Outlaw Volleyball: Xbox Live Tactics

When you think of "beach volleyball," what comes to mind? Bikinis, tan bodies, lots of sand, and serious fun, right? Well, what about sunburn, grit in your shorts, and sand fleas? Outlaw Volleyballtakes all of the great things about the sport and adds attitude, 16 outrageous characters, and the comforts of an air-conditioned living room. Best of all, your fun doesn't have to end when the sun goes down—just hop online, and a world of competition is just itching to take you down a peg. This week, we pack the chaise lounge, the SPF 100 lotion, and a couple 12-packs into the minivan and head for the beach to experience all that Outlaw Volleyball has to offer.

Lines Other than Tan Lines
The first thing that strikes you, other than a spiked volleyball, is that in all the confusion, it can be hard to tell whether or not an opponent is out of position …or worse, whether or not you are positioned correctly. The only visible objects to judge by are the net and the out-of-bounds lines. So here's an easy way to visualize things: Draw an imaginary line down the court, perpendicular to the net. If you see both players on any one side of the court, they are in deep guano. When you return the ball, try to drop it in the empty half of the court and watch your chump opponents climb over each other to keep it in play. The same approach works if you divide the court in two parallel to the net. If both players are playing deep, you dink one just over the net, and vice versa.

Favorite Positions
Location, location, location! Being at the right place at the right time is whatOutlaw Volleyball is all about. Keep moving, keep track of your teammate's location, and check to make sure the entire court is covered. If you stop, even for an instant, to pick sand out of your thong, an experienced opponent will make you eat the ball, and possibly your thong. But what exactly is this "ideal" position? It really depends on the situation. If your teammate goes up for a block, you need to guard the open side of the court, probably somewhere mid-court. Ideally, be in a position where you can run backward for a deep hit or jump forward to dig one out of the sand. Usually, that's in the center of the court. Of course, you could block, too, which brings us to the ….

… Ancient Art of Blocking
Blocking is an essential part of stopping skilled opponents, especially on the higher difficulty levels. But don't get carried away. Like any good move in a fighting game, a block is only useful when the situation demands it. Don't go for a block unless your opponent is right up against the net. If you jump to block a ball hit from mid-court, the ball will float over your outstretched fingers and hit the sand, in bounds. Your teammate will then slap you upside the head. Remember, too, that when elevating for the block, you need to play the angles. Jump a little toward the undefended side of the court. If the ball bounces off your arms, great—you executed the block perfectly. If it goes past you, at least your teammate is there for the dig. If you jump to the wrong side, though, the spiker can easily blast it into the empty court.

The Deeper the Better
As a general rule, when opponents are positioned correctly, you want to keep the ball deep in their court, and near the net on your side. Deep volleys are a challenge to put away because most returns will come back weak and easy to handle. Near the net, players have better control of the ball and a better view of the whole court. A nice set will be all that is needed to spike the ball into the ground. So keep it simple. Serve deep, but when you have possession of the ball, work toward the net. It's not always that easy—you need to mix things up—but keep both ideas in mind.

Shots into the Sand
When you catch opponents napping, set up a short spike. When near the net, try to drop the ball as close to the other side of the net as possible. The longer the ball is in the air, the more time the other team has to recover. For some reason it's ridiculously easy to do spectacular diving saves in the deep court. So expect that. Think of your job this way: Get the ball to the ground as quickly as possible. The key is knowing when to spike and when to wait for a better opportunity. When they move out of position, let 'em have it.

Hot Amateur Action
If you're a newbie just looking for a challenge and not looking to get buried in the sand, stick with the Amateur, Veteran, and Pro settings. The "skills" setting lets players use their offline Tour characters, which can be drastically mismatched. Still, if you have mad skills or are just living dangerously, spend some time tweaking your speed and offense. You'll need speed to cover serious ground if your teammate goofs. And as they say, the best defense is a good offense.

Hate the Player, Not the Game
Before you start a match, look closely at the opposing team's stats. See who doesn't have the speed to chase down a ball, who will have a hard time digging a ball out of the dirt, and whose "power spike" is a pathetic joke. Focus your fire on the weaker of the two players. The best-case scenario is to wait until your opponent is controlling the weakest character because human error coupled with weak stats is a winning combo for you. Unfortunately, there isn't any easy way to determine this online because a visual indicator is noticeably absent. Human-controlled characters do have a habit of moving erratically around on the court like drunken fools, so maybe you can use that for a visual cue.

Turn on the Headlights
Ever get the feeling that your female players just aren't "covering enough ground" on the court? Well, maybe it's because they don't have enough, er…mass, at least not in the right places. Recall from those few waking moments of your physics class that Force = Mass × Acceleration. No, forget that. Your female characters won't move any faster. At some point during gameplay when you're feeling a bit mass-deprived, hold down the left trigger and press B, Up, Up, B, Y. You'll notice that suddenly all of the female players on the court are, well, a larger asset to the team. Isn't science great?