When you take the hottest roster of fighting girls and whisk them away to a private island for a volleyball tournament you get Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball. Developed by Team Ninja and released by Tecmo in 2003 for the Xbox, Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball had every middle school boy giggling and secretly renting this game. The swimsuits are tiny, the boobs big, and volleyball well actually quite fun. Put your suntan lotion on, we’re about to spike this Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball review!
Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball Plot:
Does my Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball review actually have a plot section! Yes, it does! Our favorite girls from DOA have been invited to Zack Island (Zack is a character from DOA) because they think the next tournament is being held there. For whatever reason, Zack thinks it’s a great trick to play on them but the girls instead of getting upset take this in stride and has a slumber party two-week sleepover on Zack Island. There’s plenty of activities to do and they enjoy the casino, fine dining, and working on their tans. At the end of the two weeks, however, a volcano erupts destroying Zack Island sinking it for good so the girls head on back to their regular lives.
Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball Gameplay:
The opening cinematic video is fantastic. DOA games nail the soundtracks for the series and Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball is no different. Watching the opening I was blown away by the gorgeous graphics (and girls who were half-naked) paired with a catchy tune. My Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball review truly felt like a vacation on Zack Island with an amazing soundtrack throughout my stay.
There are many elements to this game and some are great while others are questionable. The majority of the game that takes place in a two-week period is playing volleyball against the girls of DOA. Controls are very simple, with “set” and “return” buttons. This works well and the girls control with ease. Depending on how sensitive you push the button also changes the power of the spike or serve. For as many elements that are wrapped into this game, the volleyball portion is not only playable but fun. Once I got the hang of two matches, my team won about 80 percent of the time. There were challenges and you had to learn when to score and when to play defense but overall it was an enjoyable experience playing volleyball.
You’ll have to recruit a partner to play with you and this is where I gripe in my Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball review. If you lose your first match, the partner that is given to you will probably leave you. You’ll be required to court a new partner with gifts like swimsuits, accessories, and treats. I hated this. It wasn’t easy and my first playthrough with Lei-Fang resulted in me playing one match the entire time over two weeks because no one wanted to play with me and my shitty gifts were being thrown in the trash. Each girl has different tastes but it’s hard to know which one to court. My second playthrough was much better as I won my first match and then my partner stuck with me the entire two weeks allowing me to play a match a day.
I wish they would have implemented a tournament mode or crowned a champion at the end of the two weeks. That would have been awesome and gave you a goal to go after instead of just collecting more swimsuits. Don’t get me wrong, the swimsuits or lack thereof look good on the girls. It’s just I’m a competitive person and would have enjoyed a trophy or tournament.
Aside from playing volleyball you can go to the casino and gamble with slot machines, blackjack, roulette, and craps. You can use the money you earned from winning volleyball matches to gamble and buy more swimsuits and apparel. I don’t enjoy gambling in real life so I didn’t care too much for it during my Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball review but I guess it’s cool for those who enjoy gambling although I don’t know how much of a rush you’ll get.
Mini-games are another section of the game mainly by the pool. You can have your girls hop across the pool on floating platforms. They’ll jump as hard as you press the button so some skill is required or else they fall in the pool. Getting across the pool earns more money, which you guessed can be used for swimsuits.
If you’re a volleyball enthusiast who is obsessed with collecting swimsuits while ogling over hot girls, this is your dream game. Let’s talk about the girls. They jiggle in all the right places with skimpy little swimsuits on. In 2004, this was the best nerds could get with video game girls. The graphics have aged just a bit but the boobs errr I mean girls still look awesome. You can take them to deserted sections of the island and Ummm watch them? They’ll sunbathe or playfully splash in the water or stand against trees. The view always came off that I was a voyeur who was about to murder these girls in some secluded location instead of just being a perv. I have no issue with this being in the game I just wish that there was a bit more interaction with the girls during these portions. Perhaps there could have been a conversation tree and you can learn more about the girls as they talk to you about their history or hobbies while they frolic around naked.
The best collectibles were the Dead or Alive commercials that spanned the entire series. It was cool to see the history of DOA and I got more excited to watch some short videos instead of a new swimsuit. I didn’t see much value in replaying my vacation but for collectors, they’ll get to keep everything they earned and then restart.
Memories:
I remember a big feature of Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball when I was a kid in my Xbox magazine. They made a huge deal about it because of all the girls and that was back when you could make these games with everyone being excited about it. My mom once bought me DOA3 randomly and I mentioned that I wanted this game. As a 13-year-old boy I thought I was subtle but I’m sure my mom thought much better of it. I think I even pushed the “they continue the plot” line. I never got it until I was in my late 20s. It sat on my shelf for a bit and then I finally decided to play it this past month.
Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball Review Score:
There is a certain charm about Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball as it takes you back to a time when you could make these types of games without backlash. Sure, the girls from DOA look good but the volleyball is actually fun. The gift system is there for people who love to collect and unlock items but the partner system was too much of a chore. This would have been a fun weekend rental instead of a full purchase.
Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball scores a 7.1 out of 10.
What would you write in your Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball review? Which girl was your favorite to play with? Did you enjoy the gift system? Do any of your friends give you crap for playing it? Let me know your thoughts and comments on Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball, I’d love to read them.
Tiger Chainsaw 