I have to admit, I enjoyed Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball on the original Xbox. Not many people will admit to this, mostly because the game was little more than fan service with a worse-than-average volleyball simulator and a scant number of mini-games involving the attractive ladies of Tomonobu Itagaki and Team Ninja's successful Dead or Alive 3D fighter franchise. The "game" allowed players to compete against the computer in short week-long career modes in volleyball and the casino to earn Zach Bucks, which would, in turn, allow players to purchase various trinkets, accessories, and , ultimately, bathing suits and costumes. Additionally, the game was something of a friendship simulator. Players could send gifts from one girl to another, improving their volleyball synergy, and allowing them to pass some of their character-specific suits and costumes on to the second girl. Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 is much the same, but for some reason, it hit me in a different way. Now, the island has been expanded; there is more to do, more to see, more to buy, and more ladies. The extra ladies from Dead or Alive 4 are here for fun in the sun this time around, and in addition to volleyball, there is now wave racing with jet skis, additional pool and beach games, and so forth. The casino is back as well, with slots, poker, roulette, and the like, to enable players to earn the big Zach Bucks needed to purchase some of the skimpier outfits. Additionally, girls now have a fourteen day vacation to romp around the island and earn cash rather than the seven days of the previous game.

While bigger normally means better, here it just feels a little cheesy. Volleyball is almost an afterthought this time around, with wave racing being a much more lucrative and enjoyable pastime. While this in and of itself isn't so bad, it makes the friendship simulator aspect of the game much less important, though it is still necessary to cultivate girl-to-girl relationships so they can pass their purchasable swimsuits to each other. The additional mini-games are, admittedly, enjoyable, but they don't really help the player progress in the game (if swimsuit collection equals progression), and serve as little more than distractions, and are easily forgettable.

The largest problem with Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 is that while the original game kind of toed the line on how sexual it was in nature, its sequel more or less jumps head first into semi-sexual fan service for fans of Kasumi and company. The infamous "Venus" swimsuit of the original game is now par for the course here, with even skimpier outfits. It's hard to get much satisfaction or see much depth behind the digital boobs that parade across the screen. It is almost embarrassing to play. At least the original game had a volleyball game which wasn't superb, but wasn't that bad either, and the friendship sim was situated so that it worked hand in hand with the volleyball. Now, there is little reason to do anything but play roulette in hopes of getting rich and buying those super-skimpy outfits. There isn't much game here anymore.

As always, Team Ninja has produced a visual feast, a truly attractive game, and for that they should be commended. Sadly, there isn't much more here than the pretty graphics and pretty girls. Hopefully, Itagaki will focus his future talent and the talent of his team on producing titles with a little more depth and a little less in the way of fan service which, in this case, more or less robs the game of any long-term enjoyability.

Jan 15, 2007 | 0 comments
Roger Helgeson