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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.
Will the game have enough core engine changes to be viable at a high level? I doubt it, but hopefully seeing how wack high-level DoA ends up being on a daily basis will help push things in the right direction.