was a mainstay since DOA2. DOA1 had a Tag mode but it was more of an SNK team battle than a real tag mode but you know.

[@Tinytunes-25]

I really like this guy. He has a good tone and welcoming personality and a great sense of humor. Very appealing to a wide range of people as I'm not much of a gamer these days.

[@rozasupreme]

Shimbori's Twitter was briefly active back in March 23 Hiroaki's last tweet looks like it was in January simply saying "Ninja Gaiden"

[@Noperare]

Ah yes, the good old "changing for mainstream appeal". A well tested formula that fails every time, but the suits keep trying.

[@xKingx16]

Tekken is literally at it most successful currently for doing so. added slo-mo for artificial/spectator hype, added 1-button supers, added Super armor & dumb down advanced movement & added hype guest to appeal to other FG fandoms. Tekken 7 is now one of it's best selling titles. MK9 Gameplay wise had more moves than MKX/II,which divided moves among styles. limiting engagement to a degree. They also took all of their women out of the simple bikinis after MK9. MK11 is one of best selling titles. some stick it ,some miss it.

[@vanjagalovic3621]

Guilty Gear and Monster Hunter became way more financially successful once they changed the games for mainstream appeal.

[@Lobothemainman23]

@@xKingx16 Tekken 7 is still the most complex fighting game by a mile and the hardcore fans are still in love with it. They didn't abandon what works in favor of those things they added. Sure its "easier" But its still harder than almost any fighting game.

[@GladDestronger]

and never seem to learn either.

[@moreauclement9702]

@@Lobothemainman23 Tekken 7 isn't really any easier. The learning curve is softer but it's still as challenging as it was

[@freakfoxvevo7915]

The Jump Force mention just makes it a perfect WH candidate

[@Legoguy9875]

Honestly, I feel that a lot the outrage regarding the game's sexualization could've easily been addressed by: 1. Having a toggle for the jiggle physics that would allow Esports events to toggle it off for a more inclusive viewing experience 2. Giving the characters an even selection of clothing options with higher or lower levels of provocation, and removing the paywalls and grindy requirements needed to unlock said outfits (there can still be unlocks for more revealing clothes, to give those that want the extra sex appeal a reason to play the game further, but don't lock them behind paywalls). Perhaps including a toggle for the sexier outfits as well so Esports events can omit them. Simply having toggles for the sex appeal would do far more to reach a wider audience while also not driving away the core fanbase. Those that want to enjoy the fanservice can enable it at their leisure, while those that don't can just leave it disabled and enjoy what the game has on offer otherwise. It may not be a perfect solution, but it's certainly better than how Koei Techmo tried to go about it.

[@serchinnho]

1. It had one and it was on the game on day 1. 2. Matt didn't mention it, but one thing that got people mad was: you could get many costumes with points earned by simply playing ranked. The thing is those points were allocated randomly to a costume and a character, you didn't get to choose which costume from which character you were unlocking. One thing is grinding your sexy outfit and another is just grinding and hoping to get lucky. Later, they changed it to your character, so you wanna grind your main's costumes? Just play ranked. Also, when the game came out, it didn't have lobbies. If you wanted to play with your friend you needed to do some weird invitation to game while queuing on ranked matches. That game taught me to never give from granted ANY mode (basically, run through a list of modes you want on the game and check one by one the game has it, otherwise, your game may come out without lobbies). Later, they added lobbies to the game... I'm not a fan of DoA but seriously, the series being dead is 100% responsibility of the developers...

[@xKingx16]

I don't even think it was that serious. Having primary costumes be tournament safe and the others be unlockable any easier way(I.E Story completion amount of battles) would have been fine. Soul Calibur has risque costumes and later customization. However the fighter rarely got seen as a panty fighter or whatever because they didn't wear it in the advertising. but those type of doa fans were always going complain if it wasn't being worn on the sleeve.

[@TheBlackSage7]

Those would have been things no long time fan of which I am included wouldn't have complained about but the gameplay and lack of features were too much to put up with. No tag matches and at the time when I quit there weren't even player matches and only ranked matches for online play.

