Topic: Dead or Alive Dimensions Preview

[NWR_DrewMG]

Tecmo Ninja's fighting franchise is about to come alive in 3D.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/preview/25345

Coming to Nintendo 3DS within the launch window is Dead or Alive Dimensions, the latest in the very popular series of fighting games from Tecmo’s Team Ninja.  The game is rumored to release on March 24, 2011, just in time for the 3DS launch.

According to the character select screen, it appears that 20 characters will be playable, with 5 more being unlockable.  The character select screen shows the following list of players: Ayane, Bass Armstrong, Bayman, Brad Wong, Christie, Eliot, Gen Fu, Hayate, Helena Douglas, Hitomi, Jann Lee, Kasumi, Kokoro, Lei Fang, Leon, Lisa, Ryu Hayabusa, Tina Armstrong, and Zack.  According to Famitsu, Raidou and Shiden will also be included, perhaps as unlockable characters.  

The graphics will prove to be beautiful in many ways

The game’s single player campaign is called Chronicle mode, and it will take players through an in-depth review of the story for the entire Dead or Alive franchise.  The mode will take around five hours to complete.  Alongside the Chronicle mode are a number of other, more traditional features such as Arcade mode, Multiplayer (both online and multi-cart local play), Training, and Survival.  While these are all pretty stock features for fighting games, it’s nice to know that Dead or Alive Dimensions comes ready and loaded with the best features in the genre.

The multiplayer will feature both versus and tag modes.  In the tag mode, two players can take on a more difficult computer player in co-op mode.  According to Yosuke Hayashi, the game’s producer, this mode was meant to appeal to friends where one friend is considerably better at the game than the other:

    “The idea behind this is if you had two friends, and one is really good and the other is just good; if these two are fighting this one will always win. This would be boring, especially for the one who is losing. With co-op mode these two could, as a team, fight a strong, computer-controlled character.” - Yosuke Hayashi

Ridley looms over the fighters in DoA: Dimensions

For Nintendo fans, the game will include a special bonus; a Metroid Other M themed stage, in which Samus can appear as an assist character.  Although it remains unknown how this works exactly, trailers have shown the stage, which features Ridley attacking a Dead or Alive character.  When asked about this, Hayahi stated that players would have to discover how to use Samus on their own, but confirmed she does make a brief appearance in the game.

Dead or Alive Dimensions is set for a launch window release, meaning it should be out by June at the latest.  Some signs, however, point to it being out much earlier than that.  Gamestop has the game listed as a March 24 release, although this date is unconfirmed.  The game is set to be a 3DS launch title in Japan.

[KDR_11k]

Street Fighter IV will eat their sales alive. DoA just seems like an also-ran in that genre and I'm not sure fighting games benefit much from being portable. On a home console you just add a controller for multiplayer, can't do that on a handheld. Even with single cart MP I don't think there'll be too many 3DSes around while DoA is on shelves.

[NWR_pap64]

I think DoA Dimensions will be a decent hit on the 3DS. You are right in that Street Fighter IV will beat it in sales, but considering that this is the first new game in years, and the DoA has a cult following, it could do well. Note the series has survived the Dreamcast and Xbox eras, so it can survive on the 3DS.

[SilverQuilava]

I can't wait for the day that Tekken releases on the 3DS.

[KDR_11k]

Hasn't DoA always been released very early though, before there was much competition? I think their core following is pretty small, they're likely counting on the average gamer to get their sales together.

[Hyawatta]

I have preordered both Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition and Dead or Alive Dimentions. Street Fighter is my favorite 2D Fighting series and Dead or Alive is my favorite 3D fighting series. I particularly like Street Fighter's strategic gameplay and Dead or Alive's countering system.

[TJ Spyke]

Hasn't DoA always been released very early though, before there was much competition? I think their core following is pretty small, they're likely counting on the average gamer to get their sales together.

Pretty much, other than the first two games. Well, at least the mainline games (PSP got a part of DOA Xtreme 2 last year).

[the asylum]

I'm just happy Samus won't be an actual playable char. Temco ruined her enough with Other M

[Ian Sane]

The thing with Street Fighter IV is that it's been out for a while now on the PS3 and Xbox 360.  If you want it, you already got it.  The 3DS version will be for hardcore nuts that need to play SFIV on the go and Nintendo-only gamers that don't own a system that could play it.

But DoA Dimensions is a new game (as new as fighting game sequels can be I supposed).  I think Street Fighter will outsell it but I don't think it's going to flatten it.  SFIV is a port.  Don't assume its going to sell like hotcakes.  No one with a serious interest in fighting games would ever go with a portable and their system of choice anyway.

[TJ Spyke]

I'm just happy Samus won't be an actual playable char. Temco ruined her enough with Other M

That was Sakamoto's fault, Team Ninja (the developer) had nothing to do with the story.

[NWR_pap64]

I'm just happy Samus won't be an actual playable char. Temco ruined her enough with Other M

If you mean that because you are afraid they might sexify her, well what did you think of Brawl doing that first?

And yeah, like TJ Spyke said, you can blame the director on the new Samus. Tecmo just developed the gameplay.

[Luigi Dude]

If you mean that because you are afraid they might sexify her, well what did you think of Brawl doing that first?

Oh not this sh!t again. 



Seriously, it's like some of you think Samus was a nun before the Zero Suit was invented.

[KDR_11k]

The thing with Street Fighter IV is that it's been out for a while now on the PS3 and Xbox 360.  If you want it, you already got it.  The 3DS version will be for hardcore nuts that need to play SFIV on the go and Nintendo-only gamers that don't own a system that could play it.

But DoA Dimensions is a new game (as new as fighting game sequels can be I supposed).  I think Street Fighter will outsell it but I don't think it's going to flatten it.  SFIV is a port.  Don't assume its going to sell like hotcakes.  No one with a serious interest in fighting games would ever go with a portable and their system of choice anyway.

DoA is for people to show off the capabilities of their new system (since fighting games can put more details into things, there's less stuff on the screen after all) but Street Fighter 4 already does that better.

[cricarra]

If you mean that because you are afraid they might sexify her, well what did you think of Brawl doing that first?

Oh not this sh!t again. 



Seriously, it's like some of you think Samus was a nun before the Zero Suit was invented.

I <3 this post.