Thread Starter
09-19-2002, 05:18 PM
Could it be that a supposed "Eye-Candy Game" has some depth to it? maybe...
People said it about Dead or Alive 3, and now Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball. "Its just eye-candy" they say, and though the 2 games ARE Definatley, without-a-doubt Eye-Candy, Theyre not all fluff.
In this thread I'll touch on DOA:XBV (hehe) for those who say this game is "purely nothing but eye-candy". After reading 2 relating articles, one from Gamespot (http://gamespot.com) and one from an OXM article (http://officialxboxmagazine.com) I've seen that this game actually does have alot of depth and plenty of things to do besides look at girls in bikinis.
First is the volleyball itself, which boasts being pretty cool with serves, spikes, set-ups, and combinations.
But what I really wanna get into is the OTHER side of this game, some dont know that the game is alot more than just playing volleyball. The Island that your on, Zack's Island, has alot more than just volleyball courts.(which it has 4 of, all in different locations geographically and all with their own backgroud settings and weather effects) It also has a hotel, a radio station, a casino, a gift shop, and a clothing shop. Moreover, it has multiple "secret" locations that are unlocked once certain things are done. typically: being ranked #1, doing special moves, etc.
The Hotel is where you start off in, think of it like your Morrowind (elderscrolls.com/morrowind) stronghold, where you can save your game and stuff. It also has the Uber-cool feature of a movie theater, Where you can watch different Tecmo-related movies. Some things included are European commercials, Original japanese trailers, looks at upcoming Tecmo games, and you can actually watch vintage Tecmo games like Ninja Gaiden. Extremely cool.
Think of the Radio Station as the "Audio Options" of DOA:XBV with a huge twist. In this game its not just a choice on an options menu, its an actual place you go in the game! its where you choose volume levels, music-themes, and quite to my liking, burn/load/use your custom soundtracks to be played in-game.
The Casino is just that, a casino. you ARE on Zack's Island y'know? in the Casino you can, of course, gamble. But there are other things to do that havent been revelaed yet (according to OXM) there IS a twist to the use of the Casino, however, cause you can only use it at night. As other things, the time of day affects use of certain places. (explained farther into the thread)
With your earnings from either volleyball matches or casino winnings, you can buy gifts for yourself or your partner. Anything from nail polish (which actually appears while in a volleyball game) to the Cat Ears. The items sit on shelves as with any perverbial "gift shop" in a game, but there are some hidden items that are unlocked within the course of the game. To buy new clothes, however, you'll have to make your way over to the....
....Sports Shop! the place where you'll be spending ALOT of time. This is where you go to buy new bikinis, hats, belly-rings, etc. to wear while your playing volleyball. This is another area where certain things can be "unlocked". But in any case, its awsome to be able to customise your character to your own liking.
Besides all the various locations throughout the game, there's also plenty of special effects work. As explained earlier, weather can change randomly and time progresses normally. So in any instant while playing volleyball, it could be a bright sunny day or dark and rainy. There's other cool stuff to mention, like purchasing sunscreen at the gift shop and using it will decrease the chances of your character being tanned, and NOT wearing sunscreen over time will result in your character being tan. This type of progressive change is most definatly not the norm in any "eye candy volleyball game".
In some respects, this game is a mini-rpg. With you taking the role of your beach-bunny and changing her to fit your "needs". Customizing everything from the music to your girl's fingernail color is very impressive.
And, of course, the graphics cannot be overlooked. Promising at least DOA3-par graphics and perhaps evern more. The high-res character models, the bump-mapped enviroments and stunning weather and time effects surely help to accent the wonderful gameplay elements.
I will call this game a "must-buy" for Xbox owners, and hopefully for those who are skeptical about the gameplay and depth of this game, I hope I've shown you that there's alot more to this game than skantily-clad women.
People said it about Dead or Alive 3, and now Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball. "Its just eye-candy" they say, and though the 2 games ARE Definatley, without-a-doubt Eye-Candy, Theyre not all fluff.
In this thread I'll touch on DOA:XBV (hehe) for those who say this game is "purely nothing but eye-candy". After reading 2 relating articles, one from Gamespot (http://gamespot.com) and one from an OXM article (http://officialxboxmagazine.com) I've seen that this game actually does have alot of depth and plenty of things to do besides look at girls in bikinis.
First is the volleyball itself, which boasts being pretty cool with serves, spikes, set-ups, and combinations.
But what I really wanna get into is the OTHER side of this game, some dont know that the game is alot more than just playing volleyball. The Island that your on, Zack's Island, has alot more than just volleyball courts.(which it has 4 of, all in different locations geographically and all with their own backgroud settings and weather effects) It also has a hotel, a radio station, a casino, a gift shop, and a clothing shop. Moreover, it has multiple "secret" locations that are unlocked once certain things are done. typically: being ranked #1, doing special moves, etc.
The Hotel is where you start off in, think of it like your Morrowind (elderscrolls.com/morrowind) stronghold, where you can save your game and stuff. It also has the Uber-cool feature of a movie theater, Where you can watch different Tecmo-related movies. Some things included are European commercials, Original japanese trailers, looks at upcoming Tecmo games, and you can actually watch vintage Tecmo games like Ninja Gaiden. Extremely cool.
Think of the Radio Station as the "Audio Options" of DOA:XBV with a huge twist. In this game its not just a choice on an options menu, its an actual place you go in the game! its where you choose volume levels, music-themes, and quite to my liking, burn/load/use your custom soundtracks to be played in-game.
The Casino is just that, a casino. you ARE on Zack's Island y'know? in the Casino you can, of course, gamble. But there are other things to do that havent been revelaed yet (according to OXM) there IS a twist to the use of the Casino, however, cause you can only use it at night. As other things, the time of day affects use of certain places. (explained farther into the thread)
With your earnings from either volleyball matches or casino winnings, you can buy gifts for yourself or your partner. Anything from nail polish (which actually appears while in a volleyball game) to the Cat Ears. The items sit on shelves as with any perverbial "gift shop" in a game, but there are some hidden items that are unlocked within the course of the game. To buy new clothes, however, you'll have to make your way over to the....
....Sports Shop! the place where you'll be spending ALOT of time. This is where you go to buy new bikinis, hats, belly-rings, etc. to wear while your playing volleyball. This is another area where certain things can be "unlocked". But in any case, its awsome to be able to customise your character to your own liking.
Besides all the various locations throughout the game, there's also plenty of special effects work. As explained earlier, weather can change randomly and time progresses normally. So in any instant while playing volleyball, it could be a bright sunny day or dark and rainy. There's other cool stuff to mention, like purchasing sunscreen at the gift shop and using it will decrease the chances of your character being tanned, and NOT wearing sunscreen over time will result in your character being tan. This type of progressive change is most definatly not the norm in any "eye candy volleyball game".
In some respects, this game is a mini-rpg. With you taking the role of your beach-bunny and changing her to fit your "needs". Customizing everything from the music to your girl's fingernail color is very impressive.
And, of course, the graphics cannot be overlooked. Promising at least DOA3-par graphics and perhaps evern more. The high-res character models, the bump-mapped enviroments and stunning weather and time effects surely help to accent the wonderful gameplay elements.
I will call this game a "must-buy" for Xbox owners, and hopefully for those who are skeptical about the gameplay and depth of this game, I hope I've shown you that there's alot more to this game than skantily-clad women.