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Dead or Alive Xtreme 2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2 | |
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| Developer(s) | Team Ninja |
| Publisher(s) | Tecmo |
| Designer(s) | Tomonobu Itagaki |
| Release date(s) | NA November 13, 2006 JPN November 22, 2006 AUS December 7, 2006 EUR December 8, 2006 |
| Genre(s) | Sports |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer (via Xbox Live) |
| Rating(s) | CERO: Ages 17 and up (D) ESRB: Mature (M) PEGI: 12+ |
| Platform(s) | Xbox 360 |
| Media | DVD-ROM |
Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2 is a video game for the Xbox 360 game console. Developed by Team Ninja, it is the sequel to Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball. The title expands upon the activities available in the original, supplementing beach volleyball with additional beach-related mini-games.
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Developed exclusively for the Xbox 360, the title is believed to run on a heavily-modified version of the engine used in Dead or Alive 4, allowing for new inclusions such as self-shadowing and new cloth simulation techniques. The Marine Race mini-game, however, uses a completely new physics engine, although with similar graphics.
As well as the gameplay tweaks (as compared to the original), various cosmetic modifications were made. For example, each breast has its own physics. This allows each breast to behave differently, although this has been criticized, for making the breasts move in an exaggerated fashion (they often continue moving for an unnaturally long time after a character has stopped moving), and was parodied in a comic by Ctrl+Alt+Del. [1] Additionally, the game adds a new "tan line system" in which swimsuits realistically block tanning. Changing swimsuits often will prevent tan lines from appearing.
During the development process, creator Tomonobu Itagaki stated during an interview that he would not be adding activities like trampoline games and wet T-shirt contests to the series. He indicated that he felt that this would come off as vulgar and "show the women in a negative light". Ironically, the game includes a pole dancing scene for betting a large amount of money and winning a certain number of times.
The background story to the game is that Zack has resurrected "Zack Island" from the depths of the sea, where it was buried following a previous volcanic eruption. He has re-dubbed it "New Zack Island", and has once again tricked the girls into coming to his island. The instruction manual details the differing reasons for which each girl has come to the island, while cut-scenes further flesh out the limited plot details.
Much like the original, Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 features a two-week vacation mode, where the player can indulge in a variety of activities (listed below). Each day is broken up into three segments (morning, afternoon, and evening), where players can perform a single activity during each.
The game puts a strong emphasis on friendship; players (playing as one of the women) must befriend the other girls by buying them gifts they enjoy from the various stores on the island. Doing so will increase the bond between the two characters. If the friendship between the two is at a sufficiently high level (represented by floating icons next to the girls portraits; the quicker they flow, the stronger the bond), the character can be convinced to become one's volleyball partner. After this is done, players must then ensure that the bond is kept strong to avoid the partner subsequently abandoning them. This can be done by giving additional gifts, spending time with the partner, and winning games.
When a new player plays for the very first time, he or she is given a tour of the island by Lisa, who automatically becomes the default partner. From that point forward, any new vacations which are taken (without making use of the optional tour) will begin with a random girl approaching and requesting to become partners, although the player can refuse them if desired.
Players can bestow swimsuits as gifts to other girls, regardless of whether they are the current partner or not. However, the more revealing a suit is, the harder it is to get a girl to accept the gift. Again, players must ensure that the friendship level between their character and the target girl is very strong to avoid having the gift returned. It is fair to say that the successful gifting of swimsuits is the main point of the game, as every achievement involves holding a certain complete collection / several collections of suits.
In Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2, players are able to play as any of the nine girls currently present in the series. Each girl in the game has certain items and hobbies which she likes or dislikes, and these preferences influence her reaction upon receiving a gift. Characters also each have an individual favorite color, again affecting their like or dislike of a certain item (and the wrapping paper used to wrap it). The playable characters are:
Note that Kokoro did not appear in Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball and hence is a new addition to the cast of available volleyball players.
The former "main event" from Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball, beach volleyball is once again present. Similar to the original, players must have a partner in order to compete in a two-on-two 7-point volleyball match. The gameplay has been modified to make the game slightly more difficult and to add variety. While there are still only two buttons necessary for gameplay (pass/block and bump/spike), greater manual control is required as, unlike the original, girls will not automatically maneuver themselves into the best formation. In the online mode, two players can compete against each other, each having a computer-controlled partner. The camera has been slightly modified to address the criticism that the one in the original game moved erratically or too frequently.
The offline two player "Exhibition" mode from the previous game has been removed, forcing players who wish to play against other players to do so via Xbox Live.
