5-Jul-2006 Those frisky Dead or Alive ladies put down the fisticuffs and head to the beach. Could that mean bikinis? Team Ninja knows what to give its audience. With the doors possibly closing on its Dead or Alive franchise (Team Ninja leader Itagki has commented on more than one occasion that DOA4 was the closing chapter of the series), it's decided to send the kung fu beauty Queens on a much-earned holiday. They've been packed off to a tropical island resort, so why not join them in the sequel to one of the original Xbox's guilty pleasures - DOA Xtreme Volleyball?
For the uninitiated, or those of you who won't admit to knowing it, DOA Xtreme doesn't adhere to a typical game structure with a beginning, middle and end, but incorporates all the hallmarks of a relaxing holiday in the sun, including such enjoyable diversions as bikini babes, watersports and evening entertainment. You can pick and choose as you wish, as it's not meant to be taxing, or even demanding. The mini-games that constitute the game wallow in the shallowness of their entertainment. But that's not such a bad thing.
Bigger, better, bouncier... three words that spring to mind after clapping eyes on the E3 trailer, as the DOA ladies take the chance to race around the surf in jetskis, race down waterslides in rubber rings and snap a few posed shots of one another, all of which are some of the new main attractions found on Zack's Island paradise.
These and more join the already established Volleyball tournaments, Hopping Game (jumping between one end of the pool and the other via a series of floating platforms), and an expanded Zack's Casino, incorporating more games of chance to fritter away your in-game credits.
But like DOA4, it's the visuals that capture your interest, the same visuals that you've been ogling for the last 15 minutes instead of reading this. To be fair they're worth the time; Team Ninja has raised the bar over the already sexy curves of DOA4 and with the game offering the same kind of bright, slightly naive mini-games as Rumble Roses XX, DOA Xtreme 2 may avoid instant relegation to the bottom of your sock drawer.
Copyright 2006 - 2009 Future Publishing Limited, Beauford Court, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, UK BA1 2BW England and Wales company registration number 2008885
