is a 2012 fighting game developed by Team Ninja and published by Tecmo Koei for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is the fifth main entry in the Dead or Alive fighting series following Dead or Alive 4 (2005) and the first to have a multi-platform release since Dead or Alive 2 (1999), as well as the series' first installment that was released for the PlayStation 3.
Dead or Alive 5 features guest characters from Sega's Virtua Fighter fighting game series (from which the series took inspiration) 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, 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 PlayStation Vita named Dead or Alive 5 Plus, was released in 2013, and that same year came Ultimate for home consoles followed by arcades. A final iteration subtitled Last Round was released in 2015 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 as well as for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows. Dead or Alive 5 received generally favorable reviews. By mid-2015, all versions of the game (original version, 5 Ultimate and 5 Last Round) combined have sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide, in addition to over 12 million downloads of the free-to-play versions as of 2019. The game was followed by Dead or Alive 6 in 2019.
Gameplay
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 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 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).
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.
Plus features optional touchscreen-based moves in the Touch Play Mode, where the fights are seen via a first-person perspective view and the players touch, flick, and pinch the screen to attack their opponents. However, Story Mode Missions, Lobby Matches and the ability to upload the recorded fights to YouTube are absent; Tag Fights are available only in the Story Mode, while Versus, Arcade and Time Attack modes are solo only. The PlayStation versions feature cross-platform play, enabling the users of both consoles to fight online matches, to share downloadable content (DLC) from the PlayStation Store with the original version, and to swap the save data between the PS3 and Vita.
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. In addition, the game features three additional unlockable guest characters from the Virtua Fighter series (they also make cameo appearances in the game's Story Mode), mainly based on their appearances from the Virtua Fighter 5 series. Unlike the other characters, Akira and Pai only speak in Japanese, while Sarah only speaks in English.
New Akira Yuki , a Japanese bajiquan martial artist and the mascot of Sega's Virtua Fighter series. Mila, an ambitious Spanish mixed martial arts champion who works as a part-time waitress at a diner in New York City. 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. Pai Chan , a Chinese martial arts movie star and mizongyi practitioner from Sega's Virtua Fighter series. Rig, a Canadian taekwondo martial artist who is a boss at the same oil platform where Bass works and the two are rough friends. Sarah Bryant , an American college student and mixed martial artist from Sega's Virtua Fighter series.
Returning
Alpha-152 Ayane Bass Armstrong Bayman Brad Wong Christie Eliot Gen Fu Hayate Helena Douglas Hitomi Jann Lee Kasumi Kokoro La Mariposa Leifang Ryu Hayabusa Tina Armstrong Zack
Guest character Unlockable character Unplayable in Story Mode Boss character
Story Dead or Alive 5 is set two years after the events of Dead or Alive 4 and the destruction of the DOATEC corporation's Tri-Tower headquarters. Helena Douglas has undertaken the task of rebuilding DOATEC but wants to use its technology for peaceful ends. Helena Douglas dissolved DOATEC's Biotechnology Division, stopped the Military Division's biological weapons projects Alpha, Epsilon and Omega, fired all members of Victor Donovan's faction, and announced that she intends to hold the fifth Dead or Alive Tournament (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 style" for more character and stage interactions.GameSpot, E3 Stage Shows : Dead or Alive - E3 2012 Stage Demo , YouTube, August 7, 2012. 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 two storylines often interact with each other in minor ways.
Plot Two years after the previous events, 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 Douglas aboard her cruise ship, Freedom Survivor, as he is suspecting DOATEC's involvement, which Helena denies, suggesting it might be rather the work of Victor Donovan's breakaway faction. She is also approached by Kasumi, who is looking for information regarding Alpha-152 after the latter's sudden disappearance during the TriTower's destruction. 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 informs Hayate that she will stop Project Alpha.
Meanwhile, at DOATEC's oil platform, one of the platform's worker named 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 along with Bass Armstrong, who's also employed there, succeed in putting down the fire. Donovan, his face hidden behind a porcelain mask, is seen plotting the final stage of his Project Alpha: Phase Four. Donovan orders Lisa Hamilton, who is still working with him on her research, to bring head of DOATEC Japan, 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 Dead or Alive tournament, which also takes place at the platform. Each does it usually for their own reasons, often to either see once more or to defeat some other character. They join after being approached by Zack, who is shown finding, fighting and recruiting them around the world. After Tina Armstrong 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 on a train and there is sexual tension between them when the train is thrown off its track and crashes. Hitomi, who still hopes to see Ein (Hayate), advances to the quarterfinals, defeating Spanish newcomer, 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 Hitomi, emerging as the winner of the tournament, but not attending the championship award ceremony out of a personal grudge for Rig, whom he lost to in an earlier fight.