[@redacted2275]

It is a perfect solution. Thing is the goal is not to solve the issue in the best way possible (your suggestion, for example) but to publicly shame the people who only play the game for the jiggling... not only they alienated a part of their audience (who cares why you play a game anyway?) they didn't have the skills to put a solid serious game with a solid marketing campaign.

[@estebanss4]

​@@redacted2275 Idk, at least this video didn't make it seem like they were shaming fans, just acknowledging that it can be embarrassing to have "the boobie" game on your shelf or try to play it with certain people

[@arturoperezify]

Toning down the fan service in a DOA game would be like toning down the gore in a Mortal Kombat game.

[@me-A2B]

Tecmo Koei is the EA of Japan.

[@jakeaaronandtheboys]

The end of DoA is pretty disappointing. I was unaware of the series for a long time; the first one I played was 4 a couple months after it came out and I fell in love with the flow and pacing. It made other fighting games feel really clunky. Then they started that f2p model with the "core fighters" BS and then did it EVEN WORSE.

[@Chedmond]

I guess I'm not a typical DOA fan, in that I like the series for it's gameplay and mechanics. It's similar to VF in a lot of ways, but different enough to be its' own thing. To be fair, even though DOA5 was far more successful, it also had a pretty nonsensical BS story mode. I've usually preferred individual endings for each character in fighting games, and some companies like Netherrealm go the extra mile and have both a story mode AND individual endings. I like DOA6 for what it is, though I do think 5 is better overall. I do hope they continue the series.

[@leithaziz2716]

My personal favorite balance is how Guilty Gear Xrd did it with Episode Mode alongside Story Mode. Episode Mode was basically the "Arcade" mode, but it had an introductory cutscene for every character, the last 2 fights had full unique dialouge (and a good chunk of it), an ending cutscene, and most episodes would directly tie/lead into the Story Mode as Episode Mode for every character took place right before the main story. I really enjoyed going through everyone's Arcade run. All of them were also canon, which made them all feel worthwhile to do.

[@SG-jq5vt]

Surrrrre (^｡^)

[@mrjohnnyk]

Honestly, I think story modes are always terrible in fighting games.

[@majortom331]

@@mrjohnnyk i think its because the "writers" either dont really care, or its them being mediocre and thats a shame.

[@leithaziz2716]

@@mrjohnnyk I personally disagree with that heavily, but I'm not going to go into a tangent on why. My personal favorite stories are KOF and Guilty Gear. As MODES though, I think they're flawed for different reasons.

[@CD2k7]

I hope Dynasty Warriors 9 is pretty much next, especially with the way they treated the empires entry where they just released it and dipped out on updates.

[@MobDraws69]

This is strange to me as a newcomer to the series. My first DOA was the 5th, and I liked the complex system with the holds and how fun tag team can be. Around DOA 6, I wasn’t on the fence about the lack of sexy costumes, but it was still a good fighting game. Unfortunately, the companies responsible for this game seemed to not be confident in this product and cut of further support. And with the news of a canceled DOA 7, I might never see anything of this new niche of mine again, and it’s quite sad.

[@SupaRush]

I would love to see all the new characters from Dead or Alive Extreme Venus Vacation in Dead or Alive 7. I swear theres like 10 or more never before seen girls in Venus Vacation that would make for really cool additions to the fighting game. Tsukushi is like a super hot Velma from Scooby Doo. Misaki is best girl. Sayuri is tall and has giant knocks. Kanna is a cute devil ogre small like Marie Rose. Fiona is so pretty. Monica the best Casino bunny dealer. Theres so many new characters they could add.

[@mrjohnnyk]

Honestly, I always enjoyed DOA game for their gameplay. The control scheme was more like what we had with Virtua Fighter, and it just seemed to work well as a true 3D fighter.

