Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2 Review (XB360)

Team Ninja certainly gets credit for one thing -- it knows how to repay its loyal fan-base. In 2003, the company released the skin-heavy "guilty pleasure" Dead Or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball for the Xbox, allowing gamers to ogle female models in skimpy swimwear bouncing around the beach while indulging in volleyball and pool games. Sadly, the sequel, Dead Or Alive Xtreme 2 for the Xbox 360, fails on almost every level.

Zack, the owner of the beautiful Zack Island from the first game, has managed to resurrect the island from a watery grave. (It was blown up at the end of Xtreme). With that, many female models have come back to engage in numerous beach activities, although it's not quite clear why they're doing so. (But then again, even fighters need a break, yes?) Players can choose from nine familiar faces from the Dead or Alive game series, including Kasumi, Hitomi, Christie, and several others, then hit the beach.

Like the first game, there is some strategy involved. Not in the mini-games themselves, but in trying to keep a partner happy through sessions of volleyball and other games. Gift rewarding and trying to be nice to your partner will help to keep them happy. There is a certain kind of sex appeal within the game, a virtuoso desire to leer upon the virtual models as they frolic on the beach and give each other sensual massages.

Too bad that's as deep as the game gets. Team Ninja threw in a slew of new mini-games, including jet-ski racing, competitive pool hopping, casino games, a strange combative game where players can try to "butt bounce" their opponent off of a platform, a tug-of-war game, a beach jog from point A to point B, and of course, volleyball. The problem is most of these games suck.

Unfortunately, the jet-ski racing resembles a poor man's Wave Race, without any real work done on the water effects or the camera angles. As a result, players will find themselves frustrated as they merely go around in circles. The running and hopping stages are just a matter of tapping buttons the right way. The "butt-bounce" combat game is okay, but very limited. Tug-of-war only has so much going for it, what with all the yanking going on (on the analog sticks, that is). As for volleyball, it's taken a significant step backwards since the first game. It's very hard to place a character into position to hit the ball, and most of the time that results in a point for the opposing team. The "ogle" option comes into play to view the girls, but not nearly as often as in the original.

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