Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball

With no offense intended to the game developers, who have indeed put together a stunning piece of game technology, Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball is one of those games you'll probably feel you'll need an excuse to own. Ones I've heard so far: "I'm a DOA series completist," "I heard this game uses data from Dead or Alive 3," and "I work for Electric Playground and need to review it." (Heard that one from three different people so far). If you have the courage to admit "Because I want to see Lisa in the Venus bikini, whoa mama!" my hat is off to you.

But let's put the cheesecake aside for a second, because while that aspect is going to get a lot of the attention, there is a game here, albeit a very odd one. Yes, it is a game where you play beach volleyball with the girls from DOA 3. There is an "Exhibition" mode where you pick one of the girls, a partner, two opponents, a setting to play in, and off you go. Matches go to 7, 10, or 15 points, and the rules are that if the ball hits the ground on your side, it's a point for the other team, regardless of whose serve it was. This mode will also allow you to play against another human opponent.

The game's control is nearly Game Boy Advance-level simple, with two buttons and directional control all you need to worry about. Holding the joystick will not only move your character, it can be used to determine the direction of your return/spike. The trick is that the game's default controls are analog, so how hard you press the buttons makes a clear difference. A light press may just tip the ball over the net, a hard press may cause you to slam it down. This game requires that you master a gentle touch when playing though. If you constantly hammer those buttons like you're playing Halo, you're going to be spiking the ball into your own net a lot. In many ways, this is a game that forces you to calm down and control yourself, turning your Xbox into a console Zen master.

I must confess, I can't get analog control down at all. I'm wound too tightly when I play games. You can adjust button sensitivity, but that still wasn't enough for me. Thankfully (and wisely), the developers put in the option to switch to digital control, in which case you get four buttons to work with in volleyball mode--light receive, hard receive, light return, hard return. I did much better once I switched. If you find yourself getting spanked 7-0 all the time, switch to digital. Even so, keep in mind: play gently and calmly. If your player seems slow to react, don't repeat the move more forcefully, or bang, spike into the net. This is probably what they meant by "Don't think! ...Feel!"

DOA XVB's other mode is the Zack Island vacation scenario, where there's more to do. You pick one of the girls to play through the 14 day vacation. You start the game with a small amount of Zack Island dollars, which can be used to buy new outfits and accessories. Whatever you buy and put on your vacationer--sunglasses, jewelry, shoes, hair apparel, bikinis--will be reflected in both the gameplay and the cutscenes. There are hundreds of items to put on your model, or give as presents, which we'll cover in a sec. Some of the hair items will allow you to change hairstyles too, giving you the creeping suspicion that you're playing with dolls at times. More money can be earned by winning at volleyball, gambling at the casino, and playing this weird little hopping game. Every activity will take time, making the days go by until it's time to leave. However, you can return with the same character, carrying the same items and money.

Finally, your other big activity is trying to find a partner and keep her happy (a VOLLEYBALL partner, get your minds out of the gutter). You can visit the various locations and ask whoever's hanging out there to join your team. You can make this process easier by giving her a present first. She might not only join you, but be more enthusiastic about doing so. Or she might toss your gift in the trash--each girl has likes and dislikes. If she doesn't like you or your gift, she won't be your partner. No partner, no volleyball. The process of buying and giving gifts also takes up time, so it is possible to spend very little time playing volleyball. In fact, because I played so badly my first time out, nobody would partner with me and I played maybe five games my entire time there. Furthermore, each AI girl has three moods, which make her more or less athletic at volleyball. You want someone "Confident" to be your partner, and playing against "Reluctant" opponents makes them easier to defeat.

This system is patterned after relationship games, which are very popular in Japan. There are some very elaborate ones in which you have girlfriends you must keep happy like Romantic Tamagotchis. Some even take on a more adult slant where you get to uh, consummate your relationship with them. These games are more sophisticated than DOA: XBV's relationship system, but nowhere near as widely available in North America.

So, what we have here is a volleyball game mixed with a relationship game. Oh, and the casino stuff is pretty slick, so it's a volleyball/relationship/casino game. It's a strange mix, and one that won't be to all tastes. Especially since it plays more like an activity centre for semi-mature adults than a game. Some people have really embraced it and love the gift-giving aspects of it, trying to get the coveted Venus swimsuit (the skimpiest bikini in the game) over to their favorite model, because not all the girls can purchase all of the items. Some are obsessively working on a tan for their model, the way some gamers obsessively move their Sim's furniture around in The Sims. I myself enjoy playing blackjack with cards that have the DOA girls in various outfits. Others, who love the Amphetamine-powered action of DOA 3 will be confused by just how laid back the game is, even in the volleyball part, and not get into things. It's definitely not for everyone.

DOA Xtreme Beach Volleyball's other attraction--and for the most part everyone is being up front about this--is to see attractive CGI women bounce around in skimpy bikinis. Your heart may start to pound when you see that M rating and the descriptors "Nudity" and "Mature Sexual Themes," but don't get your hopes up. You can use the sticks and triggers to alter the camera angles and zoom in all around the model, even on the naughty bits, but you're not going to see much more than an outline of a nipple. It's all a big tease, although I expect the Internet to be full of rumours about nude cheats and hidden sex scenes until the next Lara Croft game takes its place. (Hmm... Lara Croft playing volleyball... hear that cash register ringing Eidos?)

You can get your eyefuls at almost any location. If you visit a beach alone, you will see a "Gravure" movie of your character lying on the beach, sunning herself, climbing trees, and other Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue-like activities. Visiting the poolside is the easiest way to get a good look at your character. Impressively, if you're patient and buy tanning oil, you can actually give yourself a tan, which like everything else, will be reflected by the gameplay and cutscenes. And as you've probably heard, the graphics for this game are indeed spectacular. There is no difference in quality between cutscene and gameplay. There are gorgeous water and reflection effects, but my favorite thing is to watch how the sand moves around and changes when you play volleyball. The game is clearly designed to showcase visuals above all else; the camera view is nice to look at but can present some confusing angles--when the other side is serving, your character is offscreen!

DOA XBV doesn't really go into a lot of depth in any one area, but it has lots of little things to do, and some extraordinarily clever touches--for example, if you're playing DOA 3 with a specific character, the number of wins a character has in Survival mode will change their starting cash in DOA XBV. I love it when developers take advantage of specific platform abilities, like the Xbox hard drive. More developers need to do this. All the same, this game could have used a few more mini-games and areas to add some variety. I do like, however, the inclusion of lots of items of every kind, including movies of trailers and commercials for previous games in the DOA series.

DOA XBV's laid back approach is refreshing. Like a real vacation, nothing is particularly urgent in the game, which is almost unheard of--almost every game out there is about WINNING or DYING. Of course, this change of pace is bound to not sit well with some people. That's why I strongly suggest that you rent before you buy, because this is a game some people just won't get. And even for those who do, I suggest this is a game you hide from your girlfriend if you want her to respect you at all, unless she is really understanding.

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