Dead or Alive 4
Fourth main entry in the Dead or Alive fighting series.
Dead or Alive 4, a fighting game from Team Ninja and published by Tecmo, hit the Xbox 360 in 2005. As the fourth mainline installment in the series, it picks up after *Dead or Alive 3* (2001) and marks the last fighting game directed by Tomonobu Itagaki before he left Tecmo, which later merged with Koei to form Koei Tecmo in 2009. Critics gave it a warm reception, with aggregate scores of 85 out of 100 on both Metacritic and GameRankings, and it had moved over a million copies worldwide by mid-2006.
The story continues the clash between the Mugen Tenshin Ninja Clan and DOATEC, with Helena Douglas stepping up as the organization’s new president to root out its internal corruption. Meanwhile, Victor Donovan, the true power behind DOATEC, locks himself in the Bio Lab Core to pursue his dream of a perfect human weapon, resulting in the hyper-cloned Alpha-152, created from Kasumi’s DNA. Hayate, now leading the Mugen Tenshin village after Ayane defeated Omega in the last tournament, seeks revenge. The story mode introduces new characters and opponents through combat, which then become available in other modes.
Gameplay sees several updates. The new "Bounce Combo" system lets players follow up a knockdown with extra attacks as the opponent bounces off the ground. Low and some mid attacks can now hit downed foes. Certain stages feature moving obstacles that damage fighters on contact, though a well-timed counter hold can avoid them. Other stages have barriers fighters can be knocked over, allowing opponents to jump over or launch flying attacks. Online mode introduces Avatars and Virtual Worlds—a first for fighting games—where players customize their look and lobby environment, chat via voice or text, and earn award points from wins to buy accessories. Move lists are expanded, and four new characters join the roster, alongside returns of past fighters. The counter system is tightened, with a shorter window for execution and adjusted damage. Like *Dead or Alive 3*, the game has a relatively low number of costumes (excluding variants), and several characters, including Helena, must be unlocked.
The roster totals 23 fighters: 22 playable characters plus the boss Alpha-152. Returning fighters include Ayane, Bass Armstrong, Bayman, Brad Wong, Christie, Hayate, Hitomi, Jann Lee, Kasumi, Leifang, Ryu Hayabusa, Tina Armstrong, and Zack.
- Developer
- Team Ninja
- Publisher
- Tecmo
- Platform
- Xbox 360
- Release year
- 2005
- Genre
- Fighting game
- Metacritic score
- 85/100
- Sales
- Over 1 million copies by mid-2006
Lore & Background
The story focuses on the continuing war between the Mugen Tenshin Ninja Clan and DOATEC, and Helena Douglas taking over the mantle of DOATEC as its new president, determined to fight against the corruption within the enormous organization. The man who holds the true power at DOATEC, Victor Donovan, locked himself in the committee's Bio Lab Core to continue his project 'Alpha-152', a hyper-clone created from Kasumi's DNA. The forces of Mugen Tenshin, led by Hayate, launch an assault on DOATEC's primary headquarters, the Tri-tower buildings, with other competitors and newcomers caught in the chaos.
Reader's Guide
Dead or Alive 4 introduced several gameplay innovations, including the 'Bounce Combo' system that allowed players to perform further attacks on opponents bouncing off the ground. Certain stages featured moving obstacles that could damage fighters, and obstacles that fighters could be knocked over, with the ability to jump over them and perform flying attacks. The online mode introduced Avatars and Virtual Worlds, making it the first fighting game to include these features, allowing players to customize their Avatars and Lobby rooms and earn award points from online battles. The counter system was tightened, making the window for counters shorter and more difficult to execute. The game featured 23 fighters, including three new playable characters—Kokoro, Eliot, and La Mariposa—and a guest character from the Halo series, Spartan-458 (Nicole). Dead or Alive 4 became available on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S through backward compatibility in 2021, and was followed by Dead or Alive: Dimensions in 2011 and Dead or Alive 5 in 2012.
Did You Know?
- Dead or Alive 4 was the last fighting game directed by Tomonobu Itagaki before his departure from Tecmo.
- It introduced the 'Bounce Combo' system, allowing attacks on opponents bouncing off the ground.
- The game featured a guest character from the Halo series, a female Spartan supersoldier named Spartan-458 (Nicole).
- By mid-2006, Dead or Alive 4 had sold over 1 million copies worldwide.
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