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Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball: Really beach volleyball or
Barbies for guys? |
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Point - Isaac
Now onto the actual game. DOAXBV journey begins sometime after the third installment of the Dead or Alive fighting game. (Dead or Alive 3) Don't worry you don't really need to know anything about the series. It helps at times, but it's not necessary. All that's needed to know is that some dude name Zack hit the big one gambling, bought an island, and invited all the female fighters of the DOA series for the next fighting tournament. As a player you have to choose which beauty you'd like to play and as you land on Zack Island, you're informed that there is no tournament. What do you do? Break out the swimsuits, find a partner and let's play ball! The volleyball part of this game accurately and amusingly presents the basic aspects of volleyball in a precise and challenging manner. What amazes me when playing the game is the auto handicap, when beginning the game, the characters suck and it's pretty easy to win. But, as the game progresses the characters get better and better, even when you start over in the beginning the characters abilities quickly adapt to how good you are.
My only dissapointment in this game is the unexplained factors. What happens when you collect every item? Does this swimsuit make me look fat? Why did I spend so much time buying all these funky gifts for a girl, only to have her chuck the all important million Zack dollar Venus Seashells swimsuit gift? When game girls look like really hot girls that is good, but when they start to shallowly act like really hot girls that's when the fantasy stops. The point or challenge of this game is somewhat still a mystery as of right now. There isn't really a last boss or a primary objective. Your "vacation" is the extent of about two weeks and you have the freedom to earn cash playing volleyball, gorgeously play the hopping game, take your leisure time in the surroundings around you or in some cases ride some tree bark like a bull. (No... seriously.)  Now obviously this is something marketed for guys, (please read my opening paragraph again, if you don't believe me.) but I don't see anything wrong with that. Honestly, from the moment this game was announced I don't know anyone who bought DOA XBV for an in depth exploration of volleyball. You're not going to find me pissed off that girls technically should be exhausted after such a brutal volleyball match; instead they're happily bouncing away. THEY ARE FREAKING FIGHTERS! Use some imagination! (Although it would please some to see them panting.)
My dear AKA friends, this is not a game for the hardcore gamers. The selling point was not "Girls playing with balls!" (Yes, I caught that.) If it were DOA tennis I would have bought it. If it were DOA baseball I would have bought it. If it was DOA mud wrestling I would have invested in company stock. If you're looking for the next best sports game, look elsewhere. But if you looking for the greatest achievement in Baywatch meets CG Barbie, well my friend we have "liftoff". |
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My first introduction into Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball was sometime ago at E3 2002. The audience was treated to a tropical beach scenery, where you would sit back, relax and get lei-ed! (Notice the subliminal messaging.) Fearing nothing in this, I sat back in the director's seat, but the person who took command wasn't me, no no my candy perfume wearing girl for the moment was none other than a cosplaying Lei Fang (and beautiful to boot). All my role playing fantasies were coming true. She placed the lei around my neck, took a picture with me and told me some very lovely things. At this point, I didn't know what they were selling and I didn't care...
What I like to point out is the very unique idea of implementing a dating-sim, RPG, style of gaming into CG masterpiece. In order to become partners or receive gifts you must win the affections of these sexy cyber vixens. Now all of them have different likes and dislikes and it's up to you what presents you think may win their hearts. ( i.e. Kasumi will spew at an autographed photo of Zack, but give her some strawberries and she'll make "love" to them.)