[@pn33milan11]

This game was just a prime example of mismanagement. It's just impossible to understand what was their focus, their target, their objective. and, ultimately, they failed in almost every single aspect. The game is still fun to play. The gameplay is probably its best aspect, but it doesn't have much than that. It came out in 2019, after DOA5 brought the series back on the radars and made fans happy again. From the DLC, the lack of content, the recycled assets, the delays in fundamental features (like online lobbies)... This honestly felt like a very unnecessary game. A quick cashgrab, in an empty point during the fiscal year

[@KassTheLass]

DOA 6 wasn't the first attempt at a story mode in the DOA games, it's the third. The first was the DS's DOA Dimensions, the second DOA 5.

[@bryantndongmo4780]

doa games 2-6 all have a story...

[@HolyGoddessMotherAnne]

3DS*

[@bellystraw]

The ps4/xboxone era of fighting games really marked a huge increase in "don't unlock stuff, just buy it".

[@mrleakonelmstr]

I was kinda under a rock when doa6 came out but When I seen a 30$ copy in walmart 2 months later I knew something went terribly wrong.

[@lilliana1605]

No game should ever drop this much useless dlc. I miss DOA 2 and 3 were you could unlock all the good outfits. Story was confusing but decent. They really screwed up a good fight franchise.

[@hterramae]

I remember being very excited for this game. I am someone that likes the series for its gameplay (though, I do enjoy the aspects that most people think of when talking about the series, I won't play dumb) But when I saw how grindy the game was and how horrendously and unapologetically predatory de DLC was, I decided to not buy the game I'm still disappointed to see how it all turned out for this game :\

[@redacted2275]

You don't have to justify liking a game because of a feature that the developer suddenly feel ashamed for... even though, whether they like it or not, it's the main reason why said game is popular. 🤷‍♂️

[@Frekiwolf]

I remember buying DoA 6 the month it came out and played it a long week end. "Well, okey-ish, I will continue next week..." 🙂 Stangely it went to my "pile of shame". 😓 The video gave me a hint WHY. 😞

[@siege_sensei]

Emma Ok

[@Damian_1989]

Has the whole "changing our quirky game to appeal to the mainstream" schtick ever worked, like, at all? You'd think they'd learn...

[@BknMoonStudios]

One time it worked was with _Fortnite._ Going from a co-op zombie defense game to a battle royal and adding popular IPs as DLC is arguably what saved the game from dying in obscurity. Other than that, though, I can think of more examples.

[@Damian_1989]

I don't remember if battle royale was already the mainstream at that point, or if it was Fortnite that made it the mainstream

[@sable8716]

@@Damian_1989 Battle Royales were becoming popular at the time. PUBG was in it's hayday when Fortnite became a BR to point PUBG's publisher was trying to sue Epic into the ground for "copying" them.

[@JacF6734]

This game is the definition of trying to please everyone, and pleasing no one in the process.

[@daltonpetticord71]

It's getting rebooted now, let's hope it's not a disaster

[@MattMcMuscles]

www.nintendolife.com/news/2022/11/team-ninja-denies-ninja-gaiden-and-dead-or-alive-reboot-rumours#:~:text=Team%20Ninja%20Denies%20Ninja%20Gaiden%20%26%20Dead%20Or%20Alive%20Reboot%20Rumours,-Update%3A%20Excitement%20over&text=Update%20%5BTue%2022nd%20Nov%2C%202022,such%20plans%20as%20of%20yet.

[@daltonpetticord71]

@@MattMcMuscles you must hate me Matt. I understand it's fine 🤣

[@IncrediBurch]

Great video about a sad subject. I actually really like DOA as a fighting game. The Counterhold system and the actual fighting always felt super good. Another case of a company mismanaging their product. It wasn’t brought up that KT admitted they cut the Tag mode over their graphical changes. I’m just going to hope they some day do a Rollback netcode update for DOA5LR.

[@blakedavis1024]

I can’t. I just can’t hate this series. Even with its numerous problems. DOA5 is literally the game that got me into fighting games. It will always have a place in my heart. Even if it’s wrong.