An all new game mode which allows the girls race on jet skis, either offline or on Xbox Live. The game has been compared to the Wave Race series [2], although fans of Wave Race have pointed out considerable differences. Players earn nitro boosts (which give them a substantial, but temporary, increase in speed) by navigating through five consecutive buoy gates. Players can earn in-game currency by winning the race and by doing tricks. The latter has lead to an exploit where players can choose to lose the race, and simply navigate the track indefinitely without finishing, pulling off tricks to earn cash.
Another mini-game from the previous title, although this game has been modified slightly to account for the lack of pressure sensitivity on the Xbox 360 controller. In this game players race another girl, hopping across multi-colored floating pads. To successfully hop to the next pad, players must conduct the correct jump; tapping any face button results in a short jump, holding it results in a long jump. Pressing the correct face button that corresponds to the next pad's color results in bonus points being earned.
A new mini-game to the series, it is simple in nature, but can be quite difficult and frustrating. It requires the player repeatedly press a button as fast as possible to reach a flag at the end of the beach before their opponent does. To successfully grab the flag, the player must not only be fast but also correctly judge the distance to dive. If the player is too slow, falls short, or overshoots the flag, they lose. False starts also result in an instant loss.
Also dubbed the "Hip Battle", this mini-game challenges the player to knock his or her opponent off a shared floating pad before the same can be done to them. It involves feigns, dodges, normal attacks, and strong attacks, which the girls carry out using only their buttocks. It is played in a similar fashion to Rock, Paper, Scissors, in which one must correctly guess or deduce the opponent's next action and respond appropiately.
This new mini-game is very similar to butt battle in the manner in which it is played. The player must attempt to make their opponent fall off of their distant floating pad. Player victory can be achieved both by pulling their opponent into the water or by tricking them, using a feign move, into accidentally throwing themselves in. This requires correctly guessing the countering move, much like Butt Battle.
The final mini-game involves successfully sliding down a water slide at high speeds. The basic gameplay revolves around keeping the player character from falling out of the slide as it twists and turns. Pushing forward on the left joystick speeds the character up, and pulling back slows them down. Left and right are used to prevent the character from falling out of the slide.
Similar to the original, the game features a casino which players can visit during the evenings. Once there, one can partake in several games, including poker, blackjack, roulette and a variety of slot machines (themed after each woman).
By betting the maximum amount and hitting the jackpot when playing Christie's slot machine, the player unlocks sequences of her performing a pole dance in the casino. After nine jackpots in a row, the player is gifted with a "Secret Ticket" the next night, allowing their chosen character to perform this dance.
In its online review of the game, TeamXbox.com stressed that while Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 has impressive graphics, multiple activities and nice artistry, the game is simply not fun to play. On a scale of 1 to 10, they gave it a score of 6.7/10. It is worth noting that TeamXbox.com gave its predecessor a 9.2/10.
Online reviews from IGN and 1Up.com share similar opinions. Overall, the reviews suggest that the added mini-games, including the Butt Battle and Tug-Of-War are based highly on luck, with a quick fire button press required to counteract what you think the computer is going to do next. The game is apparently too similar to the original DOAX for most reviewers' likings, stating that a large amount of the girls’ animations were taken from the original title and simply tweaked to fit the new game engine. Changes to the volleyball portion, still the main attraction of the game, have apparently made it significantly more difficult.
It is worth noting, however, that the graphics have been stated to be of very high quality, a vast improvement over the original and have improved even on Dead or Alive 4.
Certain reviews criticize the new breast physics. Oftentimes breasts bounce independently when running or moving and continue to bounce even when the character is still, resulting in awkward sequences. One reviewer at IGN said watching the breasts made them "seasick" [3]. The reviews suggest that only a small percentage of gamers, which includes die-hard Dead or Alive fans and others who enjoy watching computer-generated women bounce around, will be able to enjoy the game for long.
- Kari Wahlgren - Kasumi/Niki
- Hynden Walch - Hitomi
- Janna Levenstein - Ayane
- Kate Higgins - Tina
- Zinnia Su - Leifang
- Karen Strassman - Helena
- April Stewart - Christie
- Masasa Moyo - Lisa
- Kathryn Feller - Kokoro
- Khary Payton - Zack
- Houko Kuwashima - Kasumi
- Yui Horie - Hitomi
- Wakana Yamazaki - Ayane
- Yūko Nagashima - Tina
- Yumi Touma - Leifang
- Yuka Koyama - Helena/Niki
- Kotono Mitsuishi - Christie
- Maaya Sakamoto - Lisa
- Ayako Kawasumi - Kokoro
- Bin Shimada - Zack
- IGN: DOAX2 Update
- IGN: E3 2006: The Itagaki Interview
- IGN: Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 Hands-on
- Team Ninja's Itagaki E3 Interview news from 1UP.com
- Official DOAX2 teaser site
- Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 Reviews at Metacritic.com
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Dead or Alive • Dead or Alive 2 • Dead or Alive 3 • Dead or Alive 4 |