Dead or Alive - Extreme Beach Volleyball Review

By NZGamerGirl

Feast for the eyes -

Storyline
Zack, the owner of the delicious island, cultivates a plan and deceives the DOA girls into think that the next fighting match is at his island. How the boys didn't find out we will never know! To the girls suprise when reaching the island, the only fighting is cattiness over who is going to win the next volleyball game, a game which has been set up as fun while the girls enjoy there unexpected vacation.

Gameplay
So when you first start playing the game, the first thing you have to do is select one of the lovely ladies, each of them having their own skill level. Once you've got your girl, you go onto the island and meet up with Lisa, a newbie to the DOA world, and she becomes you first partner. When you experience your first match you will find that the controls are smooth and precise and the game is easy to get into but beware this does not mean the game is simple.

There is a certain technique and style to doing spikes so that they slam the opponent to the ground and a certain timing to your powerful serves so that no opponent could ever power enough strength to return the ball.Your CPU player can be your friend or your enemy. There are times when you’ll find your partner better at spikes than you are and so it’s often wise to pass the ball over to them. That is when you and the CPU player are finally one, when you figure out that there skill level in certain aspects of the game is greater than yours. But the down side is that if you don't move quick enough to the place where you wish to stand, she simply won't move quick enough to cover you.

Now here's where the game gets its uniqueness in a way. You are able to change partners, sounds easy doesn't it, well its not exactly. As well as every girl having there own skills, they also have there own likes and dislikes which means if you want to partner a certain girl then you must get her to like you first. A good way to do this is to find out what she likes and buy her things that reflect on that. Once you've got that certain person as your patner you have to win most matches to keep her. Different player and ex-patners will treat you differently during a match so don't think you know everything about them.

As well as you giving gift, you can also receive them. Zack, the owner, will send you a gift every night when you retire and you can either keep these, wear them or give them away. It makes for cheap gift giving anyway. The way to pay for your gift or your own purchases is to win matches, different matches will earn you different amounts of money. However if you don't win, you will never be able to purchase that peice of fabric for an obscene amount of money.

But on the island, playing volleyball is not the only attraction. There are numerous shops to visit - the sports shop that sells every kind of swimsuit ranging from a fully covered one piece to a piece that is literally made up of two strips of material. The stock in this shop changes everyday so if you have your heart on getting it, then don't hesitate.

The accessory shop sells hats, sunglasses, sneakers and also is home to great gifts you can buy for fellow ladies.

The radio station is a bit different, you don't go here to buy anything, you go here to customise your music tracks. Meaning that you can pick what music you want to listen to. You can have different playlists for daytime and nightime and then anytime a song comes on that you don't particularly feel like listening to, then all you have to do is press the black or white button to change.

The poolside - If you are waiting for a certain time then you can take a rest, this will pass the time quicker. Or you can watch a Gravure movie. The fun thing about the poolside is the hopping game. It is a mini game made up of floating platforms scattered across the pool. The object of this is to hop across the platforms in thw quickest amount of time without falling into the pool. You recieve small amounts of money depending on how fast you do it. It is also a good way to help control your hard or soft presses on the controller. In the poolside area you can also view any items you have and change your swimsuit, accessories etc. And then last but not least, you can save and quit the game.

The hotel, this is where you stay on your vacation. Luscious room with luscious bed. In this room you can send your presents, watch any videos you may have or visit the casino where you can live it large or lose it all. The hotel room is always where you will end up at the end of a long day.

The game excels as a single-player game, but thankfully there’s an Exhibition mode that allows gamers to play with a friend. All the eight characters are available to choose from and so are the swimsuits you purchased in the single player mode. This is just a fun mode to share with a friend either as a partner or as a rival. Either way, this mode is a welcome addition.

Controls
Basically the controls are very easy...
X button - In the menu it opens the inventory menu
B button - During the match it is the receive button, for receiving and tossing. In the menu, it is the cancel button.
A button - During the match it is the attack button for serving, spiking and blocking. In the menu it is the OK button.
Black button - Skip to next song
White button - Replay current song, pressed twice it will go to previous song.
Left thumbstick - During a match it moves your character and seletes the ball's direction.
Back button - In the menu it is the cancel button
Start button - During a match it pauses and unpauses the game and in the menu it is the OK button.

Controlling the volleyball is easy. To start off all you have to press is a to return the ball across the net or b to pass the ball to a teammate. All you need to do is basically play the game for a little while, read the manual and you will soon be the finest volleyball player there is.

Graphics
The colour, wow. It certainly jumps out at you. The greenery, the sand, the skin. Everything has been perfected here. It is all highly detailed and the textures are smooth. One of the great things I found was that if you spend to long in the sun without sunscreen then you will tan. The character will get visually darker. That is a excellent extra they have put in. Don't forget to keep applying that sunscreen!

Sound
Well if you like the kind of girlish giggling they feature then it sould be heaven for you. There is a distant sound of birds and waves that can be heard. The soundtrack of the game could have had a better quality of tunes used but if your listening to a customised soundtrack then it doesn't really matter.

Ratings -

Gameplay: 9.5
Graphics: 10
Sound: 8.0
Difficulty: Medium
Concept: 9.5
Multiplayer: 8.8

Overall: 9.2
Extreme Beach Volleyball is a trully unique and wonderful game. With its refreshing antics the game contains great sporting fun.