Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball
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| Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball | |
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| Developer(s) | Team Ninja |
| Publisher(s) | Tecmo |
| Designer(s) | Tomonobu Itagaki |
| Release date(s) | NA January 22, 2003 JPN January 23, 2003 EUR March 28, 2003 |
| Genre(s) | Sports |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: M (Mature) PEGI: 16+ PEGI: 15+ (Finland) |
| Platform(s) | Xbox |
| Media | DVD-ROM |
Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball is a beach volleyball game by Tecmo released in 2003 for the Xbox video game console. Showcasing the graphics capabilities of the Xbox, it received late-teen ratings in most regions for its depictions of curvy females on and off the beach. Unlike the previous games in the Dead or Alive series, it is not a fighting game.
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[edit] Story
According to the game premise, Zack gambles his winnings from the Dead or Alive 3 tournament at a casino. In the process, he hits the jackpot, earning a ridiculously large sum of money. The money is used to purchase a private island, which he promptly names after himself (Zack Island). He then invites the females from the previous tournament (along with one newcomer) to his island on the false premise that the next Dead or Alive tournament will be held there. The women arrive and after discovering the truth, namely that it was merely a hoax, decide to make the best of the situation by spending two weeks vacationing on the island.
At the end of the two week time period, the ladies depart, leaving only Zack and his girlfriend Niki on the island. Shortly thereafter, a volcano, previously thought to be inactive, spontaneously erupts, threatening to destroy Zack's island. In the chaos, Niki escapes using Zack's jetpack. Zack survives the volcanic eruption, but the island itself is completely destroyed. While not part of the game itself, Zack's later Dead or Alive 4 ending shows the pair robbing an ancient tomb and escaping with a truck filled with gold, suggesting a possible financing source for a sequel.
For unexplained reasons, the Dead or Alive characters' previous rivalries were reduced to a general dislike in this title. As a result, even characters who would normally try to kill each other (such as Ayane and Kasumi) can become fast friends through a brief exchange of gifts.
[edit] Game elements
In the main story mode, players select a woman to play as for the duration of the two week period. Since the volleyball matches in the game are always two on two, the player automatically begins with a partner. Each day, players can select one activity in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening. While players do have an opportunity to simply relax during these time periods, they are generally used to either court new partners, or to challenge existing partnerships to a game of volleyball. Winning a match provides money which can be used to buy swimsuits and accessories, either for oneself, or as gifts to bestow upon the other women. Alternately, players can also earn money through gambling at a casino located on the island.
Playing volleyball is done primarily through the use of two buttons, one designated for spiking and blocking, and the other for receiving or setting. As many of the actions happen automatically (e.g., jumping up to spike the ball), the game forces the player to focus on timing; a poorly timed press of a button results in a weak hit or a smash into the net. While it is possible to manually direct one's partner towards or away from the net, she will generally move to cover whichever area the player has left empty. The game is one of the few to make use of the analog sensitivity of the face buttons on the Xbox controller, with a softer touch allowing one to barely hit the ball over the net.
In addition to the core volleyball mechanic, the game features a relationship system between the various women on the island. Through gifts and skillful play, players can induce other characters to increase their esteem and positive feelings toward the character being played. A positive relationship with one's partner can translate into better performance during a volleyball match, while strong relationships with the other women leads to opportunities for new partners. Conversely, negative feelings from a partner can lead to missteps on the court, or can lead to gifts being thrown away unopened.
All money carries over between vacations, so that unspent Zack bucks can be used by a different character selected on the next play-through. Similarly, all swimsuits acquired by a given character remain with that character for all future play sessions. Since each character has access to a different set of swimsuits at the shop, the majority of suits for each character can only be acquired as gifts.
[edit] Characters
The playable characters consist of seven females from the previous Dead or Alive titles, plus Lisa, who makes her first appearance in this title. Although Zack is not a playable character, he does appear in both the beginning and ending movies of the game, with small appearances throughout the game. His girlfriend, Niki, appears only in cutscenes. As such, the volleyball players consist of:
- Ayane - Japanese ninja and rival of Kasumi.
- Christie - British assassin and auto enthusiast.
- Helena - French opera singer fond of walking her dog.
- Hitomi - German high-school student and aspiring chef.
- Kasumi - Japanese ninja who enjoys fortune-telling and origami.
- Lei Fang - Chinese college student with an interest in aromatherapy.
- Lisa - American stock broker and amateur surfer.
- Tina - American wrestler and daughter of Bass Armstrong.
Each of the playable characters has her own likes and dislikes (documented in the game manual), which influence how likely she is to accept or be impressed by certain gifts. Favorable gifts include those based on her favorite food, favorite color, and hobbies.
[edit] In the media
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A certain amount of controversy erupted following the announcement and subsequent release of the game. It was criticized for being a thin veneer of respectively over computer rendered depictions of scantily-clad women, pandering to the lowest common denominator.[1] Nonetheless, many reviewers were impressed at the depth of the volleyball game, as well as with the quality of the animation.[2] As a result, review scores ranged from very high to quite mediocre. In its review, Edge magazine focused on the game's unusual social, rather than adversarial, focus.[3]
[edit] EGM April Fool's Day Joke
In the April 2003 edition (issue #165) of the videogame publication Electronic Gaming Monthly, the magazine revealed a "nude code" for DOAXBV, as an April Fool's day joke. The magazine promised readers they could play the game with the girls topless, in an unlockable nude mode. As the main selling point for the game was already the highly rendered girls playing in skimpy bikinis and thongs, this rumored nude code drove many people to go out and buy the game. Upon discovering the nude code was a hoax, many readers sent angry letters to EGM, despite the fact that such jokes and hoaxes are an annual tradition for EGM.
Although the "nude code" is not available in the official release, it has been added to hacked versions where a nude "skin" replaces the bikinis. A bug in the code does not remove the bows and string ties, which therefore appear to be stuck to the models' skin.
[edit] Trivia
- All the women's swimsuits are named after particular themes.
- Ayane's are named after legendary creatures.
- Christie's are named after gemstones.
- Helena's are named after alcoholic drinks or spirits.
- Hitomi's are named after astronomical objects.
- Kasumi's are named after flowers.
- Lei Fang's are named after birds.
- Lisa's are named after goddesses.
- Tina's are named after stars.
- Ayane's are named after legendary creatures.
- Though the ESRB rating warns that the game contains nudity, the only actual nudity seen is in the opening cutscene, where Christie dives nude into the ocean. However, very little of her form is actually on display due to the lighting.
- During the cinema sequences, Zack's speech was provided by former NBA Superstar Dennis Rodman (whom Zack strongly resembles in personality and appearance).
[edit] Next generation sequel
At the E3 2006 event in Los Angeles, CA, Tecmo unveiled a trailer of the much awaited sequel. In the video, the sequel is revealed to have expanded the game scope from beach volleyball to include other activities, such as jet skiing, pool tug-o-war, photography, and others. According to Tomonobu Itagaki, the game's designer, the trailer features real-time graphics generated by the Xbox 360.
[edit] References
- ^ Gallaway, Brad (2003-01-29). Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball. GameCritics.com. Retrieved on 2006-12-07.
- ^ Valentino, Nick (2003-02-03). Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball Review. GameZone. Retrieved on 2006-12-07.
- ^ Edge Magazine, March 2003, pg. 86
[edit] External links
- Official Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball site on Xbox.com
- Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball review at GameSpot
- Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball review at IGN
