Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball

Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball (DOAX) is a beach volleyball game by Tecmo released in 2003 for the Xbox video game console. Showcasing the graphics capabilities of the Xbox, it received late-teen ratings in most regions for its depictions of busty women in skimpy bikinis both on and off the beach. Unlike the previous games in the Dead or Alive series, it is a sports game as opposed to a fighting game.

Story
According to the game premise, Zack gambles his winnings from the Dead or Alive 3 tournament at a casino. In the process, he hits the jackpot, earning a ridiculously large sum of money. The money is used to purchase a private island, which he promptly names after himself ("Zack Island"). He then invites the women from the previous tournament (along with one newcomer) to his island under the pretense that the next Dead or Alive tournament will be held there. The women arrive and after discovering the truth, namely that it was merely a hoax, decide to make the best of the situation by spending two weeks vacationing on the island.

At the end of the two week time period, the ladies depart, leaving only Zack and his girlfriend Niki on the island. Shortly thereafter, a volcano, previously thought to be inactive, spontaneously erupts, threatening to destroy Zack's island. In the chaos, Niki escapes using Zack's jetpack. Zack survives the volcanic eruption, but the island itself is completely destroyed. While not part of the game itself, Zack's later Dead or Alive 4 ending shows the pair robbing an ancient tomb and escaping with a truck filled with gold, suggesting a possible financing source for a sequel. In the sequel, it is confirmed that this is indeed the source for financing "New Zack Island".

For unexplained reasons, the Dead or Alive characters' previous rivalries were reduced to a general dislike in this title. As a result, even characters who would normally try to kill each other (such as Ayane and Kasumi) can become fast friends through a brief exchange of gifts.

Game Elements
In the main story mode, players select a woman to play as for the duration of the two week period. Since the volleyball matches in the game are always two on two, the player automatically begins with a partner. Each day, players can select one activity in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening. While players do have an opportunity to simply relax during these time periods, they are generally used to either court new partners, or to challenge existing partnerships to a game of volleyball. Winning a match provides money which can be used to buy swimsuits and accessories, either for oneself, or as gifts to bestow upon the other women. Alternately, players can also earn money through gambling at a casino located on the island.

Characters
The playable characters consist of seven females from the previous Dead or Alive titles, plus Lisa, who makes her first appearance in this title. Although Zack is not a playable character, he does appear in both the beginning and ending movies of the game, with small appearances throughout the game. His girlfriend, Niki, appears only in cutscenes. As such, the volleyball players consist of:


 * Ayane - Japanese ninja and rival (as well as half-sister) of Kasumi.


 * Christie - British assassin and auto enthusiast.


 * Helena - French opera singer fond of walking her dog.


 * Hitomi - German high-school student and aspiring chef.


 * Kasumi - Japanese runaway ninja who enjoys fortune-telling and origami.


 * Lei Fang - Chinese college student with an interest in aromatherapy.


 * Lisa - American stock broker and amateur surfer.


 * Tina - American wrestler and daughter of Bass Armstrong.

Personalities
Each of the playable characters has her own likes and dislikes (documented in the game manual), which influence how likely she is to accept or be impressed by certain gifts. Favorable gifts include those based on her favorite food, favorite color, and hobbies.

Playing volleyball is done primarily through the use of two buttons, one designated for spiking and blocking, and the other for receiving or setting. As many of the actions happen automatically (e.g., jumping up to spike the ball), the game forces the player to focus on timing; a poorly timed press of a button results in a weak hit or a smash into the net. While it is possible to manually direct one's partner towards or away from the net, she will generally move to cover whichever area the player has left empty. The game is one of the few to make use of the analog sensitivity of the face buttons on the Xbox controller, with a softer touch allowing one to barely hit the ball over the net.

In addition to the core volleyball mechanic, the game features a relationship system between the various women on the island. Through gifts and skillful play, players can induce other characters to increase their esteem and positive feelings toward the character being played. A positive relationship with one's partner can translate into better performance during a volleyball match, while strong relationships with the other women leads to opportunities for new partners. Conversely, negative feelings from a partner can lead to missteps on the court, or can lead to gifts being thrown away unopened.

All money carries over between vacations, so that unspent Zack bucks can be used by a different character selected on the next play-through. Similarly, all swimsuits acquired by a given character remain with that character for all future play sessions. Since each character has access to a different set of swimsuits at the shop, the majority of suits for each character can only be acquired as gifts.

Trivia

 * The game features 304 swimsuits which can be purchased, plus each character has 3 unique suits which can only be received as gifts from Zack. This provides a grand total of 328 different suits.


 * Though the ESRB rating warns that the game contains nudity, the only actual nudity seen is in the opening cutscene, where Christie dives nude into the ocean. However, very little of her form is actually on display due to the lighting.


 * During the cinema sequences, Zack's speech was provided by former NBA Superstar Dennis Rodman, who bears a strong resemblance and personality to the character


 * This was the 1st DOA game that was rated M, 16+.

In the Media
A certain amount of controversy erupted following the announcement and subsequent release of the game. It was criticized for laying a thin veneer of respectability over computer rendered depictions of scantily-clad women, pandering to the lowest common denominator. Nonetheless, many reviewers were impressed at the depth of the volleyball game, as well as with the quality of the animation. As a result, review scores ranged from very high to quite mediocre. In its review, Edge magazine focused on the game's unusual social, rather than adversarial, focus.

Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball Manga
A DOAXBV manga was released in Japan. This black and white manga takes place in the Dead or Alive universe, covering the Xtreme Beach Volleyball tournament. All of the famous DOA girls are present in a large variety of cute swimsuits from the game. As with the game, there is no nudity in the manga so it is safe for younger readers. Also included are four bonus full-color illustrations.

EGM April Fool's Day Joke
In the April 2003 edition (issue #165) of the videogame publication Electronic Gaming Monthly, the magazine revealed a "nude code" for DOAXBV, as an April Fool's day joke. The magazine promised readers they could play the game with the girls topless, in an unlockable nude mode. Upon discovering the nude code was a hoax, many readers sent angry letters to EGM, despite the fact that such jokes and hoaxes are an annual tradition for EGM.

Although the "nude code" is not actually available in the official release, it has been added to pirated versions where a nude "skin" replaces the bikinis. However, the bows and strings of the suits are 3D objects and therefore require an additional hack to remove, without which they appear to be stuck or fused directly to the skin of the characters. Without such software modifications, the closest one can get to actual nudity is by using a camera trick along with a visor accessory, but even this shows only "stars" in place of any sensitive areas.

Packaging Artwork
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