After the colossal disappointment that was Ninja Gaiden III, I only had Dead or Alive 5 to keep my hopes alive. Thankfully, the demo included with Ninja Gaiden III was an absolute joy to play. Tecmo Koei brought a new build of the game to E3 and have announced some news in regards to the game.

First up, Dead or Alive 5 now has a solid release date of September 25. It will be releasing on both the Xbox 360 and PS3. This will be the first time the DoA franchise has hit a Sony console since DoA2 Hardcore.

“Our team is focused on making September 25th a special ‘DOA Day’ for all fans of intense martial arts combat,” said Yosuke Hayashi, Team NINJA leader. “As we approach the finish line for development of DEAD OR ALIVE 5, it’s exciting to see all the signature characters, fighting styles, and destructible fighting stages come together to create a powerful DEAD OR ALIVE experience.”

Like previous entries, the main focus of Dead or Alive 5 is all about each fighter having their own unique fighting style taken from real combat styles around the world. Of course, the game does have a little flair to it with various characters being able to use ninja arts to teleport at will, but it’s mostly grounded in reality.

The big change this time around is that Dead or Alive 5 will take place in large, interactive environments. Sure, the series has seen this before, but not on the level seen in DoA5. The demo arena for example featured a gas tank that you could knock an opponent into to explode and then knock them down multiple platforms. It’s almost like Team Ninja is taking a cue from the multi-level arena seen in Mortal Kombat. It can only be a good thing.

The usual cast of characters from Dead or Alive will be returning to DoA5, but Tecmo Koei have also announced a few new guest characters. Those looking forward to another Spartan might be a little disappointed, but it’s made up by having two guest characters from Virtua Fighter. Akira Yuki and Sarah Bryant, both of Sega’s Virtua Fighter fame, will be joining fray. The press release says these two will be joining at launch so there’s potential for more DLC guest characters down the road.

Here’s the E3 trailer for Dead or Alive 5. September can’t come soon enough.