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Platform: Xbox 360 Genre: Sports? Publisher: Tecmo Developer: Team Ninja ETA:
Review: Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball (XB) Review: Dead or Alive: Ultimate (XB)
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Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2
Xbox 360 is quickly becoming the console of choice for lovers of jiggling, video game boobs. First there was Dead or Alive 4 (from Tecmo), then along came Rumble Roses XX (Konami), and at E3 we got a look at Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2 (also from Tecmo). All feature enough jiggling mammary glands make your head spin. You’ll notice right away – if you pay attention to these things – that Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2 is a sequel to the Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball, which was released on the original Xbox a few years ago. And it’s taken the logical step of dropping the “Beach Volleyball” misnomer; really, it was all about scantily clad females flopping around in the sand and trying on a myriad of bikinis, while occasionally throwing some volleyballs at you. There’s no pretense with its sequel, particularly when you watch the teaser video – Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2 is all about the digital babes.
That’s not to say that there isn’t volleyball (there is), but Team Ninja has opened up the gameplay a bit, calling the game a “non-linear, incredibly beautiful, sequel of life in paradise.” Though I often think of Nintendogs and The Sims when a game is described as |
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“non-linear”
I seriously doubt that Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2 will ever fall under the
label of “non-game.” I
suppose if one wanted to be cynical about it, Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2 is
basically a bunch of “mini-games”: Personal
Water Craft (PWC) Races: Race
around Zack’s Beach
Volleyball: Dig in and
battle it out against your opponents in the sand as you revisit this
retooled volleyball favorite. |
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Water
Slider: Grab your tube
and hang on tight as you careen down this wild water slide. Rope
Pulling: Create a splash
as you balance precariously on a floating platform in the pool while
playing tug-of-war with your opponent. Hip
Wrestling: Face
back-to-back and cheek-to-cheek with your opponent as you attempt to
bump each other off of the platform and into the pool using only your
hips. Hopping
Game: Return to the pool
in this Xtreme favorite as you nimbly hop from one end of the pool to
the other across the wobbly, floating platforms. Beach
Flag: Race your opponent
across the white sand beaches and be the first to capture the flag. Zack’s Casino: Don your evening attire and revisit Zack’s Casino which now features even more games.
While
the description of Water Slider makes me snicker a bit – “grab your
tube and hang on tight” – the mini-game that has my interest is the
PWC Races. Though I’m not
expecting a deep set of tracks, I’m hoping Team Ninja spends some time
developing more than one track. There’s
also the promise of online play, but Tecmo makes no specific comment on
which modes will be available for play over Live.
It makes sense to be able to play the PWC Races, volleyball, and
blow some cash in Zack’s Casino against/with human opponents.
But Hip Wrestling? It’s
looks creepy enough playing by yourself, but against another sweaty
gamer who may be playing one-handed?
No, thank you. Though it’s not mentioned, I’ll speculate a bit and guess that Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2 will also come packed with the ability to take pictures of the DOA girls. It’s a feature that was used in Dead or Alive 4 and Rumble Roses XX so it’s a logical step that Xtreme 2 will also have one.
Besides
ultra cool ninjas, Team Ninja is known for creating some of the most
graphically intense software for Microsoft consoles and Xtreme 2 appears
to be no different. The game
looks hot, and it certainly looks like a second generation game for the
Xbox 360. Though I take
everything I see at E3 with a grain of salt (smoke and mirrors can be
found all over), it’s hard not to be impressed.
At least Team Ninja isn’t trying to perfect the way exploded
intestines look. Violent
games are great, in moderation. Having
the chance to fall back on a lush gameworld filled with voluptuous
digital models… that’s just okay by me. As
per usual, Tecmo didn’t have anything playable on the show floor at
E3, so I can’t speak for the controls.
However, if Team Ninja’s past efforts are anything to by there
shouldn’t be any problems when it comes to that. Dead
or Alive: Xtreme 2 is scheduled to ship Holiday Season 2006. - Omni (June 7, 2006) |
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