Our friends at Tecmo have taken every DOA's fan's fantasy and made it so. Sex will always sell and I do hope more advanced games will come out. In the future I'd like to see a better sense of object. The play value of this will only last until you get bored of zooming in on breast, legs, swimsuit, bikini designs, tan lines, lips, hips and finger tips. Love to see a better motive as well. I don't consider blowing a million Zack dollars on swimming suits made out of shoelaces and clams on some girl only to have her trash it the next day a motivation to keep doing it! I'll say it again; I could do that sort of thing in real life. |
Counterpoint - Amy I must admit that I'm only familiar with maybe one or two of the characters from game articles and ads, but have never actually played the games prior to begin with, beach or no. Well, okay. To quote from a friend, "DOA is like, famous for gratuitous bouncing boobies though, its not like anyone expects anything more from it." I think that fairly much says it all. All right, the title of the game is very clear- Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball. The tediously long intro doesn't show very much sports action, and I'm not one of those that consider swimsuit modeling a sport. When you -finally- get to the start of the game, you have the option of choosing a character to pilot. Naturally, they're all women and in bathing suits (the only reason why the game is "beach vollyball" vs. regular volleyball). Okay, so now you figure you go play a little volleyball now? Wrong. You get introduced to the wonderful world of accessorization! You can upgrade (or degrade) your character with flashy and stylish swimming attire from these shops on the island. The character I started out with was featured in a skimpy bikini and to make her look more respectable, I stuck her in a one-piece "cover-all" suit. Ironically, my character received a present from Zack not too long after. And what was in it, you ask? A skimpy bikini! Coincidence? I think not. However, these shops do have a more important purpose and are actually key to the game because you can purchase stuff to buy off the other girls stuck on the lousy island that you are so you can actually HAVE a volleyball game!! Oops, getting ahead of myself here.  Well yes, it takes two to tango, and apparently to make a team to play some volleyball. Okay, I guess it'd be kinda silly to try covering a whole court by your lonesome, let alone against two other people. STILL! You get to start out with someone at least, and then after... two days, was it? - you get kicked to the side and left to fend for yourself. Backtracking to the actual volleyball gaming for a moment, the controls are simple, with two buttons to hit or spike, and use of the directional pad to get around your side of the court. Nothing extreme about it, really- put those girls in those old-fashioned bathing suits and it's just passing the ball back and forth over the net. They do spike and fall in the sand and stuff, and make the occasional dive. But yeah. 's about it.
Hey, there's a store that actually -doesn't- sell skimpy suits and stuff. It sells... various junk. Hoohoo- but before you go on an artillary spree (like I did, but hey! I was buying for me!! Kunais and shurikens and pistols and...) you're buying to please the other ladies on 'Zack Island.' You'd think you were playing a guy character in a sim game with such a painstaking process, and to be honest I thought that from the start with how Isaac was telling me about it. Why does a girl have to buy another girl stuff!?!? And the range of items you can get... mineral water to gems... Really, too bad you can't use the throwing knives. Or beat up the girls, maybe it'd fix their attitude problems.
Check out Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball in Famitsu Xbox Japanese magazine availablehere from Akadot Retail.
The views and opinions expressed in The KareKano column are solely those of Amy and Isaac and do not necessarily represent the views of Digital Manga, AKADOT or its sponsors.
Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball © Tecmo, U.S.A./Team Ninja..
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Recruiting someone for your team is annoying. The snotty girls hang out
at the beaches or the jungle area, and you have the option to challenge them
to a game (if you have enough people) or ask them to join you. Of course
they say no. At least some try to be nice about it. Others are flat-out rude.
At least the voices are only subtitled, I'd hate to hear them dubbed-
it'd probably make me want to smack them upside the head even more. And
what're they doing?! Depending on the character you try talking to, it'll
be them walking, climbing trees or hula dancing, in short, being sultry.
Shimmying down a moss-covered tree trunk- well, I won't go there. The fact that the right and left buttons on the top of the controls are
for zooming in is very sad. The girls aren't very friendly, and if you don't
bribe them with gifts, you don't play volleyball. AGH.
While I'm on the subject of useless items... once you buy or receive, it's
usually for keeps. At least some of the stuff you can discard, like the
worthless junk you get from 'Zack.' But why can't you sell stuff!? It'd
be waaaay faster to get more money. Freakish stores with no sell option-
guess I'm just too used to RPGs? At least they willingly buy your otherwise
worthless junk! Sigh... Face it, if you're not playing to oogle the girly curvage, then it's not
to be played. Geh, I'm looking forward to picking up Guilty Gear XX and
.hack//Infection. This game ain't for me.