As far as the online mode goes, if you've played the online mode in DOAU, you might think you have a good idea of what to expect from DOA4's online experience. However, you're only half right. Yes, the top-level functionality (in terms of matches and customization) serves as the core to DOA4's online experience. So plan on seeing a beefier ranking system, along with full Live support and a spectator mode. However, Itagaki and Team Ninja, never ones to rest on their laurels, are bringing some new ideas to the online table that will likely surprise people. We got a demo of the new lobby system in the game, which is a slick and surprisingly funny way of letting players interact online.

What would a DOA game be without...fighting?

One of the goals in the development of Dead or Alive 4 has been to ensure the game is an inclusive experience that will let players of all skill levels get something from it. As a result, Team Ninja took feedback regarding DOAU's lobby system to heart and opted to create a more accessible way for players to get matched up, in addition to keeping the action light. To that end, your profile will now ask you to select a few extra bits of information. Namely, you'll be asked to choose an avatar and a theme for your "house." Yes, this may all sound odd and confusing, but stay with us, as there's an oddly brilliant logic to this. Your house will serve as the lobby your friends will see when you host a game, and it will serve as an area your crew can hang out in with its avatars.

The house concept has evolved since the name was first coined for the lobby, and it's more ceremonial than anything, as the various lobby themes bear little resemblance to an actual domicile. The houses and themes we've seen are large, open areas that are just a place for people to goof around in while waiting or watching an online fight. We saw two themes, the tentatively named "Halloween" and "underwater," and they looked pretty much like you'd expect. So the Halloween house was a large, open area with pumpkins, a full moon, and a ghost at its center, which is who you'll talk to if you'd like to set up a match. The underwater house looked like something out of Finding Nemo, and it had a coral reef motif complete with anemones, schools of fish, and a central crustacean that could help you get your battle on.

The avatars you'll see milling about in the houses draw from a variety of traditional inspirations, such as robots and ninjas, and slightly more-whimsical muses, such as, pigs, pandas, fish, squid, and rabbits. Your muse will display your gamer tag above its head, and you'll see any conversation text in a word bubble (the game will support both text and voice chat). More importantly, the avatars can be made to animate in some goofy ways--along the lines of some of the silliness seen in MMOs like World of WarCraft--that are pretty funny and prove that Team Ninja never takes itself too seriously.

Do the hustle.

One of the most unique elements to the house feature in the online mode, and one that's currently being heavily tweaked, is the state of your house. The current plan is to let you earn currency when you play online in the game so you can spend the money in Zack's Shop, an online-only option that lets you buy items for your avatar and house. The coolest feature the team is attempting to incorporate is a television that will show the current fight that's going on. You'll be able to buy different TVs--from a proper HDTV to a small black-and-white set--that will let you see the fight (either windowed or full-screen) in accordance with what kind of set it is.

Though it appears the TV feature is a lock for the final game, the team is also tossing around ideas for other items you can put in your virtual crib that may or may not happen. In any case, based on what we saw, the house lobby system is a functional, funny, and nonthreatening way to get your multiplayer on. Though the multiplayer wasn't up and running to either Itagaki or the team's standards, you can plan on DOA4 being at least as fun as DOAU. The addition of the currency and shop systems give playing online an Animal Crossing-esque twist that we expect players will have a lot of fun with.