It’s the visuals that will attract you to Dead or Alive Xtreme 2. Who cares about the gameplay?
For a lot of gamers, Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 could be a game about taking inventory at a local Wal Mart, or learning how to play the tuba. But it would be a little bit of a stretch to include babes in bikinis in any of these activities. But if you have a deserted, tropical island turned into a hedonistic resort with lots of outdoor water-based activities, it practically screams for chicks in bikinis. You may recall that Dead or Alive Xtreme used to feature volleyball as it’s gameplay mainstay, but that’s history. To sum it up: If the babes are the main focus in this titillating jiggle-fest then volleyball is the porno equivalent of the pizza delivery boy – complete with accompanied wah-wah guitar sound effects.
Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 is an awesome looking game. The babes have never looked better – or bigger, if you know what I mean. But this is a game after all and it’s the game I must review. The actual volleyball game is the same game we’ve seen in Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball with so few improvements that you couldn’t even classify this title as an expansion pack. Volleyball is so overlooked that it’s been stricken from the title. The premise is more on sim-style relationships during a two-week stay at a beach resort. The developers think that this is probably as close as some gamers will ever get to a real girl – and I’m not saying they’re wrong. There is a tendency to include more of the activities that were previously mini-games as part of the main gameplay. There is jet ski racing, pool hopping, tug of war and “Butt” battle, to name a few. This game was developed to exploit the graphic processing capabilities of the 360 and little else. Consider the new physics that gives each female breast independent suspension. Yes, each boob moves independent of the other. There is also a sim-style dating element as well as the ability to photograph these hotties in various poses throughout the resort island. This game is so shallow that if you dove in head first you would risk breaking your neck.
Zack Island has once again been resurrected as the vacation destination of the members of the Dead or Alive fighting series – most preferably the gals. You can invite most of the girls from the last game in the series in addition to those from Dead or Alive 4. When they arrive at the island you’re goal is to latch on to one like a stalker and try to keep her interested in you by plying her with gifts and taking her on as a partner to win sporting events. At the outset you will learn what these women like to eat, what their favorite color is and what they like to do for a hobby. Armed with this information you can go to the various stores and purchase items that you know they will like, so they in turn will like you. Basically you are learning how to manipulate women like a pariah.
