Dead or Alive 4 [Xbox]

Following the unveiling of DOA 4 at Microsoft's Press Conference, Tomonobu Itagaki spoke briefly with IGN regarding his latest fighter. First, Itagaki assured us that the version we saw at the conference was only 15% complete and that the game has not yet tapped into the true power of Xbox 360. We assume the clipping seen in the early part of the trailer won't be part of the final build, which is still targeted for Xbox 360's launch.

As for online play, Team Ninja is still analyzing the power of the new Xbox Live. With Xbox 360, hundreds of people should be able to sit in and spectate on tournaments. With DOA 4 tournaments, we can expect tosee many Itagaki hopes that Arcade Lounges for DOA 4 far exceed the eight-player max of DOAU, but feels fifty players would be too many. So expect something comfortably in the middle. And clans will play a prominent role in DOA 4 online play.

As for the new characters, three have been confirmed and all were seen in the trailer.

• Kokoro - The black-hair beauty from the trailer uses Hakkyoku-Ken style. This is the same style used by Akira in Virtua Fighter.

• Eliot - The blonde boy from the trailer uses Keii Ken style, which is about quick, single hits and open-palm strikes.

• Mystery Wrestler - Uses pro-wrestling moves and in the video she clearly uses Capoeira, the Brazilian dance/fighting style. We're quite certain this is Lisa from DOAX, but it has not been confirmed.

Itagaki went into great detail explaining the origins of the fighting system for the previous Dead or Alive games. Originally, DOA was designed as an arcade fighter. Because there wouldn't be too many people in an arcade at one time playing one game, Itagaki felt that making the game too complex gave an unfair advantage to a great gamer. In other words, if it was difficult to master in the arcade, once someone mastered the moves, everyone else would stand no chance. For this reason, DOA has previously focused on offense. It's always been easy for anyone to play and has never challenged the complexity of Virtua Fighter.

However, with tens of thousands playing Dead or Alive Ultimate online, Itagaki feels that the field is so much broader and gamer skills more advanced that DOA 4 will be far more challenging than in the past. That doesn't mean you can't pick it up and enjoy it, but the complexity many have asked for is finally being added, according to Itagaki.

Further, DOA 4 is now focused on defense instead of offense. Gamers will need good reflexes and a sharp eye to anticipate their opponent's next move. Expect more fluid combat with players reacting to one another in kind in larger environments that are far more interactive than previous DOA titles.

The true test of any fighter is the gameplay. We won't know the full extent of improvements until play DOA 4 and decide for ourselves.

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