[@JAGtheTrekkieGEMINI1701]

Conclusion: The *Downfall* started with Greedy DOA5 DLC strategies, but only in DOA6 Players finally noticed and rejected these *"Scams"*.... Also "thanks" DOA Hardcore Community 😣 One Correction. The New MK Like Story Mode was already intrduced in DOA Dimensions *AND* DOA5

[@SimonCleric]

DoA5 is by far my favourite fighting game ever. It's a shame there are no promising news about the series... What really killed it for me though is that even with all the DLC they put in... if your opponent doesn't own the dlc, they won't see the costume YOU bought. Which was idiotic af.

[@StunningSilken]

Imagine!

[@Danzig420]

You know what sucks? I actually really enjoy this DOA and play it all the time still with friends lol

[@smoltro1973]

I always loved the silly sexiness of DOA. I thought it did its own thing really well. I was really sad to see them go in a boring esports direction and Shimbori's wishy washy interviews pretty much made me lose interest in the game completely. I still play DOA 5 occasionally though. Still a fun game. Hopefully 6 didn't kill the DOA fighting games for good and they can win me back with 7.

[@emma6648]

Nah less sexualized characters mean better game

[@ironmaster6496]

@@emma6648 Which is ironic considering that even in "normal" fighting games people dtill only put their attention on the fanservicy characters, i mean just look at KOF there are literally a lot of interesting, normal women fighters there but NAH fans only care about stupid annoying Mai, it's a big hypocrisy honestly

[@nickroscher3968]

@@emma6648 Not really?

[@selim24]

@@emma6648 You are thinking wrong.

[@emma6648]

@@selim24 Ok

[@RenegadePandaZ]

It's a damn shame, but as someone who sucks ass at fighters, the more casual, less competitive nature of DOA is why I love it, and why it's basically the only fighting game I care about. Just booting up a survival round and wailing on the AI from time to time is so damn fun. Also I simp for Nico. But my god, their obsession with pushing DLC outfits is absurd, and even though I love DOA6 for what it is, being pestered about the 'Holiday Set 2021 (A)' on the main menu is just pathetic. Not to mention like 4 costume season passes for like 100 bucks each, which STILL doesn't include all the damn costumes. They left DOA out to die just to make a quick buck off the horn dogs who don't know about the Hub and SFM's. And as someone who legit enjoys the DOAX games too, it's so much worse. They constantly remove content and make the game way more difficult so they can push you to spend ludicrous amount of real money on legitimate limited time FOMO DLC suits, to the point where actually playing the game doesn't feel rewarding at all. KT killed DOA, but at the very least, all the original mainline games are BC on Xbox now.

[@sketch92]

I can agree, DoA 6 CF was my first game of the series and honestly also as someone whos hasnt played much Fighting games, I had a pretty good (if not great) time due to its beginner friendly nature. Sucks that the dlc habit from doa 5 carried over with a vengeance and killed it, along with some other issues that did not do this game any favors.

[@RenegadePandaZ]

@@sketch92 I'm probably biased af, but I still prefer 2-4 over 5 or 6 myself. I'm thankful they made 1-4 BC on Xbox before TK pulled out.

[@garjian0]

I would play DOA3 Survival for hours on end as a kid. So good. Even 4 was a bit of a disappointment but I remember it fondly as it was my first online fighter. Everything after that felt like a cheap knock off of itself somehow. New characters were dumb, presentation took a nosedive, the costumes weren't as good and everything was DLC... No more searching for prototype Xboxes in survival. :(

[@overzealouseuthanasiast9731]

As another casual who is shit at fighters but still enjoys wailing on them, the Soul Calibur series provides the same entertainment for me, with way less of that monetisation baggage 👌

[@dragtheserg]

I really wish DoA and VF were back, the games were really fun and I had such an enjoyable time with them...

[@barrysmith4610]

sad to see the fall of DOA. Really loved this series especially DOA 2, 3 and 5. Hope it comes back one day

[@javonjames4573]

DOA 4 was one of my favorites an the first xbox 360 game I bought back in 2006😊