 |
|
| .............CONTENT
... |
Screenshots - | |||
Intro Somewhere, in an executive boardroom, someone got the idea to start developing video game volleyball games based on the two on two beach game. It wasn't a bad idea, I mean how bad can it be to play a fast paced game on a beach with voluptuous babes, huge attitudes, and cool tunes? Some people swear that Beach Spikers is the best multiplayer game on the Game Cube and others just want to drool over Tecmo's masterful renditions in Dead or Alive Extreme Volleyball. Outlaw Volleyball, from Simon & Schuster/Hypnotix, attempts to add to the growing library of Volleyball games by adding even more attitude, characters, and courts to mix. Gameplay: 7/10 Outlaw provides the standard volleyball elements: spiking, set-ups, kills, digs, and blocks. You can practice these and improve the skills of each character in the practice ("Drills") mode that can be quite humorous - like having to knock down your adoring fans that are marching towards you on the other side of the net like Space Invaders by hitting them with the ball. Another example is pop up targets that you have to hit with the ball - some are friendly and some aren't. You have to get a certain amount of points and points are deducted when you hit the wrong target. The drills are amusing at first, but after slogging through them a few times, either successfully or unsuccessfully, they start to lose their appeal. The thought of having to upgrade each and every (sixteen) character to get to a particular level is daunting and tiresome, to say the least. The Drills mode should be for practice and perhaps to unlock certain aspects of the game, it shouldn't be a mandatory exercise for each and every character. When embarking on the Tour mode, you're finally en route to unlocking new characters and tournaments as you progress towards your ultimate goal of…unlocking all characters and courts, of course. The announcer is humorous and has a wide assortment of wiseass commentary to spout after each and every point. He does repeat himself quite often, but you'll hear something that you haven't heard every now and then that'll put a momentary smile on your face. The characters will do a dance or talk some trash after winning points and it's amusing to work your way through the game to see what the next set of wild characters has to say. Most of the elements are entertaining, but a few border on bad taste and poor juvenile humor that just doesn't work. Overall, I'd have to say that these elements are more successful than not, but not all of them work. You'll quickly notice two things that are Outlaw Volleyball's greatest weakness; the first being that you're partner is usually your weakest link. One in particular, Lizzy, will guarantee to nail the frustration meter to the top, as she's always good for at least 3 or 4 serves right into the net in each Match. You can switch control between the characters when you're on the defensive side of the court but not when you're passing back and forth on the offensive side of the ball. A second element the will certainly get the blood flowing are the amount of absolutely ludicrous gets that the opponent seems to make. You'll think that the point is over after a strong kill shot only to see the opponents dive ten or more feet one or two times and somehow return the ball to you. While this adds to the difficulty of the game, it makes you throw your hands up in the air at what you have to do to win a point. There's an interesting
thing going on with something that's dubbed a momentum meter. The stronger your
team plays (via winning points or making stupendous shots) the more this meter
fills up and you're rewarded by playing even better - which is really a great
idea since momentum usually plays a huge part in both individual and team sports.
It's surprising that this isn't done more often. This leads us to the absolute
weakest part of the game, which involves fighting. If you see that your opponents
meter is that much stronger than yours, you can "call out" one of your
two adversaries and try to kick the proverbial crap out of them. Unfortunately,
not only is this poorly implemented and executed, it feels horribly out place
and is almost painful to engage in. No thanks.
Graphics: 9/10 Sound:
9/10 Control:
7/10 Overall:
7/10 [ top ] | |||
