If I Were Making DOA 7...(Part 3)

Here we are with another post of what DOA 7 would look like if I were in charge of production.  In the first two entries, I talked about things like how costumes, features, and DLC would work.  Now it's time to get down to the fun part; building the roster.  So, let's fire up the Hypernerd Workbench and get to work.

Before that, let's break down how this roster will be made up.  First, we'll have twenty-four returning characters.  That number seems quite large, but if this is going to be the biggest and best DOA yet, then we have to go big.  Then, there would be four new characters to bump the roster up to twenty-eight.  Next, there will be four guest characters to push the roster up to thirty-two characters.  Finally, I'll talk about four characters who could/should be DLC, for a final roster size of thirty-six, roughly the size of the roster of DOA 5 Last Round.  Anyway, enough talking.  Let's fire up the workbench.

Retuning Characters

1.  Ryu Hayabusa

2.  Kasumi

3.  Ayane

4.  Hayate

5.  Momiji

6.  Bayman

7.  Bass

8.  Tina

9.  Lisa/La Mariposa

10.  Mila

11.  NiCO

12.  Marie Rose

13.  Eliot

14.  Brad Wong

15.  Diego

16.  Zack

17.  Helena

18.  Kokoro

19.  Rig

20.  Honaka

21.  Jann Lee

22.  Tamaki

23.  Christie

24.  Lei Fang

New Characters

I'm not very good at creating characters, so I will leave all the major details to the experts.  I can, however, talk about the basics.  First, the ideal breakdown would be two new males and two new females.  Things could break 3-1 in favor of the males, but I would not go 3-1 for the females.  If you look at the returning characters, it's 14-10 in favor of the females.  Bringing in three new males would balance the roster better.  I also would not break 4-0 either way.

Also, clones would be avoided if that character is already on the roster.  For example, a Gen Fu clone would be okay because he's not on the roster, but a Kasumi clone would be off-limits.  On that note, unrepresented fighting styles would be the rule, not the exception.

Guest Characters

If you've been reading enough of my posts, you'll know who these characters are going to be.  Tekken characters.  I would be excited to see any of these characters show up, never mind all of them.

1.  Asuka Kazama

2.  Nina Williams

3.  Lili Rochefort

4.  Heihachi Mishima

DLC Characters

In terms of DLC, the only character who is a must is Mai Shiranui.  I'll never get tired of seeing her in DOA.  The others are characters who would be difficult to pull off, but a man can dream, right?

1.  Mai Shiranui (Fatal Fury/King Of Fighters)

There's not a more natural fit for DOA than Mai.  One of the hottest game girls in a game where the hotness of the girls is embraced.  What more could you want?

2.  Sakura Kasugano (Street Fighter)

There's been a disturbing trend of women without assets popping up in DOA over the last two games.  I don't really like it, but if we're going in that direction, why isn't this cutie getting a nod?  Yeah, she's an acquired taste, but she's popular and has a ton of outfits to bring with her, including her iconic school uniform.

3.  Kyo Kusanagi (King Of Fighters)

A cool guy from King Of Fighters.  Nuff said.

4.  Cammy White (Street Fighter)

In a series that's as much about T&A as it is about the fighting, a character who puts emphasis on the A would fit right in.  She has some outfit diversity for those who are averse to the A, though.

And that would be my DOA 7 roster.  Of course, it's likely that if DOA 7 happens, the roster won't look like this.  But this is my roster.  Agree?  Disagree?  Who would you add or take away?  Comment and have your voice heard.

If I Were Making Dead Or Alive 7...(Part 2)

By now, it should be no secret that I'm a fan of the Dead Or Alive series.  Not many people can say that with pride, especially after DOA 6's failure.  That said, I want the series to be more alive than dead.  These are just a few more of the things I would do to bring the series back to life if I were making DOA 7.

1.  Don't Add Anymore Lolis...Please!

The addition of Marie Rose is when things started to go wrong for DOA.

First things first.  DOA has always been about hot, buxom women whuppin' ass.  For the most part, it still is, but things took a bad turn with the inclusion of Marie Rose.  The existence of Marie Rose in and of itself isn't a huge problem.  After all, not every girl can be a big-breasted smoke factory.  She has a crowd that can identify with her, play well with her, or even be attracted to her.  While I'm not one of those people, I don't hate Marie Rose and understand her existence.  Unfortunately, Marie Rose isn't where the Loli Train stopped.  Enter, Honaka, NiCO, and Kula.

Honaka is the least loli of the bunch but something is...off about her.  She looks like she belongs in a different game.  And while I like the idea of a cute schoolgirl who copies moves from other characters (I'm a Sakura Kasugano fan, after all), her fighting style doesn't seem executed very well.  It doesn't feel good to play her.  She needs to feel cleaner or be replaced.

Honaka is cool but could feel better.

I actually like NiCO from a gameplay standpoint.  I like her wardrobe.  And that death scream is the sunshine of all my playthroughs.  Honestly, there's not much to dislike about her.  If I had to keep one loli, it would be her.

I can't think of much wrong with NiCO.

Finally, there's Kula.  Yeah...that...happened.  While she doesn't wear anything particularly sexy, I never want to see Kula in another DOA game.  King Of Fighters has better (and hotter) options.

I love ya, Kula.  But stay out of DOA.

So, with that, you have three Lolis; Marie Rose, NiCO, and Honaka.  That's where the Loli Train needs to stop.  No more Lolis!

2.  Add Another Guy Or Two

A Terry appearance would be...Okay!

DOA 6 added had a decent roster but it had several glaring issues.  One is that while the roster was big, it added four new characters, two right out the box and two via DLC.  Three of those characters, Tamaki, NiCO, and Kula are women, and the lone male is Diego.  In fact, they took out two men, Gen Fu and Leon.  Now I hated Gen Fu and I don't really miss Leon, but they could have created two new guys to take their place.  If they aren't confident they can create an original male, they could try for another King Of Fighters character, like Terry or Kyo, or if they are really want to play hardball, a Tekken character.  They really should add more males or they might as well just make DOA an all-female fighting game because that's where we're headed at this rate.

3.  Finish The Series Strong

If they are going to end or reboot the series, they need to finish the current story in a satisfying manner.  Don't end things on a cliff hanger.  Don't end with an underwhelming final boss.  Don't leave any loose ends.  Does Kasumi live a happy life or get hunted down and killed?  Does Ayane ever overcome her jealousy or whatever it is she's feeling?  Does Helena find and kill Donovan?  Does Zack ever stop perving on the women?  Is Mai canon?  All these and many other questions need to be answered.

4.  Add A Beat 'Em Up Mode

One of the many things Tekken does fairly well is integrate a beat 'em up mode.  I think DOA could do it better because of its simpler control scheme.  It can't be too hard to create 4-6 levels with a bunch of generic thugs to beat on.

And that's four more things I would do if I were making DOA 7.  So, what would you add or take away from the next DOA?  Comment and have your voice heard.