here’s something I find a bit baffling about this series. Of course, a large part of DOA Xtreme’s appeal is obvious: watching gorgeous women frolicking around in skimpy bikinis has been a staple of men’s entertainment since the two-piece was invented. However, this game is amazingly out of step with most of the titles I play from month to month. As games like Gears of War continue to push towards new levels of tension and intensity, Xtreme 2 ambles along at a relaxed pace – it’s quite literally a day at the beach. However, under the fun and sun is a leering, creepy vibe that I find a bit disturbing.
Most of the time, it barely feels like a game at all, rather a tropical vacation in a land where wearing a g-string qualifies as being “fully clothed.” You can pursue the various activities available to you at your leisure, whether it’s playing some beach volleyball, riding jet skis, or just watching the pretty ladies sun themselves by the pool.
The volleyball, although it has been erased from the game’s title, is still the most accomplished and deep part of this fairly slight gameplay package. There is no career progression per se, although trying to woo new partners with gifts and flattery is a game all unto its own. The basic mechanics and feel remain fluid and satisfying. My only complaint is that when the camera shifts to your opponents’ side of the net, you sometimes can’t see your character in the backcourt, making it hard to get into position.
Last time around, there wasn’t a whole lot to do except ogle the talent and play volleyball, a concern that Team Ninja has addressed by adding some new minigames like Tug-o-War, Beach Flags, and (believe it or not) Butt Battle. In addition, there is a mode devoted to jet ski racing that clearly takes its cues from Nintendo’s WaveRace series. The pool-hopping game and the casino from the first game also make appearances. While all these add a bit of variety, none of the gameplay offered enough to keep me interested over the long term, meaning that the core of the experience is still basically volleyball, gift giving, and babes.
The babes themselves, unsurprisingly, look gorgeous. Team Ninja creates some of the best graphics in the business, and Xtreme 2 is no exception. Everything is rendered beautifully, and the water effects in the Jet Ski races are a sight to behold. One thing I found a bit odd, however, were the…ahem…breast physics. They’ve been taken to the “next level” – a level at which normal human breasts seem to be sentient beings hell-bent on escaping the confines of their host body.
All of this points out my biggest problem with the game, which is that the characters – despite the level of depth that there is in the subtleties of gift giving and partnering up – aren’t really women at all. Aside from the obvious problems with presenting such unrealistic body images, there’s something disappointing about the way these hypersexualized characters are portrayed as childish, vacant, silly, and vain. They either like the gift you gave them or they don’t, and have little to say other than snippy put-downs or chirpy compliments. Now, I’m not against eye candy for eye candy’s sake, but there’s something that feels cold and voyeuristic about Team Ninja’s games that, quite frankly, bothers me.
That said, this is a well-made if not extremely ambitious title that will definitely please its fans. I’m just not sure I’m one